Start with the agency that actually keeps the record
Macomb County does not use one database for every criminal record. Felony cases are handled primarily through the 16th Judicial Circuit Court, misdemeanor cases and felony preliminary proceedings begin in local district courts, statewide public criminal-history checks come from the Michigan State Police, current jail information comes from the Sheriff’s Office, and state prison or supervision records come from the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Which Macomb County record are you actually looking for?
The fastest search depends on what happened in the case. The same person can appear in several government systems, and those systems do not necessarily contain the same information.
Felony court case
The 16th Judicial Circuit Court handles felony criminal cases and some serious misdemeanors. It also hears appeals from district courts.
Misdemeanor or felony preliminary stage
Macomb County district courts handle misdemeanor criminal cases and preliminary proceedings in felony prosecutions before a felony moves to Circuit Court.
State criminal history
ICHAT is the statewide public criminal-history search. It is different from searching an individual court docket.
Arrest or incident record
Police reports, incident records and investigative material generally start with the agency that created the record.
Current local custody
The Sheriff’s inmate locator is the practical source for people currently held in the Macomb County Jail.
State prison or supervision
OTIS covers qualifying prisoners, parolees and probationers under Michigan Department of Corrections jurisdiction.
Search felony and Circuit Court cases through Macomb CourtView
The Macomb County Clerk serves as Clerk of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court and maintains the Circuit Court’s existing criminal case files. Macomb County provides CourtView Web Public Access for general public case lookup.
What does the 16th Judicial Circuit Court handle?
The Circuit Court has jurisdiction over felony criminal cases and some serious misdemeanors, along with civil, domestic-relations and appellate matters. If you are researching a felony prosecution in Macomb County, this is usually the court system you eventually need.
Do not overlook Macomb County’s district courts
A frequent search mistake is looking only at Circuit Court. Macomb County’s Prosecutor’s Office explains that its District Court Division handles misdemeanor criminal cases and conducts preliminary examinations in felony cases.
That means a recent felony case may first appear in a district court before it is bound over to the 16th Judicial Circuit Court.
| Court | Community / jurisdiction | Address | Phone | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37th District Court | Warren / Center Line | 8300 Common Rd., Warren, MI 48093 | 586-574-4900 | Court site |
| 38th District Court | Eastpointe | 16101 E. Nine Mile Rd., Eastpointe, MI 48021 | 586-445-5020 | Court site |
| 39th District Court | Roseville / Fraser | 29733 Gratiot Ave., Roseville, MI 48066 | 586-773-2010 | Court site |
| 40th District Court | St. Clair Shores | 27701 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI 48081 | 586-445-5280 | Court site |
| 41A District Court | Sterling Heights | 40111 Dodge Park Rd., Sterling Heights, MI 48313 | 586-446-2500 | Court site |
| 41A District Court | Shelby Township / Macomb Township / Utica | 52420 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township, MI 48316 | 586-739-7325 | Court site |
| 41B District Court | Clinton Township | 22380 Starks Dr., Clinton Township, MI 48036 | 586-469-9300 | Court site |
| 42-1 District Court | Romeo-area court | 14713 33 Mile Rd., Romeo, MI 48065 | 586-752-9679 | Court site |
| 42-2 District Court | New Baltimore-area court | 35071 23 Mile Rd., New Baltimore, MI 48047 | 586-725-9500 | Court site |
Use Michigan’s MiCOURT search when the participating trial court is available
Michigan’s statewide MiCOURT Case Search provides online case information for participating trial courts.
Depending on the court, criminal, traffic, civil and other case types may be searchable. The state cautions that the online information does not replace the official record maintained by the court.
MiCOURT also excludes several nonpublic or specially protected case categories, so absence from the public search is not proof that no court proceeding ever existed.
How to read a Macomb County criminal case without misinterpreting it
| Record item | Meaning | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | An allegation filed in the criminal case. | A charge by itself does not mean the defendant was convicted. |
| Arraignment | A stage where charges and rights are addressed. | Do not confuse arraignment with final disposition. |
| Preliminary examination | An important felony-stage proceeding in district court. | Check whether the case was bound over to Circuit Court. |
| Disposition | How a count or case was resolved. | Look for conviction, dismissal, acquittal, plea or another result. |
| Sentence | The punishment or conditions imposed after conviction. | Check jail/prison, probation, fines and other terms separately. |
| Register / docket | The chronological history of filings and events. | Use it to understand what happened and when. |
How to order Macomb County Circuit Court criminal documents
The Macomb County Clerk says Circuit Court documents can be ordered online, by fax or mail, or in person at the Circuit Court Building.
The online ordering options include criminal sentences, other documents, docket entries and name searches.
Court document instructionsOrder through the Clerk
Start from the Macomb County Clerk’s court-records page and select the online document-order option.
Send to Circuit Court Section
Macomb County Clerk’s Office, Circuit Court Section,
40 N. Main St., 1st Floor,
Mount Clemens, MI 48043.
Visit the courthouse
The Clerk’s Circuit Court operation is inside the 16th Judicial Circuit Court Building at 40 N. Main Street.
Macomb County Circuit Court record-copy fees
The Clerk’s currently published file-room fees provide useful cost estimates before ordering.
| Service | Published fee | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Regular copy of pleading/document | $2 per page | Useful when certification is not required. |
| Certified copy | $10 certification + $2 per page | The Clerk states the document must be copied in its entirety for certification. |
| Name search | $2 per name | Each alias counts as a separate name. |
| Register of Actions printout | $2 per page | Useful when you need the docket history in printed form. |
Fees can change. Confirm the current schedule before mailing payment or ordering a large record.
Police reports and arrest records require a different search
Court records and police records are not interchangeable. If you want the original incident report, arrest report or other law-enforcement record, start with the police department or Sheriff’s Office that created the record.
Macomb County Sheriff’s Records Office
The Sheriff’s Records Office handles written Freedom of Information Act requests and provides access to qualifying police and incident reports.
FOIA email
records.mcso@macombcountymi.gov
Sheriff’s FOIA requests must be submitted in writing.
Incident / accident reports
The Sheriff’s Office says most police reports are available after approximately 72 hours, with a currently published copy fee of $6.
Michigan FOIA applies to many county records—but not court records
Need a court file?
Use CourtView, the district court, Circuit Court Clerk or the court’s record-access procedures.
Macomb County specifically states that courts—and the County Clerk when acting as Clerk of the Circuit Court—are not public bodies subject to Michigan FOIA.
Need a county agency record?
Michigan FOIA can apply to qualifying public records held by county departments such as law-enforcement or administrative offices.
Macomb County’s general FOIA email is foia@macombgov.org.
A practical FOIA request should identify the existing record
Instead of writing “send me everything about John Smith,” make the request easier to process: identify the incident date, location, report number if known, agency, person’s name, and the type of existing document you want.
Identify the correct public body
Determine whether the record belongs to the Sheriff’s Office, another county department, or a municipal police agency.
Submit a written request
Describe the existing record with enough detail for staff to locate it.
Watch for the response
Michigan FOIA generally requires a response within five business days after legal receipt. A public body may issue a written extension for up to 10 additional business days.
Review fees or exemptions
Some records or portions may be exempt. A public body may also assess allowable costs under FOIA.
Search current Macomb County Jail inmates
For a person currently held locally, use the Sheriff’s official Locate an Inmate page. The county links to its JailTracker program from that page.
Open official inmate locatorUseful information available during a custody search
Jail information can help you identify the inmate number, current custody information, case numbers and bond-related details. The Sheriff’s bond instructions specifically tell users to obtain the inmate’s name, inmate number, case numbers and bond/fine amount before posting bond.
What about Macomb County warrant records?
Warrant information is more complicated than an ordinary court-case lookup. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Warrant Division reviews criminal investigations submitted by law-enforcement agencies and determines whether charges should be authorized.
The Prosecutor’s Office also makes clear that the Warrant Division is not itself an investigative agency. Reports of criminal conduct should first go to the appropriate police agency.
Macomb County Prosecutor Warrant Division:
Phone: 586-469-2530
Email:
warrants@macombgov.org
Use Michigan ICHAT for a statewide public criminal-history search
The Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center operates the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT).
ICHAT is useful when you want Michigan public criminal-history information rather than one Macomb County court docket.
Name-based
ICHAT is a name-based public criminal-history search maintained by Michigan State Police.
$10 per search
Michigan currently lists a $10 charge for an ordinary public ICHAT search.
Michigan statewide
Reportable felony and serious-misdemeanor criminal-history data can come from all 83 Michigan counties.
What ICHAT does not include
- suppressed criminal-history records
- warrant information
- federal criminal records
- tribal criminal records
- traffic records
- juvenile records
- certain local misdemeanor information
- criminal history from other states
How to obtain your own fuller Michigan criminal-history record
A public ICHAT result is not the same as requesting your own fingerprint-based Michigan record. Michigan State Police provides a separate personal-record procedure that can include both public and nonpublic criminal-history information associated with the submitted fingerprints.
Official instructions: Search, Expunge, Modify, or Update Criminal History Records.
Search Michigan prison, parole and probation records with OTIS
The Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) provides public information about qualifying people under MDOC jurisdiction.
OTIS includes information about:
- prisoners currently under MDOC jurisdiction
- parolees
- probationers under qualifying MDOC supervision
- some people discharged within the prior three years
OTIS does not include everyone who has a criminal record
MDOC states that OTIS does not include county-jail inmates, city-lockup inmates, people sentenced only to jail, people arrested or convicted but not yet sentenced, or people who have been off MDOC supervision for more than three years.
Michigan prison / qualifying parole or probation → OTIS.
Older public statewide criminal history → ICHAT.
Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry is a separate database
Michigan State Police maintains the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry. It is not the same database as ICHAT, CourtView, the county jail locator or OTIS.
The public registry supports searches by name and location and can show qualifying published registrants’ identifying, offense, address, employment and vehicle information, subject to Michigan’s registration and disclosure laws.
Michigan Clean Slate and set-aside records
Michigan uses the term set aside for many criminal-record expungement procedures. The state’s Clean Slate system also automatically sets aside certain eligible convictions after statutory waiting periods.
Michigan’s Attorney General explains that the automatic process is run by Michigan State Police and does not require an eligible person to file an application or appear in court for qualifying automatic set-asides.
If you think a conviction should have been automatically cleared
The state’s practical first step is to check the public ICHAT record and determine what remains visible. Michigan State Police provides a contact process for people who believe an eligible conviction was not automatically set aside.
Application-based set aside
A conviction that does not qualify for automatic treatment may still qualify for an application-based set aside. Michigan State Police says the application must be filed in the court where the conviction occurred.
For a qualifying Macomb County felony conviction, that may mean the 16th Judicial Circuit Court. For a misdemeanor conviction, it may mean the district court that entered the conviction.
Michigan set-aside guidance Application form MC 227Macomb County has a Conviction Integrity Unit
This is an important local resource that generic Michigan record guides often miss. The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office operates a Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to investigate qualifying claims of factual innocence involving Macomb County convictions.
The unit states that an applicant generally must have been convicted in Macomb County in a case prosecuted by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, claim factual innocence, and provide new, credible and material information supporting that claim. Other eligibility rules also apply.
Federal criminal cases will not appear in Macomb County CourtView
A prosecution filed in federal court is separate from a Michigan state or Macomb County criminal case. Use the federal judiciary’s PACER system to search federal court records.
If you know the federal court
Search that court’s PACER/CM-ECF records directly.
If you do not know the court
Use the PACER Case Locator to search the nationwide federal case index.
Open the federal docket
Review the case number, filing court, docket entries and available documents.
Visiting the Macomb County Circuit Court in person
16th Judicial Circuit Court
40 N. Main St.Mount Clemens, MI 48043
General court hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Clerk / court records phone:
586-469-5351
Do not arrive at closing time
The courthouse generally operates until 4:30 p.m., but the Clerk’s counter service closes at 4:15 p.m. on regular business days.
If you need a record copy or clerk assistance, plan to arrive earlier.
Parking near the courthouse
Macomb County identifies a parking structure near the Administration Building at 10 S. Main Street. The county currently lists structure parking at $1 per hour, paid by debit or credit card when leaving. Metered angle parking in front of the court building is currently listed at $1.50 per hour.
Parking rates, courthouse hours and access procedures can change. Confirm them before a time-sensitive visit.
Macomb County Sheriff’s Office location
Macomb County Sheriff’s Office
43565 Elizabeth RoadMount Clemens, MI 48043
Main phone:
586-469-5151
Email:
sheriff@macombsheriff.com
Practical Macomb County search tips
Start with the offense level
Felony case? Check district-court activity and Circuit Court. Misdemeanor? The local district court may be the main court.
Do not rely only on CourtView
CourtView covers Circuit Court public case information. It is not a single portal for every Macomb district court record.
Use the city or township
Knowing where the alleged offense occurred can help identify the correct district court quickly.
Check ICHAT for statewide history
If you do not know which Michigan county handled the conviction, ICHAT can help identify statewide public criminal-history information.
Recent arrest? Search the jail first
A recent arrest may show in the Sheriff’s custody system before the court trail becomes obvious online.
Older case? Contact the court
Online systems can have date limits or access restrictions. The court of record remains the better source for older files.
Use aliases carefully
Macomb’s Clerk currently charges separately for each name in a requested name search, and each alias counts as another name.
Verify the disposition
A charge listed on a docket does not tell you how the case ultimately ended.
Use FOIA only for the right records
FOIA can help with qualifying agency records, but Macomb County courts and the Clerk acting as court clerk are not subject to FOIA.
Using criminal-record information for employment, housing or other decisions
Public court records and ordinary criminal-history searches are not automatically the same as a legally compliant consumer report. Employment, housing, credit, licensing and other eligibility decisions can trigger additional federal and state requirements.
Common questions about searching criminal records in Macomb County
1. Where should I search for a Macomb County felony case?
Start with Macomb County’s CourtView system for 16th Judicial Circuit Court records. If the felony is recent, also identify the district court where preliminary proceedings began.
2. Are Macomb County criminal court records free to search online?
Public case lookup through CourtView does not require the same paid name-based search fee as ICHAT. However, ordering copies, certified records, Register of Actions printouts or Clerk name searches can involve fees.
3. How much does a certified Macomb County Circuit Court record cost?
The Clerk currently publishes a $10 certification fee plus $2 per page, with the document copied in its entirety for certification. Confirm the current fee before ordering.
4. Where can I search Macomb County jail inmates?
Use the Macomb County Sheriff’s official Locate an Inmate page, which links to the county’s JailTracker program.
5. Does CourtView include all Macomb County misdemeanor cases?
No. Macomb County has multiple district courts handling misdemeanor cases. CourtView is primarily the county’s Circuit Court public-access system, so you may need the appropriate district court or MiCOURT.
6. Is Michigan ICHAT a nationwide background check?
No. ICHAT provides public Michigan criminal-history information maintained by Michigan State Police. It excludes federal records, other-state records, tribal records, warrants, juvenile records and several other categories.
7. Can I request a Macomb County police report through FOIA?
Qualifying agency records may be requested under Michigan FOIA. Sheriff’s records requests must be submitted in writing to the Sheriff’s Records Office. If another police department created the report, contact that agency.
8. Can I use FOIA to obtain a Macomb County court file?
No. Macomb County states that courts and the County Clerk when acting as Clerk of the Circuit Court are not subject to Michigan FOIA. Use the court’s record-access and copy procedures instead.
9. Where do I search for someone in Michigan state prison?
Use the Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS system. It is separate from the Macomb County Jail inmate locator.
10. Why might an old Macomb County conviction no longer appear publicly?
Possible reasons include Michigan Clean Slate automatic set-aside, an application-based set-aside, online display limitations, nonpublic status or another legal restriction. Contact the court or use Michigan State Police procedures when you need authoritative confirmation.
Official sources for checking or updating this information
- Macomb County Clerk / Register of Deeds — Court Records
- Macomb County CourtView Public Access
- Macomb County 16th Judicial Circuit Court
- Macomb County Prosecutor — District Court Division
- Michigan MiCOURT Case Search
- Macomb County Sheriff’s Records Office
- Macomb County Sheriff’s Inmate Locator
- Macomb County FOIA Procedures
- Michigan State Police — Criminal History Records / ICHAT
- Michigan Department of Corrections — OTIS
- Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry
- Macomb County Conviction Integrity Unit
- PACER — Federal Court Records