Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 11, 2026.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in Schuylkill County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Pottsville starts two cases, a criminal case (in the Court of Common Pleas, after a preliminary hearing before a Magisterial District Judge) and a license case before PennDOT, 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: Pottsville public records, Schuylkill County DUI, Pottsville arrest records, Pottsville warrants, Pottsville inmate search, Pottsville criminal records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
The DUI Law in Pennsylvania
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Pennsylvania, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Pennsylvania 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 PennDOT, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Pennsylvania counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Pottsville
The Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Pottsville (filed by the FBI as Pottsville Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Pottsville.
The FBI's agency list also places three other agencies, one campus police department, three state agencies and one state police unit in Schuylkill County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Schuylkill County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 21 agencies in Schuylkill County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 631 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Schuylkill County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Pottsville
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office, held about 220 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at schuylkillcountypa.gov/government/sheriff/central_booking.php. The Pottsville inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Court of Common Pleas, after a preliminary hearing before a Magisterial District Judge.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.schuylkill.pa.us/Close.asp, phone (570) 628-1350.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at schuylkillcountypa.gov/government/clerk_of_courts/index.php, phone 570-628-1140.
Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by PennDOT. The driving record, kept by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Right-to-Know Law.
- The court file: from the Court of Common Pleas, after a preliminary hearing before a Magisterial District Judge, kept by the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases.
- The driving record: from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
More on each: Pottsville arrest records and Pottsville court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Pennsylvania?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Pottsville heard?
In the Court of Common Pleas, after a preliminary hearing before a Magisterial District Judge, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at schuylkillcountypa.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Pottsville held?
At the county jail, run by the Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Pennsylvania?
PennDOT, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Pennsylvania?
10 years.
Is this the official Pottsville 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.