Chippewa County
Chippewa County is Michigan's second-largest county by land, occupying about 1,651 square miles of land. Established in 1826, the county is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and named for the native Ojibwe people. More than 36,600 persons reside in the county as of 2022. The City of Sault Ste. Marie is the county's only city and government seat.
Chippewa County has three trial courts: the Circuit, District, and Probate Courts. Also known as Michigan's 50th Judicial Circuit Court, the Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction over legal proceedings outside the scope of other courts in Chippewa County. Its Family Division and Juvenile Court oversees all juvenile and domestic relations cases, including adoption, paternity, divorce, and child delinquency. Other court cases exclusive to the Circuit Court include felonies, equity cases, financial disputes exceeding $25,000, and appeals from administrative agencies. The Probate Court in Chippewa County handles all will disputes, guardianships, and settlement of decedents' estates. Chippewa County has a District Court that hears minor misdemeanors, bail hearings, and felony pre-trials. They also oversee monetary claims under $25,000, small claims for $5,000 or less, and tenancy disputes.
Chippewa County court records are documents containing details of judicial actions in the county's trial courts. Maintained by official court clerks in Chippewa County, court records have information on judgments, motions, dispositions, witness lists, complaints, and names of involved parties. According to the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, publicly accessible court records are essential for transparent judicial processes. Confidential court records such as adoption, mental health, and sealed records are exempt from state law due to privacy concerns. Case files accessible to the public include the following:
- Criminal court records
- Civil records
- Traffic records
- Probate records
- Land records
- Domestic relations records
Individuals interested in court records filed in the Circuit or District Court can contact or visit the courthouse at:
Chippewa County Courthouse
319 Court Street
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Phone: (906) 635-6338
Online access to Chippewa County public court records is available via the Michigan MiCOURT Case Search. To search court records online, requesters should enter case numbers or names of parties involved.
