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 on September 23, 2026.
Bedford County, Virginia, has about 82,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Bedford County starts two cases, a criminal case in the General District Court and a license case before the Department of Motor Vehicles, 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: Bedford County public records, Bedford County arrest records, Bedford County warrants, Bedford County inmate search, Bedford County criminal records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
The DUI Law in Virginia
In Virginia the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Virginia 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 Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Virginia counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Bedford County
The Bedford County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Bedford make the DUI arrests in Bedford County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Bedford County: the Bedford County State Police (state police); the Bedford County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the two agencies in Bedford County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,576 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Bedford County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Bedford 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 Bedford County Sheriff's Office, held about 1 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at sheriff.bedfordcountyva.gov/divisions/services, phone 540-586-4800. The Bedford County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Commonwealth's Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the General District Court.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at bedfordcountyva.gov, phone (540) 586-7628.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at vacourts.gov/courts/gd/bedford/home, phone (540) 586-7637.
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
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 Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
- The court file: from the General District Court, kept by the Circuit Court Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Bedford County arrest records, Bedford County police reports and Bedford County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Virginia?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Bedford County heard?
In the General District Court, brought by the Commonwealth's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at vacourts.gov/courts/gd/bedford/home.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Bedford County held?
At the county jail, run by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Virginia?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Virginia?
10 years.
Is this the official Bedford 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.