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.
Hamilton County, Tennessee, has about 386,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Hamilton County 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: Hamilton County public records, Hamilton County arrest records, Hamilton County warrants, Hamilton County inmate search, Hamilton County 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 Hamilton County
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Chattanooga, East Ridge, Soddy-Daisy, Red Bank, Collegedale, Signal Mountain and one more cities make the DUI arrests in Hamilton County.
The FBI's agency list also places two other agencies and two campus police departments in Hamilton County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Together, the seven agencies in Hamilton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 10,513 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Hamilton County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, held about 540 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at hcsheriff.gov/Corrections/Inmates-app, phone 423-209-7000. The Hamilton County 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 court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hamiltontn.gov/CircuitCourt_TNCaseFinder.aspx, phone 423-209-6700.
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: Hamilton County arrest records, Hamilton County police reports and Hamilton County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Tennessee?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Hamilton County heard?
In the General Sessions Court, brought by the District Attorney General. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hamiltontn.gov/CircuitCourt_TNCaseFinder.aspx.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Hamilton County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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.