How to Search Macomb County Court Records
The main Macomb County court search tool is CourtView Public Access, launched from the official Clerk Court Records page. CourtView covers the 16th Judicial Circuit Court and Macomb County Probate Court. The Probate Court page describes it as a party-name index that returns the case number and the judge assigned to the case. The Macomb County Clerk states that the Clerk does not maintain CourtView, so any technical issue should be reported through the linked vendor and not the Clerk's counter. The county snapshot below shows the main entry point to county records.
An overview of the county government, with links into the Clerk, Sheriff, Probate Court, and Circuit Court, is published on the official Macomb County homepage. That page is the safest starting point because it links straight into the official department pages and avoids third-party copies.
The portal opens at courtpa.macombgov.org. Searches work by party name or by case number. For probate cases, the party-name index is the official search method. For circuit cases, both party name and case number can be used. Before starting, write down the full name, date of any incident, and any case number printed on a notice or summons.
- Open the official Clerk Court Records page on macombgov.org and choose LAUNCH COURTVIEW.
- Pick Circuit Court or Probate Court depending on the case type.
- Enter the party name, or enter the exact case number if it is printed on a notice or summons.
- Review the result list for the case number, the court, and the assigned judge (probate searches display the judge in the result).
- For a copy, return to the Clerk page and use the online document order, fax/mail PDF, or in-person counter.
- For district court files (traffic, small claims, most misdemeanors), use the proper district court site instead of CourtView.
A look at the official Clerk Court Records page shows the CourtView launch button, the document order categories, and the filing rules.
The Clerk page is the only official county hub that lists the online document order categories (divorce judgment, criminal sentence, civil judgment, other document, docket entry, name search). Treat it as the index of Circuit Court services, not the CourtView search itself.
The Macomb County Judicial System
Michigan presents its courts as "one court of justice," with the Michigan Supreme Court at the top, the Michigan Court of Appeals as the intermediate appellate court, and the trial courts under those two. In Macomb County, the trial-court layer has three parts. The 16th Judicial Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court. The Probate Court is a separate county court. District courts are the busy local trial courts that handle traffic, parking, civil infractions, misdemeanors, landlord-tenant, small claims, and the first felony steps. A map of how the county is organized appears on the county departments directory.
The 16th Circuit Court is the felony trial court after bindover, the divorce and custody court, the high-dollar civil court, and the appellate stop for some district court cases. The 16th Judicial Circuit Court page lists case lookup, payment options, forms, jury duty, bail bonds, video proceeding requests, eFiling, and the staffed Self-Help Center.
Case flow: District Court › 16th Judicial Circuit Court › Michigan Court of Appeals › Michigan Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan Supreme Court | Court of last resort | Discretionary review, court rules, attorney/judicial discipline |
| Michigan Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate | Most appeals from circuit, probate, and other trial courts |
| 16th Judicial Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction trial | Felony, civil over $25,000, domestic relations, equitable relief, appeals from district court |
| Macomb County Probate Court | Specialty trial | Estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, commitments |
| District Courts (37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 41A, 41B, 42-1, 42-2) | Limited-jurisdiction trial | Misdemeanors, civil up to $25,000, landlord-tenant, traffic, small claims up to $7,000 |
The countywide 16th Judicial Circuit Court sits at 40 N. Main Street in Mount Clemens, and the same building holds the Clerk's Circuit Court Section and the Probate Court. The district courts are spread across the county by community.
The county's court table also includes the federal courts that hear Macomb residents' federal cases: the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Federal cases are not in CourtView; they use PACER.
Macomb County Courthouses and Offices
Most Macomb County court business takes place in a tight downtown Mount Clemens cluster. The 16th Judicial Circuit Court and Probate Court share the 40 N. Main court building. The Clerk's Court Section is in the same building. The Register of Deeds and Vital Records office is one block away. The Sheriff and the jail are separate, on Elizabeth Road.
16th Judicial Circuit Court
40 N. Main Street
Mount Clemens, MI 48043
586-469-7171
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Macomb County Probate Court
40 N. Main Street, 5th Floor
Mount Clemens, MI 48043
586-469-5290
8:30 a.m.–noon, 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Clerk / Register of Deeds (Vital Records)
120 N. Main Street
Mount Clemens, MI 48043
586-469-5120
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
The Clerk's Court Section counter closes at 4:15 p.m. each business day even though the court itself is open until 4:30 p.m. The Probate Court closes for lunch and locks its filing window at 4:00 p.m. Emergency probate filings must be in person by 3:00 p.m.; later emergencies are processed the next morning. Treat these cutoffs as hard deadlines.
Types of Court Records Available in Macomb County
Macomb County court records cover civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, juvenile, and small-claims cases. The 16th Circuit Court files include the heaviest civil and felony documents. The district courts handle the largest share of cases by sheer count because every traffic ticket and small civil claim runs through one of them. The Clerk's online order page sells the most common Circuit Court documents (divorce judgments, criminal sentences, civil judgments, docket entries, and name searches).
Probate Court files are organized by case type and party-name index. The Probate Court has exclusive jurisdiction in estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, protective proceedings, and mental-health commitment proceedings. Probate records can be searched on CourtView using the party-name index. Many guardianship and probate files include public components, but mental health and certain protected fields stay confidential.
- Civil records — Complaints, summons, motions, orders, and judgments from Circuit and district courts.
- Criminal records — Felony files in Circuit Court, misdemeanors and felony starts in district court.
- Family records — Divorce, custody, parenting time, and Friend of the Court enforcement.
- Probate records — Decedent estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and commitments.
- Traffic records — Tickets, parking, civil infractions, and OWI cases at the district court level.
- Real-property records — Deeds, mortgages, liens, and lis pendens at the Register of Deeds, separate from CourtView.
For more detail on each record type, see the Macomb County court records, arrest records, court dockets, and Probate Records pages.
What Macomb County Court Records Show
A Macomb court record is a structured file of pleadings, hearings, orders, and outcomes. The exact fields shown in CourtView vary by court and case type, but the core data points are consistent. The table below describes the fields users see most often when they search a Macomb case or order a copy from the Clerk.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Court-assigned identifier; format varies by case type. Required for copy orders. |
| Filing Date | Date the case or document was accepted by the clerk. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, estate, or ward names. |
| Judge | Assigned judge; Probate Court results include the judge by default. |
| Charges / Cause | Statutory citation, count, and offense level for criminal cases; cause for civil. |
| Disposition | Outcome of the case or count (plea, conviction, dismissal, judgment). |
| Sentence / Judgment | Court-imposed sentence, probation terms, or money judgment. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological list of filings, hearings, and orders. |
Some fields are redacted by court rule. Michigan Court Rule 1.109 protects personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers, and MCR 8.119 governs which records are public versus nonpublic.
Public Access Laws for Macomb County Court Records
Michigan has two parallel public-records systems. County departments such as the Sheriff, the Prosecutor's office, and county administration answer requests under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231 et seq. Court records follow the Michigan Court Rules, not FOIA. The court rule that matters most is Michigan Court Rule 8.119 on court records and clerk duties. FOIA is the right tool for sheriff incident reports and county policy files; the court clerk is the right path for case files.
Most Macomb court records are public unless a statute, court rule, or court order makes them confidential. Anyone can search CourtView, walk into the Clerk's Court Section, or order copies online without explaining why. A short list of statutes anchors public access and confidentiality in Michigan.
Key statutes:
MCL 15.231 — Michigan FOIA short title and public policy: full and complete information on government affairs, with exceptions in the act.
MCL 15.233 — Right to inspect and copy public records; no purpose required.
MCL 15.235 — Public bodies must respond within five business days, with limited extensions.
MCL 15.243 — FOIA exemptions for privacy, law-enforcement, security, and certain records sealed by other laws.
MCL 712A.28 — Juvenile records confidentiality and access rules.
The Clerk page links separately to "Criminal Records — Search criminal history records," which is a clue that a CourtView search is not the same as a state criminal background check. For a statewide history, use the Michigan State Police process instead.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Several record categories are closed by Michigan law. Juvenile delinquency files are restricted under MCL 712A.28. Adoption files are confidential under MCL 710.67. Mental-health commitment records, sealed criminal records, and protected personal identifying information are also nonpublic. Sex-offender registration status is public on the state registry but the underlying file is not.
Michigan's automatic Clean Slate set-aside law, MCL 780.621g, makes some convictions nonpublic without an application. Application-based set asides under MCL 780.621 require a petition in the convicting court. A set-aside file is not destroyed; it stays available to law enforcement and the courts but no longer appears in standard public searches.
Specialty Courts in Macomb County
The county's Specialty Court Services Department runs treatment courts and a specialty business docket. The Adult Drug Court began in 2003 and continues with about 50 participants. The DWI/Sobriety Treatment Court targets repeat drinking and driving offenders, and the county recently added a Specialty Court Interlock Program for participants. Mental Health Court combines treatment compliance with court monitoring. Veterans' Treatment Court serves justice-involved veterans through a focused docket. Swift and Sure Sanctions runs intensive supervision for felony probationers who have violated supervision in the past.
These courts sit inside the 16th Circuit Court and accept referrals from the trial bench. The business court handles commercial and contract disputes within the Circuit Court's civil division.
Macomb County Sheriff and Jail
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Anthony M. Wickersham. The Sheriff's site links the inmate locator, jail services, bonds, visitation, and a transparency dashboard. The official inmate search is JailTracker. The county warns that no real Sheriff's Office call will ever demand fees, gift cards, bitcoin, or other payment by phone, and tells the public to call 586-469-5151 if a caller claims otherwise.
For the full roster and the inmate profile fields, see the Macomb County inmate records page. For active warrants, including bench warrants from each district court, see the warrant records page. Recently released inmates are covered on the released inmates page, and jail population data sits on the jail population page.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses are handled by the County Clerk / Register of Deeds at 120 N. Main Street, with online application followed by an in-person appointment. Divorce judgments are Circuit Court records and can be ordered through the Clerk's online document order. The Probate Court on the 5th Floor handles estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and commitment proceedings. See the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page for the full process and fees.
A short glossary helps with probate paperwork. The Probate Register is the clerk for the Probate Court and is separate from the elected County Clerk.
- Testator
- A person who has made a valid will.
- Executor
- Person named in a will to manage the estate; called personal representative under Michigan law.
- Conservator
- Person appointed by the Probate Court to manage another person's money or property.
- Guardian
- Person appointed by the Probate Court to make personal and care decisions for a minor or incapacitated adult.
Macomb County Court Records Fees
Filing and copy fees in Macomb County come from three offices: the Probate Court (which publishes its own schedule), the Clerk / Register of Deeds (for Circuit Court documents and real-estate filings), and the district courts (for misdemeanor, traffic, and small-claims work). The base figures below come from official county pages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Register of Deeds recording (deed, mortgage, lis pendens, etc.) | $30 per document |
| Register of Deeds mail search by name or address | $5 per name |
| Probate guardianship, conservatorship, or protective order filing | $175 |
| Probate decedent estate filing | $175 + inventory fee |
| Probate small estate | $25 + inventory fee |
| Will filed for safekeeping | $25 |
| Certified copies of Letters of Authority | $12 each |
| Probate photocopies | $1 per page |
| Marriage license, Michigan resident | $20 |
| Marriage license, nonresident | $30 |
| Waiver of three-day waiting period | $10 additional |
Probate inventory fees are set by MCL 600.871 and increase with the value of the estate. Copy fees for Circuit Court documents depend on the order type; the Clerk publishes a current schedule on the document order page.
How to Interpret Macomb County Court Records
A Macomb court file uses standard Michigan terms. A felony case usually starts in district court for arraignment, then a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination. If probable cause is found or waived, the district court binds the case over to the 16th Judicial Circuit Court. After bindover, the Circuit Court holds an arraignment on information, hears motions, and brings the case to plea, trial, or sentence. A docket entry called "bindover" therefore signals a move from a district court file to a Circuit Court file. A "disposition" is the outcome of a charge; a "judgment of sentence" is the order that imposes the sentence.
On the civil side, the same file may include a complaint, summons, proof of service, answer, motions, orders, judgment, and post-judgment enforcement papers such as garnishments. A small word matters: a charge is not the same as a conviction, and an arrest is not a conviction. Background-check users should read the disposition before assuming an outcome.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
The Clerk says all documents filed with the Circuit Court are put on the computer system daily. Daily is not the same as instant. A new filing may not appear in CourtView until the next business cycle. The Clerk also says the office is not responsible for and does not maintain CourtView itself; technical issues route to the vendor. CourtView is a lookup tool, not a complete file room. Some documents are still ordered through the Clerk by mail, fax, or in person.
Note: Confirm any court date, charge, or judgment with the issuing court by phone before relying on an online search for a legal decision.
A look at the public CourtView entry page shows the launch flow and the basic search options.
History of Macomb County Courts
Macomb County has long centered its court business in Mount Clemens. The current model uses a countywide circuit court and probate court on Main Street with district courts spread across the local communities. The court system has invested in access-to-justice tools in recent years. The county opened its first staffed Legal Self-Help Center in June 2024 on the third floor of the 16th Circuit Court building, room 360. In December 2025, the courts announced Remote Navigators from Michigan Legal Help at the 42-1 District Court in Romeo and the 42-2 District Court in New Baltimore, allowing video-assisted legal information outside Mount Clemens. The press release reported that Macomb's Remote Navigator program had drawn more traffic than any other county offering the service.
Technology milestones include CourtView public access, MiFile and eFiling for civil and certain divorce cases, live court proceeding links, and the online document order system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Macomb County Circuit Court records?
Use the official Clerk Court Records page and launch CourtView Public Access. Search by party name or case number. Probate users can also use the Probate Court case lookup, which returns the case number and the assigned judge. If a copy is needed, return to the Clerk page and use the online document order, fax/mail PDF, or in-person counter.
Is CourtView the same as a certified copy?
No. CourtView is a public access lookup. Certified or plain copies must be ordered through the Clerk, the Probate Court, the proper district court clerk, or the Register of Deeds depending on the record type. The Clerk page lists the online order categories for Circuit Court documents.
Where do I look for a traffic ticket?
Traffic, parking, and civil-infraction cases live with the district court for the city or township where the ticket was written. A Warren or Center Line ticket goes to the 37th District Court. An Eastpointe ticket goes to the 38th District Court. A New Baltimore, Chesterfield, New Haven, or Lenox ticket goes to the 42-2 District Court. See the traffic court records page for the full list.
More on the Macomb County Court Records FAQ page.