Michigan Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

Independent Michigan criminal records guide

Michigan Criminal Records Search: Court Cases, ICHAT, OTIS, Registry Records and Public Record Lookup

Use this guide to search Michigan criminal court cases, MiCOURT public case records, ICHAT criminal-history records, MDOC offender records, county jail records, sex-offender registry records, certified court records and federal PACER cases.

Michigan criminal records are not stored in one single public database. A court case, criminal-history check, county jail record, MDOC offender result, sex-offender registry entry and federal criminal case each has a different official route.

Official Michigan and federal sources reviewed October 13, 2026

MiCOURT case search MSP ICHAT route MDOC OTIS search Sex offender registry No HTML H1

Open MiCOURT Case Search Open MSP Criminal History Open MDOC OTIS

Independent website notice: CriminalCourtRecord.org is an independent public-information guide. It is not Michigan Courts, the Michigan Supreme Court, State Court Administrative Office, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections, any Michigan county court, any sheriff’s office, PACER, any law-enforcement agency, or any background-check company. This page does not run a background check, does not provide legal advice, and does not guarantee that any record exists.

Michigan Records Use Different Systems — Do Not Mix Them Up

Use MiCOURT or the local court when you need a criminal court case, docket, setting, case number, judgment or certified court copy. Use Michigan State Police ICHAT when you need a Michigan public criminal-history search. Use MDOC OTIS when you need state prison, parole or probation information. Use the county sheriff or local jail for current county custody. Use the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for registry-specific information. Use PACER for federal criminal cases.

A court case, charge, arrest, jail booking, OTIS result, ICHAT result, registry listing and federal court case are different records. Always verify identity and final disposition before relying on a result.

Choose Record Type Official Links Responsible Use

Quick Answer: How To Search Michigan Criminal Records

For Michigan criminal court cases, start with MiCOURT Case Search or the court of record. For official court copies or older/filtered cases, contact the local trial court directly. For Michigan public criminal-history information, use Michigan State Police ICHAT. For state prison, parole or probation information, use MDOC OTIS. For county jail or recent booking information, use the county sheriff or jail. For federal criminal cases, use PACER.

Court case Use MiCOURT Case Search or contact the court of record.

Criminal history Use Michigan State Police ICHAT for public criminal-history search.

Offender status Use MDOC OTIS for state prisoners, parolees and probationers.

Federal case Use PACER or PACER Case Locator, not Michigan court search.

Most common mistake: Searching MiCOURT and assuming it is a full background check. MiCOURT is a court case search route; ICHAT is the Michigan State Police criminal-history route.

Which Michigan Criminal Records Source Should You Use?

Start with the exact record type you need. Michigan court case records, criminal-history records, offender records, jail records, registry records and federal records answer different questions.

Need	Use this official route	What it can show	What it does not prove by itself
Michigan criminal court case	MiCOURT Case Search or court of record	Public case information, case number, party/case details, court, charges, events or limited docket data where available	Complete statewide criminal-history report or federal records
Certified court copy or official disposition	Trial court clerk / court of record	Certified judgment, order, disposition, docket sheet or case document when public and available	All records across every Michigan court or other states
Michigan criminal-history search	Michigan State Police ICHAT	Public criminal-history information maintained by MSP under ICHAT rules	Suppressed records, warrants, federal records, tribal records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors, traffic records or out-of-state records
State prison, parole or probation information	MDOC OTIS	Prisoners, parolees and probationers under MDOC supervision or within the displayed discharge window	County jail-only custody or complete court history
County jail or recent booking	County sheriff, jail or local law-enforcement agency	Current custody, booking, bond or jail status where published	Conviction or final court disposition
Michigan sex-offender registry	Michigan State Police Sex Offender Registry	Public registry information for registrants required to appear publicly	Complete criminal history or every conviction
Federal criminal case	PACER or PACER Case Locator	Federal district, bankruptcy and appellate case records where available	Michigan state court cases

Official Michigan Criminal Records Links and What To Do After Opening

Use these official routes for final actions. This guide explains the steps, but the actual search, request, certified-copy order, criminal-history lookup or federal case lookup must happen through the official court or agency.

Court cases

MiCOURT Case Search

Use for: Public Michigan trial court case search where records are available online.

After opening: Accept the terms, choose the court or search type, search by name or case number, and compare court, case number, charge and disposition details.

Check before relying: MiCOURT is informational and does not replace the official court record.

Open MiCOURT Case Search

Court directory

Michigan Trial Court Directory

Use for: Finding the court of record, clerk contact information, court website and local case-copy process.

After opening: Choose the trial court directory route, select the county/court, then look for records, criminal division, certified copies or clerk contact.

Check before relying: Older, filtered or nonpublic records may require direct court contact.

Open MiCOURT Platform

Criminal history

Michigan State Police Criminal History Records

Use for: Understanding Michigan criminal-history checks, ICHAT and fingerprint-based routes.

After opening: Choose name-based ICHAT or review the fingerprint-based check requirements if your purpose requires fingerprints.

Check before relying: ICHAT has exclusions and is not a nationwide background check.

Open MSP Criminal History Records

Name-based search

Michigan ICHAT

Use for: Name-based public criminal-history search maintained by Michigan State Police.

After opening: Follow MSP instructions, provide the required search information, review fees if shown, and read result limits before using the record.

Check before relying: Suppressed records and warrant information are not available through ICHAT.

Open ICHAT

Offender records

MDOC OTIS Offender Search

Use for: Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers and recent MDOC supervision discharge records within OTIS limits.

After opening: Read the disclaimer, search by last name or offender number, and verify the result with court or MSP records before relying.

Check before relying: OTIS does not include county jail or city lockup records.

Open MDOC OTIS

Registry search

Michigan Sex Offender Registry

Use for: Public Michigan sex-offender registry searches.

After opening: Search by name, registration number, MDOC number, address, city, county or zip code where available.

Check before relying: Registry information is not a full criminal-history report.

Open Michigan Registry Info

Direct registry search

Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry

Use for: Searching published registry entries and neighborhood registry tools.

After opening: Use name, location or offender identifiers, then read registry status and limitations before using the result.

Check before relying: Some convicted people may not appear publicly for legal or registry-rule reasons.

Search Michigan Registry

Federal cases

PACER Federal Court Records

Use for: Federal criminal cases filed in U.S. district courts and federal appellate records.

After opening: Register or sign in, search the federal court if known, or use PACER Case Locator if the court is unknown.

Check before relying: PACER is federal and does not replace Michigan state court searches.

Open PACER

Screening rules

FTC Background Check Guidance

Use for: Understanding federal rules when background information is used for employment or similar screening.

After opening: Read disclosure, authorization, pre-adverse action and adverse-action guidance.

Check before relying: A public record search is not automatically a legally compliant screening process.

Open FTC Guidance

Step-by-Step: How To Search Michigan Criminal Court Records

Use this process when your goal is a Michigan criminal court case, docket, court date, disposition or certified court document. Use the ICHAT section if you need a Michigan criminal-history search instead.

Decide whether you need a court case or criminal-history search

Use MiCOURT or the court clerk for court cases. Use Michigan State Police ICHAT for public criminal-history search.

Start with MiCOURT Case Search

Open MiCOURT, read the terms, continue to search, and choose the court or search fields that match your situation.

Search by the strongest identifier

Case number is usually stronger than name. If using a name, try exact spelling, known aliases, middle initials and the county or court filter where available.

Confirm the court of record

Make sure the case belongs to the correct circuit, district, municipal or probate court route. Contact the court of record if the online result is unclear.

Read charges and disposition carefully

A charge label is not always the final outcome. Look for conviction, dismissal, plea, sentence, deferral, set-aside or other disposition language.

Contact the court for official copies

If you need a certified copy, older case file, complete docket or official disposition, contact the court clerk that holds the record.

Use ICHAT, OTIS, registry or PACER when the court route is not enough

Use ICHAT for Michigan public criminal history, OTIS for MDOC offender records, the registry for registry status and PACER for federal cases.

Search tip: Some courts apply display limits for older criminal conviction information in MiCOURT. If the case may be older or filtered, contact the court of record directly.

Michigan Criminal Records Problem Finder

Select what you need and why you need it. This helper runs in your browser only and does not collect names, dates of birth, case numbers, addresses or private identity details.

Find the right official route

What are you trying to find?

Why do you need it?

MiCOURT Case Search: Michigan Court Case Records

MiCOURT is the main public online search route for many Michigan trial court case records. It is useful for finding public case information, but it is not the official court record itself.

Use MiCOURT for

Public criminal court case lookup
Case number search
Party/name search where available
Court and docket details
Case status and event review
Finding the court of record

Do not use MiCOURT as

A complete background check
An official certified record
A replacement for ICHAT
A federal case search
A county jail roster
A guarantee that no record exists

Official-copy rule: If the record will be used for court, licensing, immigration, employment, housing or another formal purpose, contact the court of record for certified copies or official disposition.

Open MiCOURT Case Search Open MiCOURT Platform

Michigan ICHAT Criminal History Search

Michigan State Police ICHAT is the state name-based public criminal-history route. It is different from a court case search. ICHAT is often the better route when someone asks for a Michigan criminal-history background check instead of one specific court case.

Need	Likely route	Important limit
Michigan public criminal-history search	MSP ICHAT	Name-based search can miss records if identifiers are wrong or records are not public through ICHAT
Michigan court disposition or certified judgment	Court of record	ICHAT is not a certified court-copy service
Fingerprint-based check	MSP fingerprint-based process when required by law or purpose	Not every purpose qualifies for fingerprints; follow MSP instructions
Federal or out-of-state records	PACER or other state/federal source	ICHAT is not nationwide and does not include federal records

ICHAT exclusions to remember: Suppressed records, warrants, federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors and out-of-state records are not included through ICHAT.

Open ICHAT Open MSP Criminal History Records

MDOC OTIS Offender Search: Prison, Parole and Probation

MDOC OTIS is the Offender Tracking Information System. It is useful when the person is or was under Michigan Department of Corrections supervision, but it is not the same as a full Michigan criminal-history search or a local court case file.

Use OTIS for

Michigan state prisoner information
Parole or probation supervision information
MDOC offender number lookup
Offenders currently under MDOC supervision
Offenders within OTIS’s displayed discharge window

Do not use OTIS as

A county jail search
A city lockup search
A complete court docket
A certified disposition
A complete criminal-history report

OTIS identity tip: Search by MDOC number when available. If using a name, compare multiple details before assuming the result belongs to the person you are checking.

Open MDOC OTIS Open OTIS Search Page

Michigan County Jail, Sheriff and Recent Booking Records

County jail and recent booking records are usually local. They are not in MDOC OTIS unless the person is under state corrections supervision, and they are not the same as ICHAT criminal-history results.

Need	Try this route	Important warning
Current county jail custody	County sheriff or county jail roster	Jail custody does not prove conviction
Recent booking information	County jail, sheriff, local police or arresting agency	Booking charges may change or be dismissed later
Arrest report	Arresting police department or sheriff records office	Reports may be restricted, redacted or fee-based
Final case outcome	Court of record or MiCOURT	Only court records can usually confirm final disposition

Important: Arrest is not conviction. A person can be booked and later have a charge dismissed, reduced, set aside, sealed or otherwise resolved.

Michigan Sex Offender Registry Search

The Michigan State Police Sex Offender Registry route is for registry-specific public information. It is not a complete criminal-history report and should not be treated as one.

Search carefully

Use the official MSP registry or registry information page.
Search by name, registration number, MDOC number or location where available.
Compare identity details before assuming a match.
Read registry limitations before relying on the result.

Understand the limits

Registry results are not every criminal record.
Some people may not appear publicly for legal or registry-rule reasons.
Registry information does not replace court documents.
Correction questions should go through official registry or law-enforcement routes.

Open MSP Registry Information Search Michigan Registry

Federal Criminal Records in Michigan: Use PACER

Federal criminal cases filed in Michigan are not searched through MiCOURT, ICHAT, OTIS or a county jail site. Use PACER or the PACER Case Locator for federal district, bankruptcy and appellate court records.

Use PACER when

The case is in a U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals or another federal court system.

Search by court if known

If you know the federal court, search that court after signing in with a PACER account.

Use Case Locator if unsure

If you do not know the federal court, use PACER Case Locator as the national federal index.

Federal/state split: A person can have a Michigan state case, a federal case, both or neither. Searching MiCOURT or ICHAT will not automatically find federal court records.

Open PACER Open PACER Case Locator Info

What To Do When You Cannot Find a Michigan Criminal Record

A no-result search does not always mean there is no record. You may be using the wrong system, wrong court, wrong name spelling, wrong county, wrong record type or a source that does not publish the record online.

Problem	Possible reason	Best next step
MiCOURT has no result	Wrong court, spelling issue, older/filtered case, nonpublic case type or not indexed online	Try case number, alternate spelling and contact the court of record
ICHAT has no result	Record may be suppressed, not reportable through ICHAT, federal, juvenile, local misdemeanor, traffic, tribal or out-of-state	Review MSP exclusions and use the correct court, federal or state route
OTIS has no result	Person may not be under MDOC supervision, may be in county jail, or may be beyond OTIS’s display window	Check county jail, court record or ICHAT route
Registry has no result	Person may not be required to register publicly or may fall under a registry exclusion or status rule	Use court record, ICHAT or official registry contact route as appropriate
Federal case missing	Federal cases are in PACER, not Michigan state systems	Search PACER or PACER Case Locator

Avoid false conclusions: “No record found” only means that source did not show a result using that search. It does not prove that no record exists anywhere.

Set-Aside, Expunged, Suppressed, Juvenile and Restricted Michigan Records

Some Michigan records may not appear publicly because they are set aside, suppressed, sealed, juvenile, nonpublic, restricted by law, excluded from the online source or held by another custodian.

Records may be unavailable when

The conviction was set aside or suppressed.
The case involves juvenile confidentiality.
The record is nonpublic under Michigan or federal law.
The court applies an online display filter.
The case is older and not indexed online.
The record belongs to another state, tribe or federal court.

Ask the correct custodian

Court of record for court files and certified copies.
Michigan State Police for ICHAT and criminal-history questions.
MDOC for OTIS and state supervision questions.
County sheriff for jail and booking questions.
PACER for federal court records.
Qualified counsel for legal access or set-aside questions.

Responsible Use, FCRA and Identity-Matching Warnings

Criminal record searches can affect jobs, housing, licensing, immigration, reputation and personal safety. Use official sources carefully, confirm identity and verify final disposition before relying on any result.

Do not assume

An arrest means conviction.
A charge means guilt.
A jail booking means final court outcome.
A name match is the correct person.
An OTIS result is a complete court history.
A MiCOURT search replaces ICHAT or FBI/state screening processes.

Be extra careful for screening

Employment and tenant screening may trigger FCRA obligations.
Use authorized consumer-reporting processes when required.
Give required notices when the law requires them.
Allow correction or dispute rights when applicable.
Do not use set-aside, suppressed, stale or mismatched records unfairly.
Consult qualified counsel for regulated screening decisions.

Practical rule: For serious decisions, use official certified records, Michigan State Police processes or legally compliant background-check procedures — not a screenshot from a broad name search.

FTC Employer Background Check Guidance FTC Consumer Reports Guidance

Michigan Local Record Context

Michigan has statewide online routes, but local courts and counties still matter. A record from Wayne County, Oakland County, Macomb County, Kent County, Genesee County, Washtenaw County or another Michigan county may require the correct court of record, local clerk or sheriff route for full copies, older records, jail details or certification.

Circuit court route

Often important for felony criminal cases and records that require the court of record or clerk for full details.

District court route

Often important for misdemeanors, preliminary felony proceedings, traffic/criminal matters and local court questions.

County sheriff route

Often important for current jail, recent booking, arrest-report and local custody questions.

Michigan Criminal Records Glossary

MiCOURT: Michigan’s public online court case search route for many trial court records.
ICHAT: Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access Tool for public criminal-history search.
OTIS: Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Tracking Information System for state offender supervision information.
Court of record: The court that holds the official case file and can answer official-copy or certified-record questions.
Disposition: The court outcome of a case or charge, such as conviction, dismissal, plea, sentence, set-aside or other court action.
Certified copy: An official copy issued by the court or record custodian with certification that it is a true copy.
Public Sex Offender Registry: The public Michigan registry search route for registered offenders required to appear publicly.
PACER: The federal judiciary’s public access system for federal court records.

Michigan Criminal Records Search FAQs

How do I search Michigan criminal court records?

Start with MiCOURT Case Search. If the case is older, filtered, incomplete or not available online, contact the court of record directly.

Is MiCOURT the same as a Michigan criminal background check?

No. MiCOURT is a court case search route. Michigan State Police ICHAT is the name-based public criminal-history search route.

Where do I search Michigan criminal-history records?

Use Michigan State Police Criminal History Records and ICHAT for public name-based criminal-history searches. Fingerprint-based routes may apply for specific authorized purposes.

What does ICHAT not include?

ICHAT does not include suppressed records, warrant information, federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors or criminal history from other states.

Where do I find Michigan prison or parole records?

Use MDOC OTIS for information about prisoners, parolees and probationers under Michigan Department of Corrections supervision or within OTIS display limits.

Does OTIS include county jail records?

No. County jails and city lockups are local custody systems. Use the county sheriff, jail or local law-enforcement route for those records.

Where do I search Michigan sex-offender registry records?

Use the Michigan State Police Sex Offender Registry information page or the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry search route.

Where do I search federal criminal cases in Michigan?

Use PACER or PACER Case Locator. Federal cases are separate from Michigan state court, ICHAT and OTIS records.

Does an arrest record mean someone was convicted?

No. An arrest, booking or charge does not prove conviction. Verify the final disposition through the court of record or official criminal-history process.

Why can I not find a Michigan criminal record online?

The record may be in another court, older, filtered, suppressed, set aside, juvenile, nonpublic, federal, tribal, out-of-state, local jail-only or indexed under a different name or case number.

Official Sources and Final-Action Links

Use these official links for final searches, certified-copy requests, Michigan criminal-history searches, offender lookups, registry searches, county-level follow-up and federal case research.

Editorial Accuracy and Use Note

This guide was written to separate Michigan court case records, ICHAT criminal-history records, OTIS offender records, county jail records, sex-offender registry information and federal PACER records. It avoids implying that one search covers every Michigan public criminal record.

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Last reviewed: October 13, 2026