Michigan Criminal History Records Search: Checks & Access

Find the correct government database

Where to Search Michigan Criminal History Records

Michigan has 83 counties, but criminal-history records are not held in one universally searchable public court database.

The Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIC) maintains the statewide criminal-history repository. Courts maintain the original criminal case files, and the Department of Corrections maintains prison and supervision information.

Michigan State Police public background checks

How to Search Michigan Criminal History Records Using ICHAT

ICHAT stands for Internet Criminal History Access Tool. Michigan State Police operates it through the Criminal Justice Information Center.

ICHAT allows users to purchase a name-based report containing legally public criminal-history information maintained by the department.

Step-by-step ICHAT criminal history search

1. Open the official Michigan State Police website

   Visit michigan.gov/ichat. Follow the link to the state’s current Internet Criminal History Access Tool.

   Use the official state service rather than a third-party website advertising an unofficial Michigan background check.

2. Register as a user

   If you have not used ICHAT previously, follow the user-registration process.

   The Michigan State Police provides tutorials for creating a user account, registering an agency and performing background searches.

3. Sign in to ICHAT

   Use the credentials created during registration to access the search function.

   An organization using ICHAT for authorized employment or volunteer screening may have additional agency-registration procedures.

4. Enter the subject’s full name

   Enter the person’s first and last name as accurately as possible.

   Include relevant maiden names, aliases or additional legal names when the search interface permits them.

5. Enter the required identifying information

   Michigan State Police identifies the subject’s name, sex and date of birth as necessary for an ICHAT criminal-history request.

   Use accurate information. Incorrect identifiers can produce a missed match or a report belonging to another individual.

6. Review the search before payment

   Confirm the subject’s information and any applicable agency details before proceeding.

   Ordinary public ICHAT checks cost $10 each.

7. Complete checkout

   Follow ICHAT’s current payment procedure. Government agencies and qualifying nonprofit charitable agencies may be entitled to statutory fee exemptions for eligible screening.

8. Review the criminal-history report

   Examine the identity descriptors, reported arrests, charges, convictions and other publicly available information included in the response.

   Read the disposition rather than assuming every listed arrest resulted in a conviction.

9. Save the result responsibly

   Download or print the response using the options offered by ICHAT.

   Protect personal information and follow applicable laws governing the purpose for which you obtained the report.

10. Verify important entries with the original court

    If a conviction or disposition could affect employment, housing, licensing or another significant matter, obtain the official judgment or other record from the court responsible for the case.

Do I need a case number for ICHAT?

No. ICHAT primarily uses personal identifying information rather than requiring a specific court case number.

However, having the court case number is helpful if you later need to obtain the official disposition or correct an entry.

Does ICHAT cover every Michigan county?

The statewide repository receives qualifying criminal-history reports from criminal justice agencies in all 83 Michigan counties.

That does not mean every police incident or criminal court filing is available through its public website. Reporting requirements and public-access restrictions affect what ICHAT can display.

What Michigan’s public history includes and excludes

What Does a Michigan ICHAT Criminal Background Check Show?

Michigan State Police describes its criminal-history repository as containing personal descriptors and information involving misdemeanor convictions and felony arrests and convictions.

Michigan law requires reporting for felonies and serious misdemeanors punishable by more than 93 days of imprisonment.

But the ordinary ICHAT public response omits several categories of criminal justice information.

Does ICHAT show arrests that did not lead to convictions?

Michigan’s central criminal-history repository can contain information about arrests, charges and dispositions. However, not all information in the repository is available to the public.

The public ICHAT response follows Michigan’s rules governing disclosure of criminal-history information.

If you need to review all public and nonpublic entries concerning yourself, use the fingerprint-based personal-history request rather than relying solely on ICHAT.

What if a case was dismissed?

A dismissal is not equivalent to a conviction. A person’s record may contain an arrest or charging history associated with the dismissed matter, depending on its reporting and legal status.

If the public report appears inaccurate or the court outcome is missing, obtain the certified disposition and contact the appropriate reporting agency.

Current government fees and exceptions

Michigan Criminal History Records Search Fees in 2026

When is a Michigan ICHAT check free?

Michigan law provides an exemption from the ordinary $10 name-check fee for government agencies and nonprofit charitable agencies performing qualifying employment or volunteer-employment checks through ICHAT.

The exemption is established by MCL 28.273(2).

The organization’s eligibility and account arrangements must be established through the applicable MSP process. An individual member of the public does not automatically qualify for free ICHAT searches simply because the person is volunteering.

Official Michigan Law: MCL 28.273 — Criminal Record Check Fees

Free criminal court case lookup

How to Search Michigan Criminal Court Records With MiCOURT

MiCOURT Case Search is an official Michigan Judicial Branch public court-record service.

It allows users to search available case information from participating Michigan trial courts.

Unlike ICHAT, MiCOURT is intended for looking up individual court proceedings rather than purchasing a centralized criminal-history report.

Step-by-step criminal case lookup

1. Open the MiCOURT Case Search website

   Use the official Michigan Judicial Branch site.

2. Read the Terms of Service

   The search page explains court coverage, privacy restrictions, accuracy limitations and prohibited automated use.

3. Select Continue

   Accept the terms to enter the public case-search interface.

4. Choose a participating court

   Identify the court that handled the case. Review the list of participating courts and any special limits shown for that court.

5. Search by participant name or case number

   Enter the available first and last name or the official case number.

6. Use criminal-case filters where available

   Narrow the results by case category, court or other options offered by the current search interface.

7. Open the matching court case

   Review the case number, court, available charges, hearing information, status and docket entries.

8. Check the exact outcome

   Look for the final judgment or case disposition. Do not assume an initial felony charge remained a felony conviction.

9. Contact the trial court for official records

   MiCOURT expressly states that online information does not replace the official record held by the court. Request certified copies from the court of record when necessary.

Does MiCOURT cover all Michigan courts?

No. MiCOURT displays information from participating trial courts.

It is not an unrestricted statewide criminal-history database and should not be presented as a search of every criminal filing in Michigan’s 83 counties.

Some counties also maintain separate public court portals.

A significant Michigan case-search restriction

Why Some MiCOURT Criminal Records Disappear After Seven Years

The Michigan Judicial Branch warns that some courts participating in MiCOURT only display criminal convictions when sentencing occurred within the previous seven years.

Those courts are identified in the court-selection area with a check mark under the 7-Year Criminal Sentence Filter column.

For those courts, older criminal conviction records may not be available through the public online search.

Does this mean a seven-year-old conviction was deleted?

No. A MiCOURT display restriction does not necessarily mean the conviction was vacated, sealed, expunged, destroyed or otherwise legally removed.

The public website may simply exclude it from remote search results.

How to find an older criminal case

1. Identify the original Michigan court and county.
2. Check whether that MiCOURT court uses the seven-year filter.
3. Locate the court’s records division or clerk.
4. Provide the defendant name, case number or approximate sentencing year.
5. Ask whether the record remains publicly accessible in the court’s original files.
6. Request the docket, judgment or certified disposition as appropriate.

MiCOURT’s attempted-felony classification issue

Michigan’s public case-search terms also disclose a more technical but important problem.

MiCOURT states that it currently may display the Charge Level as FELONY for attempts to commit felony offenses, even when Michigan law classifies a particular attempted offense as a misdemeanor.

Under MCL 750.92(3), certain attempts to commit felonies punishable by less than five years of imprisonment are misdemeanors.

MiCOURT identifies attempted offenses using the letter A under its Attempted, Conspired, Solicited information.

County-specific criminal case resources

Michigan Criminal Records by County: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Kent

Michigan’s trial courts include Circuit Courts, District Courts and other court divisions.

Circuit Courts generally handle felony criminal proceedings after bindover, while District Courts handle many misdemeanor matters and preliminary felony proceedings.

For an older case or a certified document, the original court is often the most useful source.

What about Genesee, Ingham, Washtenaw and other counties?

For cases in Flint, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Saginaw, Jackson and other Michigan communities, identify the actual court before searching.

Relevant court systems include:

• Genesee County: Seventh Judicial Circuit and appropriate District Courts serving Flint and surrounding communities.
• Ingham County: Thirtieth Judicial Circuit and local District Courts serving Lansing and other communities.
• Washtenaw County: Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit and District Courts serving Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and surrounding areas.
• Kalamazoo County: Ninth Judicial Circuit and applicable District Court criminal proceedings.
• Ottawa County: Twentieth Judicial Circuit and local District Courts.
• Saginaw County: Tenth Judicial Circuit and its local District Courts.

Do not assume that every county’s Circuit Court and District Courts share one identical online search tool.

Use the Michigan Judicial Branch directory to find the specific filing court and its public-record procedures.

Complete personal criminal-history access

How to Request Your Own Michigan Criminal History With Fingerprints

A public ICHAT report does not provide every public and nonpublic entry maintained in Michigan’s criminal-history repository.

If you want to examine your own complete Michigan history for personal review, visa, immigration or adoption purposes, Michigan State Police provides a fingerprint-based procedure.

The published state processing fee is $30.

Step-by-step personal record request

1. Determine whether you live in Michigan

   Michigan residents and out-of-state applicants use different fingerprint-card procedures.

2. Get fingerprinted if you live in Michigan

   Visit a local law-enforcement agency and request a Michigan Applicant Fingerprint Card (RI-008).

   Call ahead to confirm that fingerprinting services are available.

3. Use an FBI fingerprint card if you live outside Michigan

   Out-of-state applicants should request an FBI Applicant Fingerprint Card (FD-258) from a law-enforcement agency in their state of residence.

   Enter the reason for the record check, such as Personal Record Review, Visa, Immigration or Adoption, in the appropriate field.

4. Prepare a cover letter

   Explain the reason for the request and include your return mailing address, telephone number and/or email address.

   MSP states that the criminal-history response can be sent only to the individual fingerprinted, not to an unrelated third party.

5. Include the $30 processing fee

   Use a check or money order payable to the State of Michigan, following the agency’s current instructions.

6. Mail the fingerprint card and request

   Send the original fingerprint card, cover letter and payment to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center.

7. Review the official response

   MSP provides one original certified/notarized response under its published procedure.

   Additional originals cost $1 each when requested.

8. Check for outdated or incorrect entries

   Compare arrest, prosecutor and court information with the original records. Contact the responsible reporting agency if a correction is necessary.

Is a Michigan fingerprint review the same as an FBI national check?

No. A Michigan criminal-history response is not automatically a nationwide FBI Identity History Summary.

MSP instructs people who need a national record check for personal, visa or immigration purposes to follow the FBI’s separate fingerprint-based process.

Employment and professional licensing

Michigan Criminal Background Checks for Jobs, Licensing and Volunteering

Michigan law allows different background-check methods depending on the position and the statutory authorization involved.

Some ordinary employment checks use public criminal-history information. Other positions require fingerprint-based screening submitted through a legally authorized agency.

Fingerprint checks using Form RI-030

The Michigan State Police’s published employment and licensing fingerprint procedure uses Form RI-030, Livescan Fingerprint Background Check Request.

1. Obtain Form RI-030

   The employer or licensing agency provides the fingerprint request form and instructions.

2. Complete the required sections

   MSP instructs applicants to complete sections II and IV of the form.

3. Visit an approved Live Scan provider

   Use an approved fingerprinting vendor or another authorized law-enforcement fingerprinting location.

4. Pay the required fees

   The provider collects the applicable state and FBI criminal-history fees. Additional vendor service charges may apply.

5. Wait for the response to reach the requester

   MSP’s published turnaround estimate is seven business days or less.

   The result is sent to the designated employer or licensing agency rather than automatically being provided to the individual as a personal record-review report.

Can a nonprofit get free Michigan ICHAT checks?

Under MCL 28.273(2), qualifying nonprofit charitable agencies performing employment or volunteer-employment name-based checks through ICHAT can be exempt from the name-search fee.

Government agencies conducting qualifying checks can also be exempt.

An agency may need to establish its status and authorized account arrangements before using the exemption.

Can employers use MiCOURT for background checks?

Courts generally caution against relying on public case-search systems as complete employment background checks.

For example, Wayne County’s Odyssey Public Access explicitly says it should not be used for background checks, and Oakland County’s Court Explorer provides a similar limitation.

Employment background screening may also trigger the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act when a consumer reporting agency provides the report.

Original judgments and court files

How to Obtain Certified Michigan Criminal Court Records

ICHAT and MiCOURT can help identify reported criminal history or locate a court case.

But a certified judgment, sentencing order or dismissal document must generally come from the court that maintains the original case file.

How to request a certified disposition

1. Identify the county and court

   Find the original Circuit, District or other trial court responsible for the prosecution.

2. Find the case number

   Use MiCOURT, a county-specific court portal or the paperwork you already have.

3. Identify the exact document

   Request the judgment of sentence, order of dismissal, register of actions, plea-related document or other relevant record.

4. Contact the court clerk

   Ask how to order public court documents and whether the specific file remains available.

5. Request certification if required

   Explain whether an employer, attorney, licensing agency or immigration authority needs an official certified copy.

6. Confirm copying and delivery fees

   Court fees vary by jurisdiction and document. Verify the amount before paying.

7. Inspect the document upon receipt

   Confirm the defendant’s identity, original charges, final outcome, sentencing information and date.

Example: Oakland County certified records

Oakland County’s Court Explorer publishes unusually clear copy pricing:

These prices are Oakland County’s published rates, not a statewide Michigan fee schedule.

Oakland County Court Explorer Copy Fees

Prisoners, parolees and probationers

Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS Criminal Records Search

The Michigan Department of Corrections provides an official public Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS).

OTIS is useful for finding information about people who are currently under Michigan DOC jurisdiction or recently discharged from supervision.

Who appears in OTIS?

The DOC explains that OTIS covers qualifying:

• State prisoners.
• Parolees.
• Probationers under DOC jurisdiction.
• Individuals discharged from supervision within the previous three years.

Who does not appear in OTIS?

The public search generally excludes:

• People who completed DOC supervision more than three years earlier.
• Individuals held only in county jails or city lockups.
• People sentenced only to jail rather than DOC jurisdiction.
• Certain information restricted by law.
• Individuals arrested and convicted but not yet sentenced.

What about someone in a county jail?

Michigan county jails are generally operated by county sheriffs, not the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Check the appropriate sheriff’s official jail or inmate-information service when looking for a recently arrested person or someone sentenced only to county jail.

A jail booking record does not establish guilt or a final conviction.

Separate public safety records

How to Search the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry

Michigan State Police operates a separate Public Sex Offender Registry (PSOR) containing information required to be disclosed under Michigan’s Sex Offenders Registration Act.

This is a free public search, but it is not a complete statewide criminal-history report.

Available public search methods

The official registry supports several search types:

• Name: First and last name, including supported partial-name searches.
• Registration number: Search using the registrant’s identifier.
• Michigan DOC number: Search using a qualifying correctional identifier.
• Location: Search by city, county, ZIP code or street-address information.
• Neighborhood map: View qualifying registrants within supported search distances.

The public registry also provides email alerts and other notification features.

Why a registry search is not a criminal history search

A person can have a criminal conviction without being required to appear on the public registry.

Likewise, some registration information is protected from public disclosure.

The PSOR should be used only for its statutory public-safety purpose, not as a complete criminal background check.

Michigan expungement and automatic set-aside

Michigan Clean Slate Law: Why Old Criminal Records May Disappear

Michigan’s Clean Slate legislation changed how eligible convictions can be set aside.

Some provisions took effect on April 11, 2021, while automatic conviction set-aside processing began on April 11, 2023.

A qualifying set-aside restricts the conviction’s availability to ordinary public background searches, subject to statutory exceptions.

When can a conviction be automatically set aside?

Michigan State Police publishes the following basic waiting periods under the automatic set-aside rules.

These are general statutory categories, not automatic guarantees of eligibility.

Michigan imposes additional conditions, including restrictions involving pending criminal charges, new convictions during applicable waiting periods and excluded offense types.

Which offenses are excluded from automatic set-aside?

MSP identifies numerous exclusions, including certain:

• Assaultive crimes.
• Statutorily defined serious misdemeanors.
• Crimes of dishonesty.
• Offenses carrying possible imprisonment of ten years or more.
• Crimes involving minors, vulnerable adults, injury or death under the statutory categories.
• Human trafficking-related offenses.
• Operating-while-intoxicated convictions and specified other traffic offenses.

The exclusion rules are more detailed than this summary, so the exact conviction statute must be checked.

Does automatic set-aside destroy the record?

No. A set-aside generally restricts public use and disclosure but does not necessarily eliminate all access for courts, law enforcement or other legally authorized entities.

MSP’s automated program also communicates eligible set-aside information to Michigan courts.

How to find out whether your record was set aside

1. Check your public ICHAT history

   See whether the record remains publicly displayed. A public name search costs $10.

2. Check the original court

   Review the court’s disposition and any set-aside order where accessible.

3. Request your personal fingerprint-based history

   Use the $30 MSP procedure if you need to review public and nonpublic records associated with your fingerprints.

4. Compare the exact offense with eligibility rules

   Check statutory exclusions and the relevant waiting period.

5. Seek help with an eligible record that remains public

   Contact the appropriate agency or obtain qualified legal advice if a record should have been restricted.

Missing dispositions and inaccurate information

How to Correct Michigan Criminal History Records

A Michigan criminal-history record can contain an incorrect arrest entry, a missing charge outcome, a court reporting error or information associated with the wrong identity.

The Michigan State Police explains that correction requests normally must be verified by the agency responsible for submitting the data.

Which agency should you contact?

Step-by-step correction procedure

1. Get your authorized criminal-history record

   Use the personal fingerprint-based review when the disputed entry is nonpublic or cannot be verified through ICHAT.

2. Identify the incorrect segment

   Determine whether the error concerns an arrest, prosecutorial charge, court judgment or identification information.

3. Get supporting records

   Request a certified dismissal, judgment of sentence, order of correction or other official documentation.

4. Contact the agency that submitted the information

   Ask it to correct or complete the electronic record.

5. Escalate the issue through MSP if necessary

   The agency can contact MSP when the correction cannot be completed electronically.

6. Keep copies of the request and final response

   Retain documentation showing what was corrected and when.

Police reports and records outside ICHAT

How to Request Michigan State Police Arrest and Incident Records

A police incident report is different from a criminal-history background check.

If you need an original Michigan State Police incident report, investigation record or other public record, the department provides a separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request process.

The Michigan State Police Public Records Request Portal is accessed through MiLogin.

How to submit an MSP public records request

1. Open the Michigan State Police FOIA Requests page.
2. Sign in to MiLogin or create a free MiLogin account.
3. Describe the specific record you need, including agency, incident date, location and available identifiers.
4. Provide the contact information requested by the portal.
5. Review any record-access restrictions or fee estimate.
6. Pay applicable fees using the permitted procedure.
7. Return to the portal to retrieve response letters and released documents.

FOIA fees

FOIA charges vary according to the nature of the request and the work required to locate, review and reproduce public records.

MSP’s published portal instructions state that online FOIA payments carry a $2 processing fee. Payment by check or money order does not incur that online processing charge.

Some records or portions of records may be exempt from public disclosure.

Search errors and missing records

Why Michigan Criminal History Records May Not Appear Online

Can you search Michigan criminal records by Social Security number?

Do not assume the public search accepts or requires a Social Security number.

Michigan State Police identifies the name, sex and date of birth as the required details for an ordinary ICHAT request.

Use only the information requested by the official system and avoid submitting sensitive identification numbers to commercial search websites unnecessarily.

How to verify a criminal conviction

For any consequential decision:

1. Identify the exact person and relevant jurisdiction.
2. Find the qualifying ICHAT record or original case docket.
3. Locate the court’s final disposition.
4. Check for an appeal, amendment, vacatur or set-aside order.
5. Obtain a certified document if formal proof is required.

Frequently asked Michigan records questions

Michigan Criminal History Records FAQs

Government websites and primary source information

Official Michigan Criminal History Records Search Links

These links lead to the state agencies, courts and government instructions discussed in this article.

Michigan State Police

• Michigan ICHAT — Official Public Criminal History Search
• Michigan State Police — Criminal History Records
• Michigan State Police — ICHAT $10 and Personal Review $30 Information
• MSP — Fingerprint Checks, Personal Records and Corrections
• MSP Criminal Justice Information Center — Contact Details
• Michigan State Police — Public Records and FOIA
• MSP — Public Records Request Portal User Guide
• Michigan Legislature — MCL 28.273 Search Fees and Exemptions

Michigan Judicial Branch and County Courts

• MiCOURT — Public Court Case Search
• MiCOURT — Michigan Court Directory and Online Services
• Wayne County Third Judicial Circuit — Odyssey Public Case Search
• Wayne County Clerk — Circuit Criminal Records and Historical Files
• Oakland County — Court Explorer and Certified Copy Fees
• Macomb County — Circuit Court Records and CourtView Search
• Kent County — 17th Circuit Court Name Search

Corrections, Registries and Record Clearing

• Michigan DOC — OTIS Offender Search
• Michigan State Police — Public Sex Offender Registry
• Michigan State Police — Clean Slate Automatic Set-Aside
• Michigan Clean Slate — Official Eligibility Guidance
• MSP — Court-Ordered Conviction Set-Aside Procedures
• PACER — Federal Court Records
• FBI — Personal National Identity History Summary