Ingham County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Ingham County, home to more than 282,500 people, is a part of the Lansing–East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although the majority of Lansing, the state capital of Michigan, is in Ingham County, Mason serves as the county seat. There are three courts in the Ingham County court system: Circuit, District, and Probate Courts. Although it often only takes on cases outside the purview of other courts, the Circuit Court has general jurisdiction over all cases in the county. However, certain case types are under the limited jurisdiction of district and probate courts.

30th Circuit Court Ingham handles the most serious matters. This includes felonies, civil lawsuits exceeding $25,000, equity cases, appeals of administrative decisions, domestic relations like divorce, child custody, and juvenile delinquency. The Circuit Court has a Family Division specializing in these domestic and juvenile matters, including adoption, child support, and abuse prevention. Ingham County District Courts like the 55th Judicial District Court handle less serious matters. This includes misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil lawsuits under $25,000, and most landlord-tenant disputes. They also conduct preliminary hearings for felony cases. Each District Court has a Small Claims Division for cases under $5,000. Ingham County Probate Court handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, and matters related to protecting people with mental or physical disabilities. It is important to note that some adoption and name change cases were previously handled by Probate Courts but are now under the Circuit Court Family Division. As such, Ingham County may still keep these case files in the Probate Court Office or may have a separate Probate Department within the Family Division.

The Ingham County court system, which handles more than 3,950 cases annually, offers important insights into how the county's legal system has developed. At 1,381.75 per 100,000 inhabitants, the county is a prime example of the importance of a strong legal system. Court records in Ingham County are kept electronically. To access these records, the public can use the Court Record Search platform.

In summary, the Ingham County court system is a crucial part of the county administration and is committed to upholding justice across the legal system. The county's strong legal system, which consists of the Circuit, District, and Probate courts, is capable of handling a variety of cases. Setting up an account on the electronic system ensures accessibility and transparency while safeguarding court records has increased public confidence in the Ingham County judicial system.