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 23, 2026.
Franklin County, Ohio, has about 1.4 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OVI arrest in Franklin County 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: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County warrants, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County 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 Franklin County
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Columbus, Dublin, Grove City, Reynoldsburg, Hilliard, Westerville and 13 more cities make the OVI arrests in Franklin County.
The FBI's agency list also places two other agencies and four campus police departments in Franklin County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the 24 agencies in Franklin County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 19,932 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Franklin County does not break OVI out.
The Pickerington Police Department and the Lithopolis Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Franklin County, so their arrests are not broken out for Franklin County here.
Booking After an OVI Arrest in Franklin County
A driver arrested for OVI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,660 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at sheriff.franklincountyohio.gov/Services/Inmate-Information. The Franklin County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OVI charge from Franklin County 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 franklincountyohio.gov, phone 614-525-3555.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us/CaseInformationOnline.
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: Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County police reports and Franklin County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OVI limit in Ohio?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OVI case from Franklin County heard?
In a Municipal or County Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at fcdcfcjs.co.franklin.oh.us.
Where is a person arrested for OVI in Franklin County held?
At the county jail, run by the Franklin 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 Franklin 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.