About the Wayne County Clerk
The Wayne County Clerk is a countywide elected office based in downtown Detroit. The Clerk serves as the general keeper of official records for the county. That role reaches court files, vital records, and a long list of registrations. The office records births and deaths that happen in Wayne County, and it also accepts and records marriages, notary commissions, assumed names, and co-partnerships. Concealed pistol license paperwork moves through the same office. In short, the Clerk is the county's main record hub.
Two jobs sit at the center of the Wayne County Clerk's office. One is filing new court cases. The other is giving the public copies of records already on file.
Most copy work happens at the Wayne County Clerk Records Division inside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. That counter is the first stop for civil, divorce, and older criminal case copies. The contact block here lists the address, phone, email, and hours. Use it to plan a mail request. It also helps with an in-person visit to Wayne County's main record counter.
Wayne County Clerk, Records Division
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Room LL-61
2 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
313-224-5530
wcrecordroom@waynecountymi.gov
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
What the Wayne County Clerk Keeps on Record
The Wayne County Clerk holds far more than court files. This office is the official home for Wayne County vital records and several public registrations. Some records go back decades. Others are made each business day at the counter. A quick map of the main record types, from case files to vital records, helps a searcher aim at the right unit and skip a wasted trip.
The Clerk's main office page outlines the office and its service notices.
That landing page also carries the vital-record phone line and current counter notices, which shift during holidays and busy filing weeks. Wayne County record groups break down like this:
- Circuit court civil and domestic files, including divorce and custody
- Older criminal case files handled by the Clerk's Criminal Division
- Birth and death records for events that occurred in Wayne County
- Marriage applications, licenses, and certified marriage copies
- Notary commissions, assumed names, and co-partnership filings
- Concealed pistol license (CPL) paperwork processed through the office
Inside the Wayne County Clerk Records Division
The Wayne County Clerk Records Division sits in Room LL-61 of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Staff there receive, file, and maintain Third Circuit court cases. Files are kept in soft copy. Microfilm and hard copy round out the set. The division also runs a central archive for non-active records from all Wayne County departments. That means the room handles both live case papers and long-term storage.
Coverage depends on the record type and the year. Civil court records, including divorce files, run from 1942 to the present. Criminal files from 1942 through 1983 are held here when the case sits outside Detroit but inside Wayne County. For Detroit criminal files, or any criminal case after 1983, the Clerk points to the records room at the Criminal Justice Center. That room answers at 313-224-2502. These are the same case files a searcher reviews in the Wayne County Circuit Court.
Recent files are easy to view. Every file from 2014 to the present is open. A visitor can see it in the records room. Older files must be pulled from the archive. Order one before 4:30 p.m. and it is ready the next business day after 2 p.m. The room then holds a pulled file for five calendar days before it is returned to storage and must be ordered again.
Note: Party-filed documents are not posted online, so getting a document image usually means a trip to the records room or a mailed request.
Civil and Family Filing With the Wayne County Clerk
New civil cases start at the Wayne County Clerk's Court Services Unit. Civil actions are filed there under Third Circuit jurisdiction. Any pleading required by court rule must be filed with the Clerk of the Court, yet staff at the Wayne County counter cannot give legal advice or draft a case. They can point a filer to the right window. They can name the right fee.
Filing method depends on the case type. The Wayne County Clerk's Civil Division files nearly all cases through the court website at 3rdcc.org. Asbestos cases are the one exception and stay on paper. The Family Division handles divorce, custody, and other domestic matters. Those family cases are filed by hand, not online.
Location matters at this office. Divorce, custody, and family filings go to Suite 201 inside the municipal center. Personal protection orders are routed to Suite 928. The family counter runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Note: Family cases are filed on paper, so a divorce or custody matter cannot be started through the online civil e-filing system.
Wayne County Clerk Criminal Court Services
The Clerk's Criminal Division opens felony cases after they leave district court. Adult felony cases bound over from 24 Wayne County district courts are started here. Bindover means a district judge found enough proof to send the case up to circuit court, and that information reaches the Wayne County Clerk through a system called Document Sharing.
Later filings move online. Almost every document after bindover is e-filed with the Wayne County Clerk. The one carve-out is an Application to Set Aside a Conviction. That form is not e-filed. It must be filed on paper in the court where the conviction happened.
The division's record work covers a few core tasks:
- Opening bound-over felony cases from the county's district courts
- Taking e-filed motions, notices, and orders after bindover
- Accepting paper Applications to Set Aside a Conviction
- Producing plain and certified copies of criminal case files
Copies follow the same rules as civil files. Certified Wayne County copies must be mailed. Plain copies can go out by mail, fax, email, or in person, and fax requests use 313-224-2786.
Wayne County Clerk Fee Schedule
Fees at the Wayne County Clerk depend on the copy type and the filing. Copy charges are modest. Filing charges are set by statute and court rule. The table here gathers the most common charges from the Wayne County Clerk's civil and criminal fee lists. Payment rules are strict, so read the notes that follow.
One rule trips up many visitors. The Wayne County Clerk takes no personal checks. A mail-in payment must be a money order.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Uncertified copy (Records Division) | $2.00 per page |
| Certified or authenticated copy | $10 seal plus $1 per page, added to the copy fee |
| Credit or debit card fee | $2.50 extra |
| Civil filing | $175 |
| Divorce, no children | $175 |
| Divorce, with children | $255 |
| Civil appeal | $150 |
| Jury demand | $85 |
| Standard motion | $20 |
| Support motion | $60 |
| Custody or parenting time motion | $100 |
| Writ or execution | $15 |
| Subpoena | $15 |
| Civil record search | $1 |
| Register of actions | $1 |
| Criminal record search | $1 per name |
| Transcript copy | $0.30 per page |
| Certified "no record found" letter | $10 plus $1 per page |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is the version courts and agencies accept as proof. It carries the Wayne County Clerk's raised seal and signature. People need one for a name change or a passport. An appeal or a new case in another court also calls for it. A plain printout will not pass in those settings. The Wayne County request follows a clear order.
- Find the case number and party names. A civil record search costs one dollar when the number is unknown, and the register of actions is another dollar.
- Confirm the file lives with the Wayne County Clerk. The office fills orders only for records held in its own Records Division. Detroit and post-1983 criminal files route to the records room at 313-224-2502 instead.
- Choose a channel: in person at Room LL-61, by mail, by email, or online through VitalChek.
- Pay the fee. Add the $10 seal charge plus $1 per page to the copy cost. Mail payments must be a money order, and card payments add $2.50.
- For email orders, pay through GovPayNow using Wayne County pay location code 6223. Then send the request, your documents, and the receipt PDF to wcrecordroom@waynecountymi.gov.
- Wait for the mailed copy. Because of the raised seal, every certified or authenticated copy is sent by mail.
Wayne County Clerk Records Request Form
A clean request moves faster. The Wayne County Clerk needs enough detail to find the file. Staff must also confirm it belongs to the office. A mail or email request should carry the same fields the Wayne County counter would ask for in person. The table lists what to include.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case name | Yes | Names of the parties on the file |
| Case number | If known | A search fills this in when the number is missing |
| Document requested | Yes | Title or type of the paper needed |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain, certified, or authenticated |
| Requester name and contact | Yes | Name, address, phone or email for the reply |
| Supporting documentation | As needed | Any ID or proof the record type requires |
| Payment proof | Yes | Money order by mail, or a GovPayNow receipt by email |
County records that fall outside the court file follow a different path. The county's public-records portal handles those requests online.
The portal lets a requester submit, track, and pay for county records online. No trip downtown is needed. Court case files, though, still move through the Wayne County Clerk Records Division rather than this public-records portal.
Marriage and Vital Records at the Wayne County Clerk
Vital records are a large part of the Wayne County Clerk's daily work. The General Office issues marriage licenses. It also keeps birth and death records for events in Wayne County. Marriage licenses are handled at the One-Stop Shop Vital Statistics Records Office. That counter sits at 400 Monroe Street, Suite 610, in Detroit, apart from the court records room.
The Clerk's General Office page describes its marriage, birth, death, and registration services.
The same page covers notary commissions, assumed names, and concealed pistol license steps. All of those run through the Wayne County Clerk General Office rather than the court counters. A marriage license follows three steps: read the instructions, file the eVitals application online, and book an appointment. At least one party must appear in person with the required documents. The license costs $30 when one or both applicants live in Wayne County. It costs $40 when both parties come from out of state.
Certified marriage copies carry their own fees. One certified copy costs $24, and each extra copy bought at the same time costs $7, while an uncertified search runs $11.50 whether the record turns up or not.
Note: Divorce files are court records, not vital records, so a certified divorce copy comes from the Records Division rather than the marriage counter.
Wayne County Court Records Versus FOIA
Not every Wayne County record follows the same access law. Court case files are governed by the Michigan Court Rules, mainly MCR 8.119 and MCR 1.109. Wayne County administrative files, and many Sheriff or agency records, fall under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act instead. The two paths use different forms and different offices.
The Michigan FOIA policy section spells out the state's public-records duty.
Under that law, public bodies must release records on written request unless an exemption applies, though court case files stay under the court rules rather than FOIA. This split explains a common surprise. Court portals show dockets and registers of action, yet they do not post document images online. A court rule blocks internet access to those images. To get the paper, a searcher uses the Wayne County Clerk Records Division. For a full walkthrough of the online tools, the Wayne County court records page covers each portal.
County FOIA requests have three routes. File online through the county FOIA form, email foiarequests@waynecountymi.gov, or mail the FOIA Coordinator at the Guardian Building, 500 Griswold, 31st Floor, Detroit, MI 48226. Each request must list the requester's full name, mailing address, and a valid phone number or email.