District courts are courts of limited jurisdiction in the State of Michigan. They were established by the State Legislature in Act 236 of 1961 to consolidate the functions of several courts of limited jurisdiction such as traffic courts and municipal courts.[1] In response, nearly all cities in the state have ceased operating a municipal court, except for the five Grosse Pointes in Wayne County; each has its own municipal court, except for Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores, which operate one jointly.
There are currently 103 district courts in the state (four district courts - 42nd (Macomb County), 52nd (Oakland County), 67th (Genesee County) and 70th (Saginaw County) - are single court districts with judges from multiple "election divisions" based at separate locations within the respective districts). They handle most traffic violations, civil disputes seeking money damages up to $25,000, landlord-tenant disputes and criminal cases in which the defendant is charged with a misdemeanor that is punishable by not more than one-year imprisonment.
District Judges are elected for six-year terms and may appoint magistrates. Magistrates may set bail and accept bonds in criminal matters, accept guilty pleas, impose sentences for dog, game, traffic, motor carrier, snowmobile and boat law violations. They may also issue arrest and search warrants. Attorney magistrates may also hear small claims cases or perform other duties described in the statute, as directed by the Chief Judge.[2]
A person aged 18-years or older who is charged with a crime will begin his or her case with an appearance before a district court judge. In an appearance, the district court will explain the charges to the defendant along with his or her rights, and the possible consequences if convicted of the charge. The court also determines the amount and conditions of bail and collects it if the defendant is able to post a bond.
The district court will conduct a trial for defendants charged with a misdemeanor, that is punishable by not more than one year in jail, and sentence the defendant.
In felony cases (generally, cases that are punishable by more than one year in prison), the district court will set the bail amount and hold a preliminary examination to determine if a crime was committed and if there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime. If so, the case is transferred to the circuit court for trial and is referred to as having been "bound over."
District courts also contain a small claims division which handles civil cases up to $7,000. For these cases, the parties must agree to waive their right to a jury, representation by a lawyer, rules of evidence and to appeal the decision of the district judge. If the parties do not agree to these terms, the case is heard in the district court’s general civil division.[3]
As of the 2023-2024 Legislative Session[4]
(*) indicates a District Court presided over by the Probate Judge
| Court | County | Number of Judges | Courthouse location(s) | Image | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st District Court | Monroe[5] | 3 | Monroe | |||
| 2A District Court | Lenawee[6] | 2 | Adrian | Originally established as the 2-1 District Court (2nd District Court, 1st Division).The 2nd District Court was separated into two separate courts (2A and 2B) on January 1, 1999.[7] | ||
| 2B District Court | Hillsdale[8] | 1 | Hillsdale | Originally established as the 2-2 District Court (2nd District Court, 2nd Division).The 2nd District Court was separated into two separate courts (2A and 2B) on January 1, 1999.[9] | ||
| 3A District Court | Branch[10] | 1 | Coldwater | Originally established as the 3-1 District Court (3rd District Court, 1st Division).The 3rd District Court was separated into two separate courts (3A and 3B) in 1991. | ||
| 3B District Court | St. Joseph[11] | 2 | Centreville | Originally established as the 3-2 District Court (3rd District Court, 2nd Division).The 3rd District Court was separated into two separate courts (3A and 3B) in 1991. | ||
| 4th District Court | Cass[12] | 1 | Cassopolis | |||
| 5th District Court | Berrien | 5 | St. Joseph and Niles | The Michigan Supreme Court has designated the Berrien County Courts as a consolidation site for the merger of the District Court, Probate Court and Circuit Court into a single Trial Court.[13] The 6th District Court, which consisted of the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph was merged into the 5th District Court in the 1970s to form a county-wide district court. | ||
| 7th District Court | Van Buren[14] | 2 | Paw Paw | |||
| 8th District Court | Kalamazoo[15] | 6 | Kalamazoo | The 9th District Court, which served the cities of Kalamazoo (9-1) and Portage (9-2), were merged into the 8th District Court in 1999 to become a county-wide district court.[16] | ||
| 10th District Court | Calhoun[17] | 4 | Battle Creek | The 11th District Court, which served the city of Battle Creek, merged into the 10th District Court in 1975 to become a county-wide district court. | ||
| 12th District Court | Jackson[18] | 4 | Jackson | The 13th District Court, which served the City of Jackson, merged into the 12th District Court in 1985 to become a county-wide district court.[19] | ||
| 14A District Court | Washtenaw (except the City of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Township) | 3 | Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti, Chelsea and Saline | |||
| 14B District Court | Washtenaw (Ypsilanti Township) | 1 | Ypsilanti Township | Began operations on January 1, 1985 after Ypsilanti Township approved establishing a municipal-funded court separate from then-14th District Court.[20] | ||
| 15th District Court | Washtenaw (City of Ann Arbor) | 3 | Ann Arbor | |||
| 16th District Court | Wayne (City of Livonia) | 2 | Romulus | |||
| 17th District Court | Wayne (Redford Township) | 2 | Redford Township | |||
| 18th District Court | Wayne (City of Westland) | 2 | Westland | |||
| 19th District Court | Wayne (City of Dearborn) | 3 | Dearborn | |||
| 20th District Court | Wayne (City of Dearborn Heights) | 2 | Dearborn Heights | |||
| 21st District Court | Wayne (Garden City) | 1 | Garden City | |||
| 22nd District Court | Wayne (City of Inkster) | 1 | Inkster | |||
| 23rd District Court | Wayne (City of Taylor) | 2 | Taylor | The 23rd District Court was established on December 1, 1980, replacing the Taylor Municipal Court.[21] | ||
| 24th District Court | Wayne (Cities of Allen Park and Melvindale) | 2 | Allen Park | The 24th District Court was established with the merger of the Allen Park and Melvindale Municipal Courts on December 1, 1977.[22] | ||
| 25th District Court | Wayne (Cities of Ecorse, Lincoln Park and River Rouge) | 2 | Lincoln Park | The 25th District Court was established on December 1, 1977, replacing the Lincoln Park Municipal Court.[23] The 26th District Court commenced operations on December 1, 1979, with the consolidation of the Ecorse and River Rouge Municipal Courts[24] and merged with the 25th District Court effective April 1, 2012[25] | ||
| 27th District Court | Wayne (Cities of Wyandotte and Riverview) | 1 | Wyandotte | The 27th District Court was established with the merger of the Riverview and Wyandotte Municipal Courts on December 1, 1977.[26] | ||
| 28th District Court | Wayne (City of Southgate) | 1 | Southgate | The 28th District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Southgate Municipal Court.[27] | ||
| 29th District Court | Wayne (City of Wayne) | 1 | Wayne City | |||
| 30th District Court | Wayne (City of Highland Park) | 1 | Highland Park | The 30th District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Highland Park Municipal Court.[28] | ||
| 31st District Court | Wayne (City of Hamtramck) | 1 | Hamtramck | The 31st District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Hamtramck Municipal Court.[29] | ||
| 32A District Court | Wayne (City of Harper Woods) | 1 | Harper Woods | The 32A District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Harper Woods Municipal Court.[30] | ||
| 32B District Court | Wayne (Cities of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores) | 0 | (Reserved for Future Use) | The 32B District Court is reserved for a potential district court serving the Grosse Pointes, which are served by four grandfathered and still active municipal courts located in Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park and Grosse Pointe Woods. | ||
| 33rd District Court | Wayne (Cities of Trenton, Gibraltar, Woodhaven, Rockwood and Flat Rock; Townships of Brownstown and Grosse Ile) | 2 | Woodhaven | |||
| 34th District Court | Wayne (Cities of Romulus and Belleville; Townships of Sumpter, Van Buren and Huron) | 3 | Romulus | |||
| 35th District Court | Wayne (Cities of Northville and Plymouth; Townships of Northville, Plymouth and Canton) | 3 | Plymouth | |||
| 36th District Court | Wayne (City of Detroit) | 29 | Detroit | Replaced the Detroit Common Pleas Court and the traffic/ordinance division of the Detroit Recorders Court; commenced September 1, 1981.[31] | ||
| 37th District Court | Macomb (Cities of Warren and Center Line) | 4 | Warren and Center Line | |||
| 38th District Court | Macomb (City of Eastpointe) | 1 | Eastpointe | The 38th District Court was established on January 1, 2004, replacing the Eastpointe Municipal Court.[32] | ||
| 39th District Court | Macomb (Cities of Roseville and Fraser) | 3 | Roseville | |||
| 40th District Court | Macomb (City of St. Clair Shores) | 2 | St. Clair Shores | Established on November 1, 1978, replacing the St. Clair Shores Municipal Court.[33] | ||
| 41A District Court | Macomb (Cities of Sterling Heights and Utica; Townships of Shelby and Macomb) | 4 | Shelby Township and Sterling Heights | |||
| 41B District Court | Macomb (City of Mount Clemens, Clinton Township and Harrison Township) | 3 | Clinton Township | |||
| 42-1 District Court | Macomb (Cities of Memphis and Richmond; Townships of Bruce, Washington, Armada, Ray and Richmond) | 1 | Romeo | |||
| 42-2 District Court | Macomb (City of New Baltimore, Lenox Township and Chesterfield Township) | 1 | New Baltimore | |||
| 43rd District Court | Oakland (Cities of Ferndale, Hazel Park and Madison Heights) | 3 | Ferndale, Hazel Park and Madison Heights | |||
| 44th District Court | Oakland (Cities of Royal Oak and Berkley) | 2 | Royal Oak | The City of Berkley was moved from the 45th District Court to the 44th District Court on January 2, 2015.[34] | ||
| 45th District Court | Oakland (Cities of Huntington Woods, Oak Park and Pleasant Ridge; Royal Oak Township) | 2 | Oak Park | The 45A District Court (City of Berkeley) and the 45B District Court (Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak Township) merged into the 45th District Court on July 1, 2012.[35] | ||
| 46th District Court | Oakland (Cities of Southfield and Lathrup Village; Southfield Township) | 3 | Southfield | |||
| 47th District Court | Oakland (Cities of Farmington and Farmington Hills) | 2 | Farmington Hills | |||
| 48th District Court | Oakland (Cities of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor and Orchard Lake; Townships of Bloomfield and West Bloomfield) | 3 | Bloomfield Hills | |||
| 50th District Court | Oakland (City of Pontiac) | 3 | Pontiac | |||
| 51st District Court | Oakland (Waterford Township) | 2 | Waterford Township | |||
| 52-1 District Court | Oakland (Cities of Novi, South Lyon, Wixom and Walled Lake; Townships of Milford, Highland, Commerce, Lyon and Novi | 3 | Novi | |||
| 52-2 District Court | Oakland (City of Clarkston; Townships of Springfield, Independence, Holly, Groveland, Rose, White Lake and Brandon) | 2 | Clarkston | |||
| 52-3 District Court | Oakland (Cities of Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Rochester and Lake Angelus; Townships of Oxford, Addison, Orion and Oakland) | 3 | Rochester Hills | |||
| 52-4 District Court | Oakland (Cities of Troy and Clawson) | 2 | Troy | Was originally designated as the 49th District Court in the enabling legislation effective in 1969. However, the Troy and Clawson Municipal Courts remained in operation until November 1, 1978, when the two courts merged to become the fourth division of the county-funded 52nd District Court.[36] | ||
| 53rd District Court | Livingston | 2 | Howell | |||
| 54A District Court | Ingham (City of Lansing) | 4 | Lansing | |||
| 54B District Court | Ingham (City of East Lansing) | 2 | East Lansing | |||
| 55th District Court | Ingham (except the Cities of Lansing and East Lansing) | 2 | Mason | |||
| 56A District Court | Eaton | 2 | Charlotte | The 56th District Court was separated into two separate courts (56A and 56B) on January 1, 1999.[37] | ||
| 56B District Court | Barry | 1 | Hastings | The 56th District Court was separated into two separate courts (56A and 56B) on January 1, 1999.[38] | ||
| 57th District Court | Allegan | 2 | Allegan | |||
| 58th District Court | Ottawa | 4 | Grand Haven, Holland and Hudsonville | |||
| 59th District Court | Kent (Cities of Grandville and Walker) | 1 | Grandville and Walker | Established in 1977; original court(s) unknown. | ||
| 60th District Court | Muskegon | 4 | Muskegon | The original 59th District Court served the city of Muskegon, the city of Muskegon Heights and Muskegon Township before being merged into the county-wide 60th District Court in 1973.[39] | ||
| 61st District Court | Kent (City of Grand Rapids) | 6 | Grand Rapids | |||
| 62A District Court | Kent (City of Wyoming) | 2 | Wyoming | The 62A District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Wyoming Municipal Court. | ||
| 62B District Court | Kent (City of Kentwood) | 1 | Kentwood | The 62B District Court was established on January 1, 1979, replacing the Kentwood Municipal Court.[40] | ||
| 63rd District Court | Kent (except the Cities of Grand Rapids, Grandville, Walker, Wyoming and Kentwood) | 2 | Grand Rapids Township | |||
| 64A District Court | Ionia | 1 | Ionia | |||
| 64B District Court | Montcalm | 1 | Stanton | |||
| 65A District Court | Clinton | 1 | St. Johns | |||
| 65B District Court | Gratiot | 1 | Ithaca | |||
| 66th District Court | Shiawassee | 1 | Corunna | |||
| 67-1 District Court | Genesee (Cities of Flushing and Clio; Townships of Flushing, Flint, Montrose, Thetford and Vienna | 1 | Flushing | |||
| 67-2 District Court | Genesee (Cities of Davison & Burton; Townships of Davison, Forest, Richfield and Atlas) | 2 | Burton and Davison | |||
| 67-3 District Court | Genesee (City of Mount Morris; Townships of Mount Morris and Genesee) | 1 | Mount Morris | |||
| 67-4 District Court | Genesee (Cities of Fenton, Grand Blanc and Swartz Creek; Townships of Fenton, Argentine, Grand Blanc, Mundy, Gaines and Clayton) | 2 | Fenton and Grand Blanc | |||
| 67-5 District Court | Genesee (City of Flint) | 4 | Flint | The 68th District Court, which served the city of Flint, merged into the 67th District Courts in 2016 to become a county-wide district court.[41] | ||
| 70-1 District Court | Saginaw (Cities of Saginaw and Zilwaukee; Townships of Zilwaukee, Buena Vista, Carrollton and Bridgeport) | 2 | Saginaw | The 69th District Court, which served the city of Saginaw, merged into the 70th District Court (c.1972) to become a county-wide district court. | ||
| 70-2 District Court | Saginaw (except Cities of Saginaw and Zilwaukee; Townships of Zilwaukee, Buena Vista, Carrollton and Bridgeport) | 3 | Saginaw | |||
| 71A District Court | Lapeer | 1 | Lapeer | |||
| 71B District Court | Tuscola | 1 | Caro | |||
| 72nd District Court | St. Clair | 3 | Port Huron and Marine City | |||
| 73A District Court | Sanilac | Sandusky | ||||
| 73B District Court | Huron | Bad Axe | ||||
| 74th District Court | Bay | 3 | Bay City | |||
| 75th District Court | Midland | 1 | Midland | |||
| 76th District Court | Isabella | 1 | Mount Pleasant | |||
| 77th District Court | Osceola and Mecosta | 1 | Big Rapids and Reed City | |||
| 78th District Court | Lake and Newaygo | 1 | White Cloud and Baldwin | Lake County moved from 79th District Court to 78th District Court on July 1, 2022.[42] | ||
| 79th District Court | Oceana and Mason | 1 | Hart and Ludington | Oceana County moved from 78th District Court to 79th District Court on July 1, 2022.[43] | ||
| 80th District Court | Gladwin and Clare | 1 | Gladwin and Harrison | |||
| 81st District Court | Alcona, Arenac, Iosco and Oscoda | Harrisville, Mio, Standish and Tawas City | Alcona and Oscoda Counties were transferred from the 82nd District Court to the 81st District Court on April 1, 2003.[44] | |||
| 82nd District Court | Ogemaw and Roscommon | 1 | Roscommon and West Branch | The 83rd District Court (Roscommon County) was merged with the 82nd District Court on April 1, 2012.[45] | ||
| 84th District Court | Missaukee and Wexford | 1 | Cadillac and Lake City | |||
| 85th District Court | Benzie and Manistee | Beulah and Manistee | ||||
| 86th District Court | Antrim, Grand Traverse and Leelanau | 2 | Traverse City, Bellaire and Suttons Bay | Antrim County moved from 87th District Court to 86th District Court on March 26, 2000.[46] | ||
| 87A District Court | Otsego | Gaylord | The 87th District Court was separated into three separate courts (87A, 87B and 87C) on January 2, 2009.[47] | |||
| 87B District Court | Kalkaska | Kalkaska | The 87th District Court was separated into three separate courts (87A, 87B and 87C) on January 2, 2009.[48] | |||
| 87C District Court | Crawford | Grayling | Originally part of the 83rd District Court; moved to the then-87th District Court on April 1, 2003.[49] The 87th District Court was separated into three separate courts (87A, 87B and 87C) on January 2, 2009.[50] | |||
| 88th District Court | Alpena and Montmorency | Atlanta and Alpena | ||||
| 89th District Court | Cheboygan and Presque Isle | 1 | Cheboygan and Rogers City | |||
| 90th District Court | Emmet and Charlevoix | 1 | Charlevoix and Petoskey | |||
| 91st District Court | Chippewa | Sault Ste. Marie | ||||
| 92nd District Court | Luce and Mackinac | 1 | St. Ignace and Newberry | |||
| 93rd District Court | Alger and Schoolcraft | Manistique and Munising | ||||
| 94th District Court | Delta | 1 | Escanaba | |||
| 95A District Court | Menominee | 1 | Menominee | |||
| 95B District Court | Iron and Dickinson | 1 | Iron Mountain and Crystal Falls | |||
| 96th District Court | Marquette | 2 | Marquette | |||
| 97th District Court | Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw | 1 | Eagle River, Houghton and L'Anse | The 99th District Court, which consisted of Houghton and Keweenaw Counties, were merged into the 97th District Court in 1972. | ||
| 98th District Court | Ontonagon and Gogebic | Bessemer and Ontonagon |