Oakland County MI Court Records Search: Court Explorer, Probate, District Courts, MiCOURT & PACER
Use this guide to find the correct official route for Oakland County court records, including 6th Circuit Court civil, domestic, business and felony criminal cases, Probate Court records, district court misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, landlord-tenant cases, appellate records, Michigan criminal-history checks, and federal PACER records.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not Oakland County, the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, Oakland County Probate Court, a district court, Michigan Courts, Michigan State Police, PACER, a law firm, or a Consumer Reporting Agency. This page is general public-record navigation information only and is not legal advice.
Responsible-use warning: a name match does not prove identity. An arrest, complaint, citation, charge, petition, indictment, docket entry, or lawsuit does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this article for employment, tenant, credit, insurance, licensing, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Oakland County court records are split across Court Explorer, Probate Access, district courts, MiCOURT, ICHAT, and PACER
Oakland County Court Explorer is the main official local tool for public 6th Circuit Court and Probate Court record access. It lets users view primary party information, view the register of actions, and order copies of documents filed on a case.
But Court Explorer is not the answer for every record. Misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, landlord-tenant matters, preliminary felony proceedings, municipal/district court files, Michigan criminal-history searches, property records, vital records, appeals, and federal cases can require different official systems.
Oakland County Circuit Court records route through the Clerk’s Legal Records Division and Court Explorer.
Oakland County says public circuit records are available online dating back to the early 1990s.
The Clerk lists regular copies at $1.00 per page through Court Explorer ordering.
Oakland County has many district court divisions for traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, and local civil cases.
Oakland County court record route finder
Select the record type. This helper runs in your browser and does not ask for names, case numbers, dates of birth, driver license numbers, addresses, or other personal identifiers.
For 6th Circuit Court civil, business, felony criminal, and appeals from lower courts, search by business name, person name, or case number. Verify the case type, docket, party role, and disposition before relying on the result.
Choose the correct Oakland County court-record system
Use this table before searching. It prevents the most common mistakes: searching district court cases in Circuit Court Explorer, treating probate documents as ordinary name-search results, or confusing court records with ICHAT, jail, land, marriage, or federal records.
| Need | Correct source | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit civil lawsuit, business court case, appeal from lower court, or civil case over the district-court level | Oakland County Court Explorer / Clerk Legal Records Division | Search by business name, person name, or case number. Review the register of actions, party roles, case type, judge, filings, orders, judgment, and later docket activity. |
| Felony criminal case after bindover to Circuit Court | 6th Circuit Court / Clerk Legal Records / Court Explorer | Check Court Explorer for the circuit case. For earlier district-court proceedings or some transcript issues, identify the district court where the felony originated. |
| Divorce, custody, paternity, parenting time, emancipation, or family matter | 6th Circuit Court Family Division / Court Explorer / Friend of the Court where applicable | Search the case, then expect privacy limits. Some details or documents may be nonpublic, restricted, or better handled through the assigned court or Friend of the Court. |
| Probate estate, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, will, or mental-health-related probate matter | Oakland County Probate Access / Probate Court / Court Explorer by case number | Use Probate Access for a free name-based case-information search. Use Court Explorer to order probate documents only after you have the probate case number. |
| Misdemeanor, traffic, civil infraction, small claims, landlord-tenant, local civil case, or preliminary felony proceeding | Correct Oakland County district court; MiCOURT where supported | Find the district court serving the city or township. Use the district court’s official page or MiCOURT, then contact that court for certified copies or older files. |
| Traffic ticket payment or payable ticket lookup | Michigan eTix or the specific district court | Use ticket/case number, last name, date of birth, driver license, or plate number only on the official eTix or court system. Verify the court and amount before paying. |
| Personal Protection Order, juvenile case, or Probate Mental Health record | Responsible court; restricted-access route | Do not expect Court Explorer to show these records. Oakland County states PPO, juvenile, and Probate Mental Health records are not available through Court Explorer. |
| Michigan criminal-history background check | Michigan State Police ICHAT, not Court Explorer | Use ICHAT for public Michigan criminal-history searches. ICHAT is different from court docket research and has its own exclusions, fee, and reporting limits. |
| Deed, mortgage, foreclosure record, land document, UCC land-record filing, or property-record notice | Oakland County Register of Deeds / Property Records / Super Index | Use property records, not Court Explorer. Oakland County says Super Index documents date back to January 1, 1964, with exceptions such as subdivision plat maps. |
| Marriage certificate, birth certificate, death certificate, CPL, notary, assumed name, or genealogy marriage/death search | Oakland County Vital Records / Clerk/Register of Deeds | Use Vital Records or Genealogy, not court case search. Divorce judgments are court records; marriage certificates are vital records. |
| State appeal | Michigan Courts case search / Michigan Court of Appeals / Michigan Supreme Court | Search appellate systems and compare the lower-court case number to the Oakland County trial-court case number. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy case | PACER / U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan / U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Michigan | Use PACER Case Locator if the federal court is unknown. Oakland County state and county portals do not contain federal dockets. |
How to use Oakland County Court Explorer correctly
Court Explorer is the official Oakland County application for public Circuit and Probate Court access. It displays primary case party information, the register of actions, and document-ordering options. Oakland County warns that Court Explorer data is for personal information/use only, is not the official court record, and should not be used for criminal background checks.
Start from oakgov.com or the official courtexplorer.oakgov.com page. Avoid commercial look-alike sites that ask for broad personal information.
Use Circuit for 6th Circuit Court civil, domestic, business, and felony criminal records. Use Probate only when you already have the probate case number for Court Explorer document ordering.
For Circuit records, Court Explorer supports business name, person last and first name, or case number. The displayed case-number pattern is YYYY-999999-AA.
Advanced Search can narrow by party type, case year, and case type. Do not guess case-type letters; use the case-type description link or court papers.
Read docket entries in order. Check filings, hearings, orders, judgments, dismissals, sentence entries, satisfaction entries, appeals, and later post-judgment activity.
Use Court Explorer document ordering for available Circuit and Probate files. Certified Circuit Court documents must be mailed and cannot be sent by email.
For older records, certified copies, document-order problems, official disposition, sealed or restricted access, or record corrections, contact the Legal Records Division or Probate Court directly.
Oakland County court-record copies, certified copies, and document orders
Oakland County Court Explorer allows users to purchase documents for eligible cases. Orders are manually processed during regular business hours and are typically fulfilled within two business days. If an order does not arrive, users should check spam or junk folders before contacting the appropriate office.
| Request | Officially listed amount or rule | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Regular copy | $1.00 per page. | Estimate the page count before ordering and confirm whether email or mail delivery is available for that document. |
| Certified copy | $10.00 per case number plus $1.00 per page. | Certified documents must be mailed to the requester and cannot be sent by email. |
| Credit card service fee | 3.5% service fee. | Oakland County lists Visa, MasterCard, and Discover for Court Explorer purchases. |
| ACH service fee | $2.50 service fee. | Review the checkout total before submitting because all sales are final and no refunds are listed. |
| Probate Access name search | No fee for the Probate Access name-based case-information search. | Use it to locate probate case information, but remember that documents cannot be viewed or ordered from that Probate Access page. |
| Probate public-file copy | $1.00 per page for copies from public probate files. | Copies may be obtained at the court or by mailing a specific request with the appropriate check or money order. |
| PACER federal records | PACER pricing verified September 4, 2026: $0.10 per page, $3.00 cap for many case-specific documents, and $30 quarterly waiver threshold; a temporary increase to $0.12 per page and $40 quarterly waiver threshold is scheduled for January 1, 2027. | Use case number or date filters to limit billable pages. Name-search results and some reports are not capped. |
Court Explorer copy-cost planning helper
This is only a planning aid. The official Court Explorer checkout, Clerk quote, or court receipt controls the final amount.
Records that may be missing, restricted, sealed, or not official online
Oakland County and Michigan Courts both publish access warnings. Court Explorer is not the official record of the court, and Michigan case-search tools do not display every case type. Court records can also be delayed, restricted by statute or court rule, sealed by order, or available only from the court of record.
- Personal Protection Orders are not available through Court Explorer.
- Juvenile records are not available through Court Explorer.
- Probate Mental Health records are not available through Court Explorer.
- Data is for personal information/use only.
- Bulk data downloads and commercial use are prohibited.
- Court Explorer should not be used for criminal background checks.
- MiCOURT information does not replace the official record on file with the court.
- Some courts use a 7-year criminal sentencing display filter.
- Nonpublic information is not accessible through the website.
- Several case types are excluded, including juvenile, child protective, mental illness, name changes, PPO-related, wills, and other restricted categories.
- Users must contact the court of record for questions about the online information.
Official Oakland County court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Use these links as action paths. Each official route solves a different record problem.
Use this for the Clerk’s Legal Records overview, eFiling notes, Court Explorer, circuit case types, and Clerk contact information.
- Confirm you are on oakgov.com.
- Read which case types the Legal Records Division maintains.
- Use Court Explorer for register-of-actions and document ordering.
- Contact clerklegal@oakgov.com or 248-858-0582 for Circuit Court filing or copy questions.
Use this before ordering documents so you understand copy fees, delivery rules, service fees, and order-processing time.
- Review the copy-fee section.
- Note that certified documents must be mailed.
- Use the correct contact: courtexplorer@oakgov.com for Circuit orders or probatecourtexplorer@oakgov.com for Probate orders.
- Check spam or junk if an emailed order does not arrive.
Use this for Oakland Circuit Court name, business-name, case-number, year, party-type, and case-type searching.
- Select Circuit or Probate.
- Use business name, person name, or case number for Circuit cases.
- Use Advanced Search if you know party type, case year, or case type.
- Remember Probate Court Explorer search requires the case number.
Use this for free name-based Oakland County Probate Court case-information searching.
- Search by name for probate case information.
- Use the result only for general case-status understanding.
- Do not expect to view or order documents from this page.
- Contact Probate Court for public-file copies, corrections, or case questions.
Use this for Probate eFiling, Case Search, Court Explorer document orders, inventory-fee calculator, judicial schedule, and Zoom information.
- Use Case Search to find a probate case number by name.
- Use Court Explorer for probate document ordering after you have the case number.
- Order attestations in person or by mail.
- Call 248-858-0260 for Probate Court access or eFiling questions.
Use this for district courts handling traffic, civil infractions, misdemeanors, small claims, landlord-tenant, and local civil matters.
- Find the city or township where the case was filed.
- Select the matching district court or division.
- Use that court’s case search, payment, calendar, or clerk contact route.
- Do not assume all district court cases appear in Circuit Court Explorer.
Use this when a Michigan trial court participates or when you need to find a probate case number before using Court Explorer document ordering.
- Read the terms before continuing.
- Select the correct court.
- Search with case number or party information where available.
- Contact the court of record for certified copies or questions about older or filtered records.
Use this for participating payable ticket or case searches.
- Select Oakland County and the correct court if available.
- Search by last name plus ticket/case number, last name plus date of birth, driver license, or plate only on the official state page.
- Confirm court, charge/citation, and amount before paying.
- Save the payment confirmation and verify the case status later.
Use this when the goal is a Michigan public criminal-history search, not a court docket lookup.
- Choose ICHAT for public name-based Michigan criminal-history searching.
- Review what ICHAT includes and excludes.
- Use fingerprint-based options for personal record search, expungement, modification, or update needs.
- Do not treat Court Explorer as a criminal background report.
Use this for deeds, mortgages, foreclosure records, land records, personal property filings, Super Index, and property-record notification.
- Use Super Index for recorded land documents.
- Do not search Court Explorer for ordinary deed or mortgage records.
- Note the July 1, 2026 Acreage Book migration to Super Index.
- Contact Register of Deeds for land-record copy questions.
Use this for federal civil or criminal records in the Eastern District of Michigan.
- Confirm the case is federal, not Oakland County Circuit or district court.
- Use PACER for electronic court records.
- For pre-electronic records, follow the court’s National Archives / Federal Records Center instructions.
- Contact the federal clerk if you cannot locate the federal case.
Use this for federal district, bankruptcy, and federal appellate records.
- Use PACER Case Locator if the federal court is unknown.
- Use the specific court’s PACER/CM-ECF system for the most current docket.
- Review PACER pricing before opening documents.
- Do not search Oakland County Court Explorer for federal cases.
Oakland County offices and courthouse contacts for court-record help
Many searches can start online, but certified copies, older records, Probate Court attestations, transcript routing, sealed or restricted records, and document-order issues may require contacting the responsible court or Clerk office. Call before visiting to confirm hours, security, payment method, file availability, and whether your request should be handled online, by mail, or in person.
1200 North Telegraph Road
Dept 413
Pontiac, MI 48341
Phone: 248-858-0582
Email: clerklegal@oakgov.com
Hours listed: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Use for Circuit Court legal records, civil, domestic, felony criminal, business court files, and Court Explorer circuit document questions.
1200 N. Telegraph Road
Department 404
Pontiac, MI 48341-0404
Phone: 248-858-0344
Hours listed: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Use for court administration, judge/courtroom issues, court schedules, and circuit-court procedural routing. Use the Clerk for records and certified copies.
1200 N. Telegraph Road
Dept 457
Pontiac, MI 48341
Phone: 248-858-0260
Email for Court Explorer orders: probatecourtexplorer@oakgov.com
Hours listed: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Use for estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, mental-health division questions, probate copies, and attestations.
1200 North Telegraph Road
Building 12E
Pontiac, MI 48341
Phone: 248-858-0581
Email: clerk@oakgov.com
Use this broader office for Clerk/Register routing, land records, vital records, board records, and department direction when the record type is unclear.
Oakland County district court records: traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases
District courts are not the same as the 6th Circuit Court. They commonly handle traffic, civil infractions, misdemeanors, small claims, landlord-tenant cases, lower-value civil cases, and preliminary felony proceedings. Search the district court that serves the municipality where the case was filed.
| District court route | Location / official starting point | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| 43rd District Court | Ferndale, Hazel Park, and Madison Heights divisions | Traffic, parking, misdemeanors, preliminary felony proceedings, small claims, local civil, and ordinance matters filed in those communities. |
| 44th District Court | Royal Oak route | District court records for Royal Oak and covered local jurisdiction matters. |
| 45th District Court | Oak Park route | District court records for Oak Park and related covered communities. |
| 46th District Court | Southfield route | District court records for Southfield-area civil, criminal, and traffic matters. |
| 47th District Court | Farmington Hills route | District court records for Farmington and Farmington Hills matters. |
| 48th District Court | 4280 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 | District court records for covered Bloomfield-area communities, including civil, criminal, traffic, probation, and case-search functions. |
| 50th District Court | 70 N. Saginaw, Pontiac, MI 48342 | Pontiac district court records, including civil, criminal, traffic, and local district matters. |
| 51st District Court | Waterford route | Waterford-area district court cases, traffic, misdemeanors, civil infractions, and local civil records. |
| 52nd District Court divisions | 52-1 Novi, 52-2 Clarkston, 52-3 Rochester Hills, 52-4 Troy | District court records for the municipality assigned to that division. Use the correct division before searching or paying. |
Oakland County appeals, federal district cases, and bankruptcy records
State appeals and federal cases do not use the same route as Oakland County Court Explorer. Use Michigan Courts for state appellate search and PACER for federal records.
Use Michigan Courts case search and appellate resources for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court case information. Compare the lower-court case number with the Oakland County trial-court case number.
Oakland County is in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Use PACER or the Eastern District records page for federal civil and criminal case records.
Bankruptcy is federal, not an Oakland County civil case. Use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and PACER for bankruptcy dockets and documents.
| Need | Official route | Important caution |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal from an Oakland County trial case | Michigan Courts case search / Court of Appeals / Supreme Court | Trial-court and appellate dockets are separate. Compare lower-court case numbers. |
| Federal civil or criminal case | U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan / PACER | Court Explorer does not contain federal district court records. |
| Older federal case before electronic filing | Eastern District of Michigan records page / National Archives and Federal Records Center instructions | The Eastern District says many pre-January 2004 non-electronic records are stored through federal archive channels. |
| Bankruptcy case | U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Michigan / PACER | Bankruptcy cases are not Oakland County civil or circuit-court records. |
| Unknown federal court | PACER Case Locator | For the most current filings, search the specific federal court where the case is filed. |
Court records vs criminal history, jail, land records, and vital records
Oakland County users often search the wrong office because the Clerk/Register of Deeds holds many different public records. Use this quick distinction before entering personal information or ordering copies.
- Civil lawsuits and business court cases.
- Divorce, custody, paternity, and domestic relations case dockets.
- Felony cases after bindover to Circuit Court.
- Probate estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and trusts.
- District court misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases.
- Judgments, orders, pleadings, and certified court copies.
- Michigan criminal-history checks: Michigan State Police ICHAT.
- Current custody or jail booking: sheriff/jail system, not court docket.
- Deeds, mortgages, foreclosures, land documents: Register of Deeds / Super Index.
- Marriage, birth, and death certificates: Vital Records.
- Federal district and bankruptcy records: PACER.
- Appeals: Michigan appellate case-search resources.
What to do if your Oakland County court-record search returns no result
- Wrong system: Court Explorer vs Probate Access vs district court vs MiCOURT vs ICHAT vs PACER.
- Wrong spelling, nickname, middle initial, maiden name, suffix, or business name.
- Case number entered without the full YYYY-999999-AA format.
- Searching Probate in Court Explorer without first finding the probate case number.
- Searching a district court matter in Circuit Court Explorer.
- Searching a federal case in a county or state court system.
- Record is older than online coverage or not yet entered.
- Record is sealed, restricted, nonpublic, or redacted.
- PPO, juvenile, or Probate Mental Health record is excluded from Court Explorer.
- MiCOURT case type is excluded from display.
- Criminal sentencing information may be affected by a 7-year display filter in some courts.
- The file may require direct request to the court of record.
How to read Oakland County court-record results responsibly
A register of actions is a timeline of case activity. It is not always a complete legal explanation and may not show every sealed, restricted, delayed, corrected, archived, or nonpublic document. Use neutral wording and verify the current disposition with the court when the result matters.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, debtor, creditor, decedent, personal representative, guardian, ward, and attorney are roles. A party role alone does not prove wrongdoing.
Complaint, petition, summons, notice, motion, order, hearing, judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence, continuance, warrant, satisfaction, and appeal entries should be read in context.
Open, pending, closed, disposed, dismissed, adjudicated, sentenced, satisfied, appealed, reopened, or stayed can have different legal effects depending on case type.
Use Oakland County court records carefully
- Do not identify someone from a common name alone.
- Compare court, case number, filing year, party role, attorney, docket entries, and disposition.
- Do not treat missing online data as proof that no record exists.
- Do not treat one docket event as the final case outcome.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame, or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not republish children’s names, protected addresses, Social Security numbers, financial-account details, medical details, or unnecessary sensitive information.
- Do not bypass confidentiality, sealing, expungement, or access-level rules.
- Contact the official custodian for corrections, certified copies, redaction, sealing, expungement, or restricted-record questions.
Frequently asked questions about Oakland County court records
What is the official way to search Oakland County court records?
Start with Oakland County Court Explorer for public 6th Circuit Court and Probate Court access. Court Explorer lets users view primary case party information, the register of actions, and order copies of filed case documents. District court, traffic, small claims, appellate, criminal-history, and federal records may require different official systems.
Can I search Oakland County court records by name?
Yes for Oakland County Circuit Court records in Court Explorer. The Circuit search supports business name, person name, or case number. For Probate Court document ordering in Court Explorer, the search is by case number only, so users may need the Probate Access name search or MiCOURT to find the case number first.
What case number format does Oakland County Court Explorer show?
Court Explorer shows the case number format as YYYY-999999-AA. Users should enter the full case number exactly as shown on court papers or search results and should not assume that hyphens, leading zeros, or case-type letters can be omitted.
Which Oakland County case types are covered by Court Explorer?
Oakland County describes Court Explorer as a tool for Circuit and Probate Court public records. The Clerk’s Legal Records Division maintains civil, domestic, felony criminal, and business court case files for the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, with public records available online dating back to the early 1990s.
What records are not available through Oakland County Court Explorer?
Oakland County states that Personal Protection Orders, juvenile records, and Probate Mental Health records are not available through Court Explorer. MiCOURT also excludes several nonpublic or restricted case categories, including juvenile and child protective proceedings, mental illness, name changes, PPO-related case types, wills, and other restricted records.
How much do Oakland County Court Explorer copies cost?
Oakland County lists regular copies at $1.00 per page. Certified copies are listed as $10.00 per case number plus $1.00 per page. Credit-card payments have a 3.5% service fee, ACH transactions have a $2.50 service fee, and certified documents must be mailed rather than emailed.
Where do I search Oakland County Probate Court records?
Use Oakland County Probate Access for a free name-based search of Probate Court case information. That Probate Access page cannot be used to view or order documents. Court Explorer can order probate documents by case number only, and attestations must be ordered in person or by mail.
Where do I search Oakland County misdemeanors, traffic tickets, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases?
Use the specific Oakland County district court that serves the city or township where the case was filed, and use MiCOURT or eTix where supported. District courts handle many misdemeanors, traffic, civil infractions, small claims, landlord-tenant, and lower-value civil cases.
Is Oakland County Court Explorer a criminal background check?
No. Oakland County warns that Court Explorer information is not the official record of the court and should not be used for criminal background checks. Michigan State Police ICHAT is the public name-based Michigan criminal history resource, but it has its own coverage limits and fees.
Where do I search Oakland County federal or bankruptcy records?
Use PACER for federal court records. Oakland County is in the Eastern District of Michigan for federal district court matters, and bankruptcy cases use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. State and county court portals do not replace PACER.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against official Oakland County Court Records, Court Explorer, Court Explorer Search, Fees and Forms, 6th Circuit Court, Circuit Court About, Oakland County Probate Court, Probate Access, Probate Online Services, Oakland County District Courts, Michigan MiCOURT Case Search, Michigan Courts case-search resources, Michigan eTix, Michigan State Police Criminal History Records, Oakland County Property Records, Oakland County Marriage Records, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, PACER Find a Case, and PACER pricing resources. Review date: September 4, 2026.