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 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Kingsport, Tennessee, in Sullivan County, has about 57,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Kingsport starts two cases, a criminal case in the General Sessions Court and a license case before the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, 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: Kingsport public records, Sullivan County DUI, Kingsport arrest records, Kingsport warrants, Kingsport inmate search, Kingsport criminal records, Tennessee arrest records and Tennessee inmate search.
The DUI Law in Tennessee
In Tennessee the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Tennessee 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 Safety and Homeland Security, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Tennessee counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Kingsport
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Kingsport (filed by the FBI as Kingsport Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Kingsport.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Sullivan County: Drug Task Force's 2nd Judicial District and Tri-Cities Regional Airport (other agency); Northeast State Community College (campus police).
Together, the four agencies in Sullivan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,889 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Sullivan County does not break DUI out.
The Johnson City Police Department is listed by the FBI across three counties including Sullivan County, so its arrests are not broken out for Sullivan County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Kingsport
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, held about 930 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at scsotn.com/inmateRoster. The Kingsport inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney General files the charge, and the case is heard in the General Sessions Court.
The District Attorney General's page SearchSystems verified is at sullivancountytn.gov/district-attorney, phone (423) 279-3278.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=136.
Tennessee 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 Safety and Homeland Security. The driving record, kept by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Tennessee Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the General Sessions Court, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk and the Clerk and Master.
- The driving record: from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
More on each: Kingsport arrest records, Kingsport police reports and Kingsport court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Tennessee?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Kingsport heard?
In the General Sessions Court, brought by the District Attorney General. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at tncourts.gov/clerks/all/all?tid=136.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Kingsport held?
At the county jail, run by the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Tennessee?
The Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Tennessee?
10 years.
Is this the official Kingsport 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.