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 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in Beaufort County, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Hilton Head Island starts two cases, a criminal case in a Magistrate or Municipal Court and a license case before the Department 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: Hilton Head Island public records, Beaufort County DUI, Hilton Head Island arrest records, Hilton Head Island warrants, Hilton Head Island inmate search, Hilton Head Island criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The DUI Law in South Carolina
In South Carolina the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in South Carolina 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 the Department of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, South Carolina counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Hilton Head Island
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort make the DUI arrests in and around Hilton Head Island.
The FBI's agency list also places one state police unit, five state agencies and one campus police department in Beaufort County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Beaufort County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Beaufort County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,559 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Beaufort County does not break DUI out.
The Hardeeville Police Department and the Yemassee Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Beaufort County, so their arrests are not broken out for Beaufort County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Hilton Head Island
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, held about 120 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at beaufortcountysc.gov/detention-center/inmate-inquiry-system.html. The Hilton Head Island inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Hilton Head Island is heard in a Magistrate or Municipal Court; the Solicitor or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at beaufortcountysc.gov/clerk-of-court/index.html, phone (843) 255-5710.
South Carolina has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DUI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from a Magistrate or Municipal Court, kept by the Clerk of Court.
- The driving record: from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Hilton Head Island arrest records and Hilton Head Island court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in South Carolina?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Hilton Head Island heard?
In a Magistrate or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at beaufortcountysc.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Hilton Head Island held?
At the county jail, run by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in South Carolina?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in South Carolina?
10 years.
Is this the official Hilton Head Island 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.