Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 24, 2026.
Washoe County, Nevada, has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Washoe County starts two cases, a criminal case in a Justice or Municipal Court and a license case before the Department of Motor Vehicles, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Washoe County public records, Washoe County arrest records, Washoe County warrants, Washoe County inmate search, Washoe County criminal records, Nevada arrest records and Nevada inmate search.
The DUI Law in Nevada
In Nevada the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Nevada is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Department of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Nevada counts prior offenses within 7 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Washoe County
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Reno and Sparks make the DUI arrests in Washoe County.
The FBI's agency list also places four other agencies, two state agencies and one campus police department in Washoe County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the two agencies in Washoe County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,846 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Washoe County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Washoe County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,110 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at washoecounty.gov/defender/faq/gen12.php, phone 775-328-3062. The Washoe County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in a Justice or Municipal Court, brought by the District Attorney or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at washoecounty.gov/da, phone 775.789.7100.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washoecounty.gov/sjc/CaseSearch.php.
Nevada has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Nevada Public Records Act.
- The court file: from a Justice or Municipal Court, kept by the County Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Washoe County arrest records, Washoe County police reports and Washoe County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Nevada?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Washoe County heard?
In a Justice or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washoecounty.gov/sjc/CaseSearch.php.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Washoe County held?
At the county jail, run by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Nevada?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Nevada?
7 years.
Is this the official Washoe County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.