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 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Barnwell County, South Carolina, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Barnwell 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: Barnwell County public records, Barnwell County arrest records, Barnwell County warrants, Barnwell County inmate search, Barnwell 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 Barnwell County
The Barnwell County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Barnwell, Williston and Blackville make the DUI arrests in Barnwell County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in Barnwell County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Barnwell County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Barnwell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 651 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Barnwell County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Barnwell 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 Barnwell County Sheriff's Office, held about 95 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at barnwellcountysc.us/167/Detention-Center, phone 844-394-6639. The Barnwell 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 barnwellcountysc.us/190/Court, phone 803-541-1020.
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: Barnwell County arrest records, Barnwell County police reports and Barnwell 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 Barnwell County heard?
In a Magistrate or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at barnwellcountysc.us/190/Court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Barnwell County held?
At the county jail, run by the Barnwell 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 Barnwell 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.