Grand Traverse County Criminal Court Cases
Grand Traverse County criminal court cases begin in the county court system, but they do not all stay in one file. The 86th District Court handles misdemeanors, traffic cases, felony arraignments, probable-cause conferences, and preliminary examinations. A misdemeanor normally remains there through disposition and sentence. The 13th Circuit Court hears felony matters after bindover, which is the formal transfer from District Court after probable cause is established or waived. Juvenile matters route through the Family Division and are generally restricted.
The clerk is the record custodian, not the prosecutor or jail. District Court maintains its own docket. The County Clerk’s Circuit and Family Court Records office keeps the 13th Circuit criminal files. That division indexes filings, accepts payments, and provides public terminals. The Prosecuting Attorney files and litigates charges on behalf of the People of Michigan, but a request for a court judgment, register of actions, or certified pleading belongs with the clerk that holds the case.
Grand Traverse County Felony Case Numbers
A felony can have two Grand Traverse County criminal case numbers. The 86th District number follows the complaint, arraignment, bond, probable-cause conference, and preliminary examination. After bindover, the 13th Circuit opens a new file for the information, circuit arraignment, motions, plea or trial, and sentence. Searching just one number can create the false impression that the case ended early or began late.
Start with the District register of actions when the arrest or first hearing is recent. Look for a bindover entry and note any Circuit reference. Then search the Circuit index under the same defendant name. The public images explaining 86th District Court access help identify the correct local starting point.
The District access screen is one part of the felony trail, not the whole Grand Traverse County court record after transfer.
Searching Grand Traverse County Case Records
Grand Traverse County offers separate local searches for the 86th District and 13th Circuit courts. MiCOURT Case Search also covers participating Michigan courts, but the two county entry points remain important. Names may vary in spacing, middle initials, or prior surnames. An exact case number is the best way to reopen a result once it is found.
- Open the 86th District access page, accept its disclaimer, and search by defendant name or District case number.
- Review the register of actions for arraignment, bond, preliminary-examination, disposition, or bindover entries.
- For a bound-over felony, open the 13th Circuit civil and criminal index and search the same name.
- Compare court, filing date, charge, and case number before treating two entries as the same Grand Traverse County matter.
- Ask the correct clerk for missing pleadings, older material, or a certified copy when the index is not enough.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | One search mode | A partial surname works only when First Name is blank. |
| First Name | Text | No | Use with Last Name to narrow results. |
| Case Year | Four digits | Case-number mode | Enter the year as ccyy. |
| Case Number | Five digits | Case-number mode | Use the numeric portion. |
| County | Dropdown | Case-number mode | Select Grand Traverse when offered. |
| Disclaimer | Action | 86th District | Access follows acknowledgment of limits. |
Grand Traverse Circuit Criminal Index
The 13th Circuit civil and criminal search page is the county entry point for felony case files after bindover. The online index is useful for locating a case number and register of actions. It does not promise a free image of every complaint, motion, order, or judgment. When an expected Grand Traverse County criminal case does not appear, the county directs searchers to contact Circuit Records.
The search page connects the public index to the clerk fallback needed for old, offsite, sealed, or poorly matched records.
Public computer terminals are in Suite 206 on the second floor of the Hall of Justice. Older Circuit criminal material may require clerk or microfilm help. Research access can be limited around noon to 2 p.m. because some files are stored offsite and staff coverage varies. Call before planning a visit built around an older file.
Inside a Grand Traverse County Case File
A Grand Traverse County criminal case file records what prosecutors filed and what the judge did. It is more precise than an arrest report for the filed charge and outcome. The register of actions is the chronological docket, meaning the list of hearings, filings, orders, and results. A public index may show the event without providing the underlying document image.
| Case Number & Court | Identifies the District or Circuit file and helps connect transferred felony matters. |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | The District complaint begins allegations; a Circuit information formally states felony counts after bindover. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological filings, hearings, bond orders, warrants, motions, pleas, and judgments that are public. |
| Hearing Dates | Lists the hearing type, date, judge, and courtroom when publicly available. |
| Disposition & Judgment | Shows dismissal, acquittal, plea, verdict, or other result for each count. |
| Sentence & Conditions | May state jail or prison terms, probation, fines, costs, and restitution. |
| Protected Details | Full identifiers, victim data, minor information, and sealed events can be redacted or withheld. |
Note: A docket entry confirms that an event was recorded, but it does not guarantee that the linked document is available online.
Grand Traverse Circuit Records Office
The 13th Circuit Court hears Grand Traverse County felony pleas, trials, and sentences. Circuit administration is listed at 328 Washington Street, Suite 300, Traverse City, with telephone 231-922-4701. The actual records counter and public terminals are at the County Clerk Circuit Records office, 280 Washington Street, Suite 206. Using the right room prevents a court-file request from being sent to the jail or prosecutor.
The court overview clarifies the Circuit role, while Suite 206 remains the practical destination for the Grand Traverse County criminal file.
County Clerk Circuit Records
280 Washington St., Suite 206
Traverse City, MI 49684
Public terminals and 13th Circuit files
86th District Court
280 Washington St., Suite 121
Traverse City, MI 49684
231-922-4580
How a Criminal Case Moves
A Grand Traverse County misdemeanor generally follows complaint or summons, arraignment, pretrial work, plea or trial, disposition, and sentence in District Court. A felony adds the probable-cause conference and preliminary examination before bindover. Circuit Court then receives the prosecutor’s information, conducts another arraignment, and handles discovery, motions, plea or trial, presentence work, and sentence.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
These stages explain why the arrest charge, District complaint, Circuit information, and judgment may not match. Charges can be amended or dismissed. A plea can resolve fewer counts. Read the disposition for each count instead of relying on the first allegation in the file. The broader Grand Traverse County arrest lookup concerns the earlier agency and booking records, which remain distinct from the court judgment.
Read Grand Traverse Case Outcomes
Several short terms change the meaning of a Grand Traverse County criminal case. A disposition is the outcome of a charge. An acquittal is a not-guilty decision. Dismissal ends a charge without a conviction. A plea is the defendant’s formal response, while a plea agreement is a negotiated resolution that still requires court action. A set aside removes a qualifying Michigan conviction from the public record under the applicable process; it is not the same as an acquittal or dismissal.
- Register of actions
- The court’s chronological list of filings, hearings, orders, and outcomes.
- Preliminary examination
- A District Court hearing that tests probable cause before felony transfer.
- Bindover
- The transfer of a felony from District Court to Circuit Court.
- Information
- The prosecutor’s formal felony charging document in Circuit Court.
- Disposition
- The recorded result for a count or case.
Check each count separately. One Grand Traverse County file can contain a conviction on one count and dismissal on another. The status line alone may not tell that whole story.
Grand Traverse Criminal Copy Costs
Local clerks publish different copy charges. The 86th District form lists $2 per page and $10 certification per case, plus $2 for each added page. Circuit Records lists free terminal viewing, terminal copies at $0.50 per page, and certified copies at $10 plus $1 per page. An emailed recent register of actions is listed at $3, while a register from 1994 or earlier is $10. Confirm current amounts before ordering.
| Grand Traverse Record | Published Cost | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| District copy | $2 per page | 86th District clerk |
| District certification | $10 per case, plus $2 each added page | 86th District clerk |
| Circuit terminal view | Free | Suite 206 public terminal |
| Circuit terminal copy | $0.50 per page | County Clerk Circuit Records |
| Circuit certified copy | $10 plus $1 per page | County Clerk Circuit Records |
Case Record Access & Restrictions
Michigan Court Rule 8.119 governs court records and access subject to other law and court rules. Public access does not expose every detail. Grand Traverse County court staff may redact full Social Security numbers, protected personal identifiers, victim information, and data about minors. Juvenile cases and sealed or nonpublic events can be absent. The online index can also omit a record because it is old, stored offsite, migrated, or entered under a name variant.
For a missing Grand Traverse County criminal court case, identify which court should hold that stage. Ask the clerk to search the name and exact case number. Request the public, segregable part of a file when one document contains protected details. Court records follow court-access rules, while police reports are requested from the originating agency under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Sending every request to one county office slows the search because no single custodian holds the whole record chain.
The Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney explains the charging office’s role and local case programs.
That office litigates the case, but certified judgments and docket copies still come from the District or Circuit clerk.