How to Search Oakland County Court Records
Oakland County offers three practical online paths to court records. The first is Court Explorer, the county portal for Sixth Judicial Circuit public legal records. It covers domestic cases, civil cases, business court files, appeals from lower courts, general civil actions over $25,000, and felony criminal matters. Searchers may look up a case by name or by case number. The system shows primary party information and the register of actions, and it lets users order copies of filed documents. The county warns that Court Explorer is not the official record and should not be used for a criminal background check.
The second path is MiCOURT Case Search, the statewide portal for participating Michigan courts. Available case categories vary by court. They may include civil, traffic, criminal, domestic, and probate cases. District matters such as tickets, misdemeanors, small claims, and landlord-tenant disputes often sit in a local district court rather than in Circuit Court, so searching the correct court matters. The third path is Probate Access, a free, name-based search for Oakland County Probate Court case status. It shows case information but does not allow document viewing or ordering.
Before starting, gather the full name of a party or the case number printed on a notice, pleading, or docket letter. The steps below track a typical Oakland County search from portal to copy.
- Open Court Explorer for a Sixth Circuit case, or MiCOURT for a district or probate matter.
- Choose a search by party name or by case number.
- Enter the name as it appears in the case, or type the full case number from your paperwork.
- Review the results, confirm the party and case type, then open the register of actions.
- Order copies of specific documents through the portal, or contact the clerk when a certified copy is needed.
Oakland County Court Records Search Fields
Court Explorer keeps its search simple. A user can start from a party name or a known case number, then move into party details, the register of actions, and document ordering. The county confirms both a name search and a case-number search on its public overview. The table below lists the fields exposed on the portal and how each one behaves.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Not stated | Use the party name as it appears in the case; the county confirms a name search. |
| Case Number | Text | Not stated | Helpful when the number is known from notices, pleadings, or a docket letter. |
| Document order controls | Portal action | Optional | Copy viewing and purchase depend on the portal workflow for that case. |
| Search and navigation buttons | Button | N/A | Buttons submit the search and page through results inside the portal. |
The county also publishes a plain-language explanation of what Court Explorer covers, and where its limits fall, on its Court Explorer overview page.
That overview confirms the portal draws from Circuit and Probate public records and states clearly that Personal Protection Orders, juvenile matters, and probate mental health files stay out of the results.
Types of Oakland County Court Records
Records split by the court that created them. The Clerk/Register of Deeds Legal Records Division records and maintains civil, domestic, felony criminal, and business court files for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. Court Explorer draws from those Circuit files. District courts hold their own misdemeanor, traffic, civil infraction, small claims, and landlord-tenant records, and the Probate Court keeps estate, guardianship, and related protected-person files.
Criminal Circuit files begin after a felony bindover from district court and include the complaint and warrant, the information, arraignment entries, motions, plea documents, trial records, and sentencing orders. Domestic files cover divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity. The main record groups a searcher will meet are these.
- Civil Circuit cases such as contracts, business court filings, and general actions over $25,000.
- Felony criminal cases carried by the Circuit Court after bindover.
- District cases including misdemeanors, civil infractions, tickets, small claims, and landlord-tenant disputes.
- Domestic and family cases such as divorce, custody, and paternity.
- Probate cases covering estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Traffic files held by the district court that issued the citation.
Note: Court traffic records held by a district court are separate from the Michigan Secretary of State driver record, which shows license status and points.
What Oakland County Court Records Show
A typical case record packs a lot into a few screens. Court Explorer supports primary party information, the register of actions, and document ordering. Probate Access shows status but no documents, and district records in MiCOURT display court, party, case, and event data based on each court's data feed. The field inventory below reflects what an Oakland County case record commonly carries.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique identifier used to pull the file and order copies. |
| Court and Case Type | Which court holds the case and whether it is civil, criminal, domestic, or probate. |
| Filing Date | When the case opened with the clerk. |
| Party Names | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or respondent, plus listed attorneys. |
| Register of Actions | The dated list of motions, hearings, orders, and other events. |
| Hearing Dates | Scheduled or completed court appearances tied to the case. |
| Financial Assessments | Fines, costs, restitution, or bond entered on the case. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a charge or case, such as a judgment or dismissal. |
The register of actions is the spine of every file, and the same event list drives the county's Oakland County court dockets. Reading it in order shows how a case moved from filing to disposition.
Public Access Framework for Oakland County Court Records
Michigan treats court records differently from other government files. The state Freedom of Information Act states a public policy favoring access to public records under MCL 15.231. However, MCL 15.232 defines a public body and excludes the judiciary, including the county clerk when acting as circuit-court clerk. Court records are therefore controlled by court rule, not by a general FOIA request. The Michigan court rule that governs record access, retention, and online image limits is MCR 8.119.
In practice, this means a searcher starts with the court or clerk that owns the file. Circuit public legal records run through the Clerk/Register Legal Records Division and Court Explorer. District records run through MiCOURT or the district-court clerk that handled the matter. Probate status runs through Probate Access, with copies obtained at the Probate Court. County executive-branch records, sheriff administrative files, and prosecutor non-court records may use FOIA, but court files do not.
Note: Michigan court rules bar courts from providing public internet access to document images, so many filings must be viewed or ordered at the court itself.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential in Oakland County
Not every case is open. The county Court Explorer description explicitly excludes Personal Protection Orders, juvenile matters, and probate mental health records from the portal. Probate Access excludes nonpublic information and warns users not to assume identity from a name match. Adoption records stay restricted and move through court and statutory channels. Michigan court forms use the MC 97a addendum to separate protected personal identifying information, such as Social Security and account numbers, from public filings.
Convictions can also become nonpublic through a set-aside. Under MCL 780.621, an eligible applicant files an Application to Set Aside Conviction in the court where the conviction occurred. If sentencing happened at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, the application goes to the Oakland County Clerk's Office, and a separate application is used for each court. Once granted, a set-aside conviction becomes nonpublic for most public searches, though courts and law enforcement may retain access as the statute allows.
The Michigan Legislature posts the full set-aside statute and its eligibility conditions on its MCL 780.621 statute page.
Reading that statute first helps an applicant confirm eligibility before filing, because separate forms apply to human trafficking victim convictions and certain misdemeanor marijuana convictions.
Ways to Request Oakland County Court Records
When an online search falls short, several request channels remain. Circuit Court files are available from the Legal Records Division counter, where staff can pull civil, domestic, felony criminal, and business court records. Regular photocopies cost $1 per page, and a certified copy costs $10 plus $1 per page. District files should be requested from the specific district-court clerk that handled the ticket, misdemeanor, small claim, or landlord-tenant matter. Probate copies are obtained at the Probate Court or by mailing a request with a check or money order, at $1 per page.
The distinction between a court-record request and a FOIA request matters here. Because Michigan FOIA excludes the judiciary and the clerk acting as circuit-court clerk, a FOIA request to the county is not the route for court files. For a broad criminal history, the Sheriff's Records Unit directs people to the Michigan State Police rather than treating Court Explorer as a background-check tool. The Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds handles the Circuit counter requests and posts current fees and forms online.
Legal Records Division, Clerk/Register of Deeds
1200 North Telegraph Road, Dept 413
Pontiac, MI 48341
248-858-0582
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Note: Weapons and cutting instruments are not permitted at the county court buildings, so visitors should allow extra time for security screening on arrival.