St. Louis DUI Records
DUI records in St. Louis come from two separate court systems because the city operates as an independent jurisdiction, separate from St. Louis County. If you are looking for DWI or DUI case filings in the St. Louis area, you may need to check both the city circuit court and the county circuit court. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department handles DUI arrests within city limits, while county police manage cases outside the city. Most records are public and can be searched through Case.net or by contacting the relevant clerk office.
St. Louis Quick Facts
St. Louis City DUI Court Records
St. Louis is one of the few independent cities in the United States. It does not sit inside any county. The 22nd Judicial Circuit handles all circuit court cases within city limits. DUI arrests made by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police are prosecuted through this court. The St. Louis Municipal Courts also hear some DUI-related cases involving city ordinance violations.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Records Service Center is the place to get DUI arrest reports. It is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can use the express pick-up option through their online public records portal. Bring a state-issued photo ID or valid passport when you visit. Cash, money orders, and business checks are accepted for payment. Personal checks and debit or credit cards are not accepted at the SLMPD Records Service Center.
Copy fees follow the Missouri Sunshine Law. You pay $0.10 per page under Section 610.023(3). The rate for locating police reports is $15 per hour, prorated. Most simple requests for a single DUI report cost less than $5 in St. Louis. If you need records on behalf of someone else, you must bring a notarized release along with your own photo ID.
For city-only criminal record checks in St. Louis, the fee is $4.50. A combined city and county check costs $9.00. These checks include DUI convictions and pending charges. For a full statewide background check that covers DUI records beyond St. Louis, you need to go through the Missouri State Highway Patrol's MACHS system.
St. Louis County DUI Records
Many people who say "St. Louis" actually live in St. Louis County, which surrounds the city. The county has its own court system. The 21st Judicial Circuit handles all county-level cases. DUI records for the county are kept by the St. Louis County Circuit Clerk, Joan M. Gilmer, at 105 South Central Avenue in Clayton, MO 63105. The phone number is 314-615-8029. You can search county DUI records through Missouri Case.net.
St. Louis County criminal court records show the full criminal history including traffic infractions, misdemeanors, and felony crimes. For DUI cases, the records include the defendant's name, charges, hearing dates, arrest dates, a physical description, and the assigned judge and attorney. You can search by name, case number, or date filed. Copies cost $0.30 per page, and certification is $1.50 per document.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office at 105 South Central Avenue in Clayton also holds arrest records. Their phone number is (314) 615-5000. Mugshots from DUI arrests in St. Louis County may be available through the sheriff's office. You can inspect records in person at the circuit clerk's office during business hours at no cost. Getting copies is where the fees come in.
Note: Federal DUI cases in the St. Louis area go through the Eastern District of Missouri at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, 111 South 10th Street, (314) 244-7900.
Search St. Louis DUI Records Online
Missouri Case.net is the primary way to search DUI records online for the St. Louis area. The system covers both the city and the county. You can look up cases by name, case number, or filing date. Criminal and traffic cases from 1995 forward are in the database. Docket entries, parties, and judgments are all visible. This makes it easy to find DUI records without leaving home.
If you want Sunshine Law requests processed through the St. Louis police, you can submit them through the SLMPD Public Records Portal, by email to sunshinelawrequest@slmpd.org, or by mail to 1915 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63103. Attorneys and insurance companies must use the Sunshine request process rather than the walk-in Records Service Center. This applies to DUI records and all other types of police records in St. Louis.
Open records in St. Louis include arrests within the last 30 days, convictions, and probation cases. Closed records include not guilty findings, dismissed charges, suspended sentences after probation, and arrests more than 30 days old with no charges filed. DUI records that result in a conviction stay open and accessible to the public in St. Louis.
DUI Laws Affecting St. Louis Cases
Missouri's DWI laws under Chapter 577 apply to all DUI cases in St. Louis. A blood alcohol content at or above 0.08% is the legal limit. First offenses are class B misdemeanors. Repeat DUI offenses in St. Louis escalate in severity. A person with two or more prior DWI convictions who gets arrested again in St. Louis faces felony charges.
The Missouri Department of Revenue handles the license side of St. Louis DUI cases. A first DUI brings a 90-day suspension. Refusing a chemical test leads to a one-year revocation. These administrative actions create their own set of records, separate from the court case. So a St. Louis DUI can produce records in both the court system and the Department of Revenue files.
Expungement of DUI records in St. Louis is possible under Section 610.130 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. You must wait at least 10 years after your sentence, probation, or parole ends. Not every DUI conviction qualifies. The petition goes through the circuit court where the case was originally filed. If granted, the St. Louis DUI record is sealed from most public searches.
St. Louis DUI Background Checks
For statewide DUI background checks, the Missouri State Highway Patrol MACHS system is the standard tool. A name-based search costs $15. It returns open records including convictions and recent arrests from across Missouri, not just St. Louis. Fingerprint-based searches cost $20 plus processing and give a more complete picture. Results come back in about 5 to 7 business days.
One thing to know about St. Louis: the police department no longer offers fingerprinting services. SLMPD shut down their fingerprinting permanently. If you need fingerprints taken for a background check, you have to use a private service through IdentoGO by Idemia. This is relevant if you need a fingerprint-based DUI record check for the St. Louis area.
St. Louis County DUI Court Info
St. Louis is an independent city, but many DUI cases in the greater St. Louis area are filed through St. Louis County courts. The county circuit clerk handles records for the 21st Judicial Circuit. For more on the county court system, clerk contacts, fees, and resources for DUI cases, visit the full county page.
Nearby Cities
Other Missouri cities near St. Louis where you can look up DUI records: