Dallas County DUI and DWI Records

Dallas County DUI and DWI records are maintained by the District Clerk, County Clerk, Dallas Police Department, and the Dallas County Sheriff. With a population of over 2.6 million, Dallas County is one of the busiest DWI jurisdictions in Texas. You can search felony and misdemeanor DWI records online, visit the courthouse at 600 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, or request records from the police department that made the arrest.

Dallas County District Clerk

The Dallas County District Clerk at 600 Commerce Street, Room 118, Dallas, TX 75202 handles all felony DWI records for the county. Phone is (214) 653-7426. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Dallas County has 15 Criminal District Courts (291st through 363rd) handling felony DWI cases. These include DWI third offense (third-degree felony), intoxication assault (third-degree felony), intoxication manslaughter (second-degree felony), and DWI with a child passenger under 15 (state jail felony).

The District Clerk offers a free online case search at dallascounty.org. You can search by defendant name, case number, or attorney. Search results show the charge with offense degree, filing date, court assignment, bond type and amount, attorney of record, all docket settings, and the final disposition. Documents can be purchased online for $1.00 per page with immediate PDF download. Certified copies cost $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee. E-filing for attorneys has been mandatory since 2014 through eFileTexas.gov. Felony DWI records are permanent and date back many years.

Dallas County case numbers for felonies use the format F-YY-#####. The Texas Judicial Branch reports that Dallas County ranks among the highest in Texas for felony criminal case filings each year. Appeals from Dallas County district court cases go to the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.

Dallas County Clerk - Misdemeanor DWI Records

The Dallas County Clerk at 600 Commerce Street, Records Division, Dallas, TX 75202 maintains all misdemeanor DWI records. Phone is (214) 653-7141. Dallas County has 12 County Criminal Courts at Law (Courts 1 through 12) that handle first and second offense DWI cases. Under Texas Penal Code Section 49.04 and 49.09, a first DWI is a Class B misdemeanor and a second is a Class A misdemeanor.

Misdemeanor DWI records are searchable through the same portal as the District Clerk. Filter by "County Criminal Court" designation. Records show the exact BAC level when available, the source of the test (breath, blood, or urine), charge details, plea entered, and final sentence. Deferred disposition is available for first-time DWI offenders who meet eligibility requirements. The conditions include a DWI education course, community service hours, no alcohol for the deferred period, and monthly reporting. Records of completed deferred dispositions are kept for two years after completion.

Copy fees are $1.00 per page standard, $5.00 for certification. Research fees of $15 per hour may apply for extensive searches. Convictions are permanent records. Dismissed cases stay on file for five years. Community supervision records include details on DWI education, community service hours, and Victim Impact Panel attendance requirements.

Dallas Police Department Records

The Dallas Police Department Open Records Unit at 1400 S. Lamar Street, Dallas, TX 75215 handles public information requests for DWI arrest reports. Phone is (214) 671-3345. Requests can be submitted online through the Dallas Open Records Center, which allows you to track request status and receive notification when records are ready. Standard processing time is 10 business days, with up to 30 days for complex requests.

DWI arrest reports from DPD include the officer's probable cause statement, field sobriety test checklist and results, portable breath test results if administered, observations of impairment, Miranda warning documentation, and the circumstances of the arrest. If the DWI involved a crash, the accident report is part of the same file. Fee schedule: police report $5.00, supplemental report $5.00, body cam video $20 plus media cost, 911 audio $10 plus media cost. Body cam video is typically retained 90 days for standard cases, longer for felonies.

The Dallas Police Department also maintains Intoxilyzer room video for breath test administrations. If you need this video, specify the exact date and time in your records request. Note that video evidence processing carries additional fees beyond the standard $5.00 report fee.

Dallas County Sheriff's Department

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department at 133 N. Riverfront Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75207 handles DWI arrests in unincorporated Dallas County and provides jail operations for all Dallas County arrests. The Records Division can be reached at (214) 653-3471. Written requests can be mailed to Dallas County Sheriff, Attn: Records, 133 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207, or emailed to sheriffrecords@dallascounty.org.

Jail booking records are searchable online at the Sheriff's website 24 hours a day. Booking information shows charges, bond amount, and scheduled court dates. Jail records for DWI arrestees include booking information and show whether the person was released on bond or held pending arraignment. Sheriff's report copy fees are $0.10 per page, significantly less than most agencies. Certification adds $5.00. Background checks cost $10.00.

Note: The Dallas County jail processes all DWI arrestees regardless of which agency made the arrest, since Dallas County has a single central jail facility used by DPD, the Sheriff, and other municipal agencies in the county.

Texas DWI Law and Dallas County Cases

Dallas County prosecutes DWI under Texas Penal Code Chapter 49. Section 49.04 defines the base offense. The standard is: operating a motor vehicle in any public place while intoxicated. Texas law defines intoxicated two ways: lacking normal mental or physical faculties from any substance, or having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. Either definition supports prosecution. Dallas County DWI records from the District Clerk often show the exact BAC level from blood test results, since blood draws are common here.

Dallas County District Clerk records show all bond conditions for DWI cases. Bond records frequently include ignition interlock requirements for second and higher offenses. DWI cases in Dallas County that involve a crash show the most detail, since crash reports from TxDOT and DPD are filed alongside the criminal case records. For crash-related DWI cases, TxDOT holds the CR-3 peace officer crash report. Copies cost $6 standard or $8 certified through the CRIS online system.

The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 14 authorizes warrantless DWI arrests when the offense occurs in an officer's presence or view. Under Art. 14.06, all persons arrested must be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours. In Dallas County, this typically happens much faster due to the volume of arrests and available magistrates.

Minors caught driving with any alcohol in Dallas County face the zero tolerance DUI standard under Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 106.041. First offense DUI by minor is Class C with community service and an alcohol awareness program. A second offense increases to 20-40 hours of community service. Dallas County has online alcohol awareness programs available for eligible minors in counties of 75,000 or less, but Dallas does not qualify, so in-person programs are required.

License Suspension After a Dallas County DWI Arrest

The Texas DPS Administrative License Revocation program begins immediately after any DWI arrest in Dallas County. The arresting officer confiscates the physical license and issues a 40-day temporary permit. You have 15 days from the date of the arrest to request an ALR hearing. If you don't request one, the suspension takes effect automatically on day 40.

Suspension periods under Transportation Code Chapter 524 are: 180 days for a first offense refusal, two years for a second refusal within 10 years; 90 days for failing the test at 0.08 or above on a first offense, one year with a prior suspension. The ALR process is a civil administrative proceeding at the State Office of Administrative Hearings, entirely separate from the Dallas County criminal court case. The ALR judge considers whether the officer had reasonable suspicion for the stop, probable cause for the arrest, and whether testing was properly requested. The burden of proof is preponderance of the evidence, which is lower than the beyond-reasonable-doubt standard in criminal court.

After the suspension period ends, a $125 reinstatement fee is due to DPS before a new license is issued. Driving records can be ordered from dps.texas.gov. Fees range from $4 to $22 depending on the type. The Type 3A certified complete history at $10 is commonly used for legal purposes in Dallas County DWI cases. Driver records are not available at DPS offices in person or by phone.

DWI Records and Texas DPS Data

The Texas DPS Crime Records Division compiles arrest data submitted by Dallas PD, the Sheriff, and other Dallas County agencies into statewide databases forwarded to the FBI. Dallas County is one of the highest-volume contributors to the Texas criminal history database given its population size.

Texas DPS maintains statewide driving records, criminal history databases, and the ALR program for all Texas counties including Dallas County.

Public information requests to DPS for Dallas County-related state records can be submitted through the DPS Public Information Center, by email to publicrecords@dps.texas.gov, or by mail to Box 4087, Austin, Texas 78773-0140. For criminal history checks on yourself, use the CR-63 process. Bona fide researchers can obtain criminal history data files under Texas Government Code 411.083(b).

Cities in Dallas County

Dallas County includes the city of Dallas and several other large cities. DWI cases from all cities in the county go through the Dallas County court system.

Nearby Counties

Dallas County is surrounded by several major counties in the DFW metroplex. DWI cases that occur in those counties are handled by their own courts.