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 4, 2026.
Aberdeen, South Dakota, in Brown County, has about 28,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Aberdeen starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court for Brown County and a license case before the Department of Public Safety, 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: Aberdeen public records, Brown County DUI, Aberdeen arrest records, Aberdeen warrants, Aberdeen inmate search, Aberdeen criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
The DUI Law in South Dakota
In South Dakota the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in South Dakota 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 Public Safety, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, South Dakota counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Aberdeen
The Brown County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Aberdeen (filed by the FBI as Aberdeen Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Aberdeen.
Together, the two agencies in Brown County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,848 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Brown County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Aberdeen
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Brown County Sheriff's Office, held about 58 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at brown.sd.us/department/jail, phone 800.896.3201. The Aberdeen inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Aberdeen is brought by the State's Attorney in the Circuit Court for Brown County.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ujs.sd.gov/cases-and-records.
Statewide, UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Public Safety runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing 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 Dakota Open Records Law.
- The court file: from the Circuit Court for Brown County, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing.
More on each: Aberdeen arrest records, Aberdeen police reports and Aberdeen court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in South Dakota?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Aberdeen heard?
In the Circuit Court for Brown County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ujs.sd.gov/cases-and-records.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Aberdeen held?
At the county jail, run by the Brown County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in South Dakota?
The Department of Public Safety, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in South Dakota?
10 years.
Is this the official Aberdeen 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.