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 October 1, 2026.
Marion County, South Carolina, has about 28,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Marion 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: Marion County public records, Marion County arrest records, Marion County warrants, Marion County inmate search, Marion County criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The DUI Law in South Carolina
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in South Carolina, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
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 Marion County
The Marion County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Marion, Mullins, Nichols and Sellers make the DUI arrests in Marion County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in Marion County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Marion County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the three agencies in Marion County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 696 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Marion County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Marion 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 Marion County Sheriff's Office, held about 76 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at marionsc.org/departments/detention_center/current_inmates_and_relea.... The Marion County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Marion County is heard in a Magistrate or Municipal Court; the Solicitor or, in a municipal court, the city's own prosecutor brings it.
The Solicitor's page SearchSystems verified is at sccourts.org.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at marionsc.org/government/clerk_of_court, phone (843) 423-8240.
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: Marion County arrest records, Marion County police reports and Marion 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 Marion County heard?
In a Magistrate or Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at marionsc.org/government/clerk_of_court.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Marion County held?
At the county jail, run by the Marion 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 Marion 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.