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. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 24, 2026.
Essex County, Vermont, has about 6,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Essex County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Criminal Division of the Superior 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: Essex County public records, Essex County arrest records, Essex County warrants, Essex County inmate search, Essex County criminal records, Vermont arrest records and Vermont inmate search.
The DUI Law in Vermont
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Vermont, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Vermont 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.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Essex County
The Essex County Sheriff's Office makes the DUI arrests in Essex County.
In Vermont the police for a given address is the town police, the county sheriff or the Vermont State Police, whichever took the call.
The Essex County Sheriff's Office reported 43 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Essex County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Essex County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody is in the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections, which runs every jail and prison in Vermont; its inmate locator is at vermont.gov/service/offender-locator.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from Essex County is brought by the State's Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at vtcourts.gov/court-locations/essex-civil-division, phone 800-540-9990.
Statewide, Vermont Judiciary Public Portal is the courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles 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 Vermont Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Criminal Division of the Superior Court, kept by the clerk of each division.
- The driving record: from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Essex County arrest records, Essex County police reports and Essex County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Vermont?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Essex County heard?
In the Criminal Division of the Superior Court, brought by the State's Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at vtcourts.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Essex County held?
In a facility of the Vermont Department of Corrections, which runs every jail in Vermont.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Vermont?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Essex 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.