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.
Abbeville County, South Carolina, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Abbeville County 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: Abbeville County public records, Abbeville County arrest records, Abbeville County warrants, Abbeville County inmate search, Abbeville County 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 Abbeville County
The Abbeville County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Abbeville, Calhoun Falls and Due West make the DUI arrests in Abbeville County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies, one campus police department and one state police unit in Abbeville County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Abbeville County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Abbeville County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 554 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Abbeville County does not break DUI out.
The Honea Path Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Abbeville County, so its arrests are not broken out for Abbeville County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Abbeville 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 Abbeville County Sheriff's Office, held about 35 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at abbevillecountysc.com/sheriff, phone (864) 446-6000. The Abbeville County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in a Magistrate or Municipal Court, brought by the Solicitor or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sccourts.org/courts/courthouse-search/abbeville, phone (864) 366-5312.
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
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
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: Abbeville County arrest records, Abbeville County police reports and Abbeville County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in South Carolina?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Abbeville County heard?
In a Magistrate or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sccourts.org.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Abbeville County held?
At the county jail, run by the Abbeville 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 Abbeville 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.