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 30, 2026.
Codington County, South Dakota, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Codington County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court for Codington 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: Codington County public records, Codington County arrest records, Codington County warrants, Codington County inmate search, Codington County 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 Codington County
The Codington County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Watertown make the DUI arrests in Codington County.
Together, the two agencies in Codington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,490 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Codington County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Codington 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 Codington County Sheriff's Office, held about 64 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at codington.sdcounty.gov/sheriff. The Codington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Codington County is brought by the State's Attorney in the Circuit Court for Codington County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at codington.sdcounty.gov/states-attorney, phone (605)882-6276.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/codington-county-co..., phone 605-882-5110. That page belongs to a lower court, not to the Circuit Court for Codington County.
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 Codington County, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing.
More on each: Codington County arrest records, Codington County police reports and Codington County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in South Dakota?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Codington County heard?
In the Circuit Court for Codington County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ujs.sd.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Codington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Codington 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 Codington 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.