| Circuit Court Clerk | Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds — Court Explorer |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | Oakland County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Oakland County Courthouse, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341 (Clerk/Register of Deeds, Building 12 East; Probate Court, Building 12 West) |
| Phone | Clerk/Register of Deeds eFiling (248) 858-0582 |
| Hours | Confirm current hours with the clerk before visiting |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | $10.00 plus $1.00 per page (MCL 600.2546), unless a more specific statute sets a different fee |
Oakland County's Clerk/Register of Deeds office is the clerk of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court and, through its Legal Records Division, keeps civil, family (domestic), and felony criminal case files. The office runs Court Explorer, an online tool to search, view, and purchase copies of circuit court records by name or case number, at the Oakland County Courthouse in Pontiac.
Oakland County's Probate Court is a separate court with its own division of the county court system, handling estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and mental-health cases, with its own online case search by name or case number. Misdemeanors, smaller civil claims, landlord-tenant cases, and traffic tickets go to one of Oakland County's several district courts, each covering specific cities or townships and each keeping its own records separately from the circuit clerk.
A common mistake is searching Court Explorer for a probate or district-court matter — it only covers the 6th Circuit Court. Confirm which court actually heard the case (circuit, probate, or a specific district court) before choosing a search tool.
Search Oakland County court records online
Circuit Court Clerk
Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds — Court Explorer
- Cost
- Free to search; fees to view or purchase documents
- Coverage
- 6th Judicial Circuit Court civil, domestic (family), and felony criminal case records, plus the county's business court docket
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Our automated verification request to oakgov.com was blocked (403) by the site's bot protection; the page and its content were confirmed through official search listings and are the correct government URL.
Probate Court
Oakland County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free to search; fees for copies
- Coverage
- Estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and mental-health proceedings, searchable online by name or case number
- Records
- Probate
Same bot-protection issue as the Court Explorer page prevented automated verification; confirmed via official search results as the correct oakgov.com probate court page.
What is available online
Court Explorer covers only the 6th Circuit Court's civil, domestic, and felony criminal dockets; it does not include probate or district court cases. The Probate Court's own online search covers estate, guardianship, and mental-health filings. Oakland County's district courts (misdemeanors, small claims, landlord-tenant, traffic) are organized by city or township group and are not searchable from the county clerk's site; each district court maintains its own records and, in many cases, its own online lookup.
Which clerk has your record
In Michigan, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Michigan page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts (57 statewide) | Felony criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other family-division cases; Civil suits over $25,000 | County Clerk, acting as Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| District Courts (105 statewide) | Misdemeanor criminal cases and felony arraignments; Civil claims up to $25,000; Small claims and landlord-tenant cases | District Court Clerk or Court Administrator (varies by court; not always the county clerk) |
| Probate Courts (78 divisions statewide) | Decedent estates and wills; Guardianships and conservatorships; Trusts | Probate Register or Probate Court Clerk |
Request records in person or by mail
Oakland County clerk offices
Oakland County Courthouse, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341 (Clerk/Register of Deeds, Building 12 East; Probate Court, Building 12 West)
Phone: Clerk/Register of Deeds eFiling (248) 858-0582
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
Circuit Court records. Search and, where available, purchase copies through Court Explorer. For documents not available online, contact the Clerk/Register of Deeds Legal Records Division at the Oakland County Courthouse, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341.
Probate Court records. Search online through the Probate Court's case search, or contact the Probate Court directly at the courthouse for copies and fee amounts.
District court records. Contact the specific district court that covers the city or township where the case was filed; each keeps and provides its own copies independent of the county clerk.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Michigan |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy | $10.00 plus $1.00 per page (MCL 600.2546), unless a more specific statute sets a different fee |
MCL 600.2546 sets the default certified-copy and exemplification fee for circuit, district, and probate courts. Plain (uncertified) copy fees are set locally by each court or county and vary; some Michigan clerks charge a flat per-page photocopy fee while others provide free printouts from a public terminal. Confirm the plain-copy fee with the specific clerk before requesting copies.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Michigan court records are presumptively public under Michigan Court Rule 8.119, but several categories are restricted or excluded from routine searches:
The Michigan guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Are Oakland County court records online?
Circuit Court records are searchable through Court Explorer, and Probate Court records have a separate online search by name or case number. District court records are not centralized and depend on the individual district court.
Which office has my Oakland County divorce or felony case?
The Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds, as clerk of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court. Search by name or case number in Court Explorer.
Where do I look up an Oakland County guardianship or estate case?
The Oakland County Probate Court, a separate office from the circuit court clerk, with its own online search and its own records request process.
How do I find a misdemeanor or traffic ticket in Oakland County?
Identify which city or township the case was filed in, since Oakland County has several district courts, each covering specific communities and keeping its own records separately from the county clerk.
Sources
- Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds — Court Records — https://www.oakgov.com/government/clerk-register-of-deeds/court-records
- Oakland County Court Explorer — https://www.oakgov.com/government/clerk-register-of-deeds/court-records/court-explorer
- Oakland County Probate Court — https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/probate-court
- Michigan Courts — About the Courts — https://www.courts.michigan.gov/courts/
- MiCOURT Case Search — https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/
- Michigan Courts — Court of Appeals — https://www.courts.michigan.gov/courts/court-of-appeals/
- Michigan Court Rules (current rules, Chapter 8 — court records) — https://www.courts.michigan.gov/rules-administrative-orders-and-jury-instructions/current-rules-and-jury-instructions/michigan-court-rules/
- Michigan State Police — Criminal History Records — https://www.michigan.gov/msp/services/chr
- MCL 780.621 — Setting Aside Convictions ("Clean Slate") — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-780-621
- MCL 600.2546 — Certified Copy and Exemplification Fees — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-2546
- MCL 15.232 — Freedom of Information Act, definitions (judiciary excluded) — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=MCL-15-232
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan — https://www.mied.uscourts.gov/
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan — https://www.miwd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Michigan counties.