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.
Pennington County, South Dakota, has about 116,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Pennington County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Circuit Court for Pennington 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: Pennington County public records, Pennington County arrest records, Pennington County warrants, Pennington County inmate search, Pennington 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 Pennington County
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Rapid City and Box Elder make the DUI arrests in Pennington County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Pennington County: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (campus police).
Together, the three agencies in Pennington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,741 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Pennington County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Pennington 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 Pennington County Sheriff's Office, held about 630 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at pennco.org/law_public_safety/jail/current_inmates.php. The Pennington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Pennington County is brought by the State's Attorney in the Circuit Court for Pennington County.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dakotaathome.sd.gov/search/aeeb2f90-ffec-5ff2-9397-81ed6c86f875, phone 605-394-2575.
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 Pennington County, kept by the Clerk of Courts.
- The driving record: from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Driver Licensing.
More on each: Pennington County arrest records, Pennington County police reports and Pennington 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 Pennington County heard?
In the Circuit Court for Pennington 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 Pennington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Pennington 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 Pennington 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.