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.
Hughes County, South Dakota, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Hughes County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court for Hughes 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: Hughes County public records, Hughes County arrest records, Hughes County warrants, Hughes County inmate search, Hughes County criminal records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
The DUI Law in South Dakota
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in South Dakota, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
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 Hughes County
The Hughes County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Pierre make the DUI arrests in Hughes County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Hughes County: the Division of Criminal Investigation (state agency).
Together, the two agencies in Hughes County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 461 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Hughes County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Hughes 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 Hughes County Sheriff's Office, held about 120 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at hughescounty.org/sheriff, phone (605) 773-7417. The Hughes County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Circuit Court for Hughes County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hughescounty.org/attorney, phone 605 773 7410.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dakotaathome.sd.gov/search/efb6ba5a-ae4f-50c9-a483-74bb85426ecb, phone 605-773-3713.
Statewide, UJS Public Access Record Search is the South Dakota courts' statewide search, with a fee per name.
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 Public Safety. The driving record, kept by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing, carries the result of both.
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 Hughes County, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing.
More on each: Hughes County arrest records, Hughes County police reports and Hughes 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 Hughes County heard?
In the Circuit Court for Hughes County, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dakotaathome.sd.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Hughes County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hughes 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 Hughes 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.