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.
Hawkins County, Tennessee, has about 59,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Hawkins 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: Hawkins County public records, Hawkins County arrest records, Hawkins County warrants, Hawkins County criminal records, Hawkins County court 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 Hawkins County
The Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Church Hill, Mount Carmel, Rogersville and Surgoinsville make the DUI arrests in Hawkins County.
Together, the four agencies in Hawkins County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,380 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Hawkins County does not break DUI out.
The Bean Station Police Department and the Kingsport Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Hawkins County, so their arrests are not broken out for Hawkins County here.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Hawkins 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 Hawkins County Sheriff's Office, held about 280 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Hawkins County is brought by the District Attorney General in the General Sessions Court.
The District Attorney General's page SearchSystems verified is at tennesseeda.gov/district-3.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hawkinscountytn.gov/circuit_court_clerk.html, phone (423) 272-3397.
Tennessee has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security 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 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: Hawkins County arrest records, Hawkins County police reports and Hawkins County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Tennessee?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Hawkins County heard?
In the General Sessions Court, brought by the District Attorney General. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hawkinscountytn.gov/circuit_court_clerk.html.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Hawkins County held?
At the county jail, run by the Hawkins 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 Hawkins 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.