Lapeer County
Occupying about 647 square miles of land area in the southeast area of Michigan, Lapeer County is home to almost 90,000 people. The county was created in 1822 and fully organized in 1835. The seat of government is the City of Lapeer.
The court system in Lapeer County consists of the Probate Court, 40th Circuit Court, and 71A District Court. Generally, the Probate Court oversees cases involving the settlement of decedents' estates. The 40th Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction and handles all law actions except the ones waived to another court by state law. It operates the Civil, Family, and Criminal Divisions. While the Civil Division of the Circuit Court handles real property disputes, civil suits seeking damages over $25,000, and partnership disputes, the Criminal Division presides over felony criminal cases for crimes punished by more than a one-year jail sentence. The Circuit Court Family Division hears cases relating to paternity, divorce, parenting time, emancipation of minors, and custody.
Lapeer County's 71A District Court exercises exclusive jurisdiction over all civil suits in which the controversy amount is $25,000 or less. It also handles small claims up to $65,000, land contracts, eviction proceedings, and mortgage foreclosures.
All the courts in Lapeer County generate certain information and documents during legal proceedings. These are known as court records and are typically accessible to the public unless marked as confidential or sealed. The Lapeer County Clerk's Office stores the county's public court records and disseminates them on request. Records of the following types of cases are publicly accessible in Lapeer County:
- Criminal cases
- Family law cases
- Civil cases
- Probate cases
Requesters can visit the County Clerk's Office in person to obtain court records. Alternatively, the MiCOURT Case Search Portal offers a means of looking up Lapeer County court records online.
