Chippewa County, MI Courts and Public Records

The 50th Judicial Circuit Court serves Chippewa County and hears felony cases, civil claims above the Circuit Court limit, and appeals from District and Probate Courts. The County Clerk is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and keeps the Circuit Court records.

Have the full name, the case number if you know it, and approximate dates ready. The County Clerk keeps Circuit Court records, while District and Probate Courts keep their own.

Chippewa County courts received 6,006 new cases in CY 2025 and disposed of 4,986, a clearance rate of 83.0%. Filings fell 1.2% from 6,079 in CY 2024.

The largest movement was in civil filings (1,394 to 1,559); the total also includes 1,406 civil infraction and parking filings; rows marked ~ are estimates.

Total filings in Chippewa County fell 12.8% between CY 2021 and CY 2025, from 6,891 to 6,006.

Total filings fell 12.8% over five years, from 6,891 in CY 2021 to 6,006 in CY 2025. The largest annual change was -8.1% in CY 2022. The latest change of -1.2% was driven by civil filings, and dispositions were 4,986 against 6,006 filings.

Criminal cases are the largest category in Chippewa County, at 43.5% of filings in CY 2025.

Juvenile cases grew fastest (+38.2%) and family law cases fell fastest (-7.3%); rows marked ~ are estimates.

Chippewa County accounts for 0.16% of the 3,677,054 cases filed in Michigan courts in CY 2025, with 0.36% of the state's population.

Chippewa County files cases at a lower rate per resident than Michigan (166.5 against 363.1 per 1,000), and its filings fell 1.2% against +7.9% statewide. Its criminal and civil shares of filings are both above the state's; rows marked ~ are estimates.

These figures are Michigan statewide totals as reported to the FBI, not counts for Chippewa County. Agency reporting may be incomplete, and county crime counts are not available here. Statewide violent and property crimes combined fell 8.7% from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, reporting agencies covered about 97.3% of Michigan's population, so year-over-year changes can partly reflect which agencies reported.

Rates use the Michigan 2025 population of 10,127,884. County-level rates are not published, so this section does not compare Chippewa County with the state. The property crimes total includes arson, so it is larger than the sum of the property offenses listed above.

Chippewa County court proceedings are held at the Chippewa County Courthouse. Check your notice or case paperwork to confirm the courthouse assigned to your case before you go.

Addresses and phone numbers come from public directory listings and may change, so confirm them with the clerk before you visit.

Michigan splits cases among the Circuit Court, the Family Division, District Court, and Probate Court, so check your paperwork for the court named. Federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for Michigan.

Yes, most court records in Chippewa County are public, but the Michigan Court Rules allow exceptions for sealed and confidential records.

Public records

Most Circuit Court and District Court case files are open to the public under MCR 8.119. The Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231 et seq.) covers records of public bodies.

Restricted or confidential records

Juvenile, sealed, expunged, adoption, mental health, and protective-order-restricted records are not publicly available.

Online access

Statewide court information is available at courts.michigan.gov. Online access to Chippewa County case records is not verified here, so confirm with the court before assuming a record is online.

In-person access

Visit the County Clerk's office at the county courthouse to view or request records. Copies are requested from the court office that keeps the file.

Fees

This section does not list fees. Ask the court office about copy costs before you request records.

Start with the statewide court links to find the court that holds your Chippewa County case, then request documents that are not available online.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, family law, probate, or juvenile.
2. Open courts.michigan.gov to find the court that holds that case type.
3. Search by name or case number if the court offers an online search.
4. Review the case information, such as status and scheduled dates.
5. Contact the court office to request documents that are not online.

Contact the court that issued the ticket or fine to learn which payment methods it accepts in Chippewa County.

1. By phone: Call the County Clerk or the District Court using the contact details on the county's official website. Ask which payment types the court accepts.
2. In person: Visit the court office that issued the ticket or case. Confirm the address on the county's official website before you go.

Parking tickets are paid to the agency that issued them, not to the court. Traffic citations are handled by District Court, and criminal fines are paid to the court that imposed them.