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 September 25, 2026.
Urbana, Ohio, in Champaign County, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OVI arrest in Urbana 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: Urbana public records, Champaign County OVI, Urbana arrest records, Urbana warrants, Urbana criminal records, Urbana court 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 Urbana
The Champaign County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Urbana (filed by the FBI as Urbana Police Department) make the OVI arrests in and around Urbana.
Together, the three agencies in Champaign County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 921 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Champaign County does not break OVI out.
Booking After an OVI Arrest in Urbana
A driver arrested for OVI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Champaign County Sheriff's Office, held about 35 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
The Court Case
An OVI charge from Urbana is heard in a Municipal or County Court; the Prosecuting Attorney or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at champaigncountymunicipalcourt.com, phone 937.653.7376. That page belongs to a lower court, the Municipal and County Courts, not to the Champaign County Court of Common Pleas.
Ohio has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
An OVI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
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: Urbana arrest records, Urbana police reports and Urbana court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OVI limit in Ohio?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OVI case from Urbana heard?
In a Municipal or County Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at champaigncountymunicipalcourt.com.
Where is a person arrested for OVI in Urbana held?
At the county jail, run by the Champaign 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 Urbana 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.