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 9, 2026.
Adams County, Pennsylvania, has about 108,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Adams County 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: Adams County public records, Adams County arrest records, Adams County warrants, Adams County inmate search, Adams County 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 Adams County
The Adams County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Gettysburg, Littlestown, Carroll Valley, McSherrystown, Bonneauville, East Berlin and two more cities make the DUI arrests in Adams County.
The FBI's agency list also places two state agencies, three other agencies and one state police unit in Adams County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Adams County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 13 agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 656 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Adams County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Adams County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, held about 210 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at adamscosheriff.net/portal/Jail?hours=24. The Adams 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 Court of Common Pleas, after a preliminary hearing before a Magisterial District Judge.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at adamscountypa.gov, phone 717-337-9840.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at adamscountypa.gov/departments/clerkoforphanscourt/case-search, phone 724-656-3100.
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: Adams County arrest records, Adams County police reports and Adams County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Pennsylvania?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Adams County 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 adamscountypa.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Adams County held?
At the county jail, run by the Adams 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 Adams 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.