Livingston County
Organized in 1836, Livingston County has 565 square miles of land area and 20 square miles of water body. Its proximity to large urban centers like Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Detroit contributed significantly to its population growth. An estimated population of 196,757 lived in the county in 2023, the majority of which identified as white.
There are three main courts in the Livingston County trial court system, namely: Circuit Court, District Court, and Probate Court. The 44th Circuit Court has original jurisdiction over all felony criminal cases and civil claims involving amounts exceeding $25,000, including property disputes, torts, and contract disputes. It also has a family division that handles divorce, emancipation of minors, juvenile matters, adoptions, and domestic relations cases involving minors.
The 53rd District Court is also known as the people's court due to its direct involvement in the lives of everyday residents. It holds hearings for a wide spectrum of cases, such as small claims disputes up to $6,500, traffic violations, landlord-tenant matters, misdemeanors, and general civil disputes up to $25,000.
Legal matters about the administration of the estates of deceased persons, trusts, and the involuntary hospitalization and treatment of persons with mental illness are determined in the Livingston County Probate Court. Also, this court is responsible for the appointment of guardians and conservators for incapacitated persons, minors, and individuals with developmental disabilities.
Livingston County public court records are created by filing a case in the office of the appropriate clerk of court. Depending on the case type, individual courts may accept case filings by email, fax, mail, and in person at the courthouse. On the initiating document, the clerk assigns a case number and case-type code and collects the required filing fee. Furthermore, all documents prepared for placement in the open case file must meet the case record maintenance standards of the Michigan Court Rules. Additionally, the clerk of the court is required to develop standard case-closing procedures for organizing and moving inactive or closed case files to inactive storage.
In the office of the relevant court clerk, the public can access the electronic and paper records of the following case types:
- Civil case
- Traffic case
- Family case
- Divorce case
- Probate case
- Criminal case
Lastly, Livingston County public court records can also be viewed on the MiCourt Case Search website. To conduct a successful search, select the desired court and provide a case number, last name, or business name of the parties involved in the case.
