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 between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Marietta, Ohio, in Washington County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OVI arrest in Marietta starts two cases, a criminal case in a Municipal or County Court and a license case before the Bureau 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: Marietta public records, Washington County OVI, Marietta arrest records, Marietta warrants, Marietta inmate search, Marietta criminal records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
The OVI Law in Ohio
In Ohio the offense is OVI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Ohio is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OVI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Ohio counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes OVI Arrests in Marietta
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Marietta (filed by the FBI as Marietta Police Department) make the OVI arrests in and around Marietta.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Washington County: Marietta College (campus police).
Together, the four agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2022 on file reported 669 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Washington County does not break OVI out.
Booking After an OVI Arrest in Marietta
A driver arrested for OVI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, held about 94 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at washingtoncountysheriff.org/corrections, phone 866-345-1884. The Marietta inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OVI charge from Marietta is heard in a Municipal or County Court; the Prosecuting Attorney or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washingtongov.org/250/Clerk-of-Courts, phone (740) 373-6623.
Ohio 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 Bureau of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records an OVI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Ohio Public Records Act.
- The court file: from a Municipal or County Court, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Marietta arrest records, Marietta police reports and Marietta court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OVI limit in Ohio?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OVI case from Marietta heard?
In a Municipal or County Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washingtongov.org/250/Clerk-of-Courts.
Where is a person arrested for OVI in Marietta held?
At the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OVI arrest in Ohio?
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does an OVI count as a prior in Ohio?
10 years.
Is this the official Marietta website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.