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.
Columbia County, Oregon, has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUII arrest in Columbia County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Columbia County Circuit Court and a license case before the DMV, 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: Columbia County public records, Columbia County arrest records, Columbia County warrants, Columbia County inmate search, Columbia County criminal records, Oregon arrest records and Oregon inmate search.
The DUII Law in Oregon
Drunk driving is charged as DUII in Oregon, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Oregon is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUII; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the DMV, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUII Arrests in Columbia County
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for St. Helens, Scappoose, Vernonia, Columbia City and Rainier make the DUII arrests in Columbia County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Columbia County: the Columbia County State Police (state police); the Columbia County Liquor Commission (state agency); the Columbia County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the five agencies in Columbia County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 912 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Columbia County does not break DUII out.
Booking After a DUII Arrest in Columbia County
A driver arrested for DUII and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, held about 140 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at sheriff.columbiacountyor.gov/CurrentInmateListing. The Columbia County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Columbia County Circuit Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at columbiacountyor.gov, phone 503-397-2760.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.oregon.gov/courts/columbia/records/pages/default.aspx, phone 503-397-2327.
Statewide, Oregon eCourt Case Information is the Oregon Judicial Department's online case search, free for basic case information.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The DMV runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUII Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Oregon Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the Columbia County Circuit Court, kept by the trial court administrator.
- The driving record: from the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services.
More on each: Columbia County arrest records, Columbia County police reports and Columbia County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUII limit in Oregon?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUII case from Columbia County heard?
In the Columbia County Circuit Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.oregon.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUII in Columbia County held?
At the county jail, run by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUII arrest in Oregon?
The DMV, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Columbia 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.