Leelanau County Public Records /Leelanau County Court Records

Leelanau County Court Records

How To Find Court Records in Leelanau County in 2026

Members of the public seeking court records in Leelanau County may access publicly available case information through LeelanauRecords.us, which aggregates data drawn from official government sources. Court records maintained by Leelanau County courts and the Michigan judicial system may include civil case filings, criminal case dispositions, probate proceedings, family court orders, traffic citations, and small claims judgments. The availability and completeness of any individual record depends on case type, filing date, and applicable confidentiality rules under Michigan law.

Members of the public may search court records through five primary methods:

Clerk of Court or Court Records Office — The Leelanau County Clerk's office maintains official court records for cases filed in the county. Requesters should provide the full name of a party, a case number, or a filing date range to assist staff in locating records. Fees may apply for copies.
Courthouse Public Access Terminals — Public computer terminals located at the Leelanau County Courthouse allow in-person review of case index information and, in some instances, document images. No fee is charged for viewing records at a terminal; fees apply for printed copies.
Online Court Search — The MiCOURT Case Search portal, maintained by the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrative Office, provides statewide online access to case index data across Michigan trial courts, including those serving Leelanau County.
State-Level Judicial Search Tools — The Michigan Courts website offers access to Cases, Opinions & Orders, including published and unpublished Court of Appeals opinions issued since July 1996 and Michigan Supreme Court opinions.
Written or Mail Requests — Members of the public may submit written requests to the Leelanau County Clerk's office. Requests should identify the case by party name or case number, specify the documents sought, and include applicable fees. Processing times vary based on record volume and staff availability.

Are Court Records Public In Leelanau County

Court records in Leelanau County are subject to the public access provisions of Michigan Court Rule MCR 8.119, which governs the maintenance, retention, and public inspection of court records across all Michigan trial courts. Under current law, the following categories of records are accessible to members of the public:

Case docket entries and index information
Party names and case numbers
Scheduled hearing dates and courtroom assignments
Filed pleadings, motions, and responses in civil matters
Judgments, orders, and sentencing entries
Probate filings and estate inventories where not sealed

Certain records are confidential, sealed, redacted, or otherwise restricted from public disclosure under Michigan law and court rule. These include:

Juvenile delinquency and child protective proceedings records, protected under MCL § 712A.28
Adoption records, which are sealed by statute
Mental health commitment proceedings
Records subject to a court-issued protective order or sealing order
Personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth, which are redacted from public filings pursuant to MCR 1.109(D)

A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the public may inspect a broader range of records in person at the courthouse, online systems such as MiCOURT may display only index-level data and may not provide full document images for all case types or filing periods.

What Are Court Records in Leelanau County?

Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court in connection with a legal proceeding. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything generated from the initial filing of a case through its final disposition and any subsequent appellate proceedings.

The distinction between a docket entry and a full case file is significant. A docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a case — filings received, hearings scheduled, orders entered — while the full case file contains the actual documents underlying those entries. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, while criminal court records document the prosecution of offenses charged by the state. Filed pleadings are the initial and responsive documents submitted by parties, whereas final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter.

Public filings are those submitted without restriction and available for inspection under MCR 8.119. Sealed or restricted filings have been removed from public access by court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained at the originating court level, while appellate records — including briefs, appendices, and opinions — are maintained by the Michigan Court of Appeals or the Michigan Supreme Court.

In Leelanau County, the Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains records for the 13th Circuit Court, which serves Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau counties. The District Court clerk maintains records for the 86th District Court. Records are created at the time of filing, updated with each subsequent action, and retained according to the Michigan Trial Court Case File Management Standards issued by the State Court Administrative Office.

Leelanau County Clerk's Office
301 E. Cedar Street
Suttons Bay, MI 49682
Phone: (231) 256-9824
Leelanau County Clerk

What's Included in a Leelanau County Court Record?

A court record in Leelanau County may contain the following information, subject to applicable public-access rules and the nature of the case:

Case identification: case number, court name and division, filing date, and case type
Party information: names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and counsel of record
Case status: open, closed, dismissed, appealed, or transferred
Docket entries: a chronological log of all filings, hearings, and court actions
Hearing information: scheduled and completed hearing dates, courtroom assignments, and continuances
Filed documents: complaints, petitions, answers, motions, responses, briefs, notices, stipulations, and proposed orders
Court orders and judgments: interim orders, final judgments, decrees, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
Outcome information: dismissals, verdicts, pleas, convictions, acquittals, and case dispositions
Administrative and financial data: filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed

Records commonly excluded or restricted from public access include sealed filings, expunged criminal records, juvenile case files, adoption records, protected personal identifiers, and certain exhibits containing sensitive third-party information. The presence or absence of specific documents within a case file depends on the case type, the court in which it was filed, and any orders restricting access entered during the proceedings.

Types of Courts in Leelanau County

Leelanau County is served by multiple courts operating within the Michigan unified court system. The courts serving Leelanau County include the following:

13th Judicial Circuit Court — The circuit court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in Michigan. As stated on the official county website, "The 13th Judicial Circuit Court of the State of Michigan consists of Antrim, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. There are two elected Circuit Court Judges." The Circuit Court hears felony criminal cases, civil cases involving amounts over $25,000, family law matters including divorce and custody, and juvenile proceedings. The Leelanau County Clerk serves as the clerk of the Circuit Court for cases arising in Leelanau County.

86th District Court — The District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction handling misdemeanor criminal cases, civil cases involving amounts up to $25,000, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims matters (up to $7,000), and traffic and ordinance violations. The District Court clerk maintains records for all cases filed in that division.

Leelanau County Probate Court — The Probate Court has jurisdiction over estate proceedings, guardianships, conservatorships, mental health commitments, and certain matters involving minors. Probate records are maintained by the Probate Court register.

13th Circuit Court — Leelanau County
301 E. Cedar Street
Suttons Bay, MI 49682
Phone: (231) 256-9824
13th Circuit Court – Leelanau County

How to Search Leelanau County Court Records for Free?

Several methods for searching Leelanau County court records are available at no cost. In-person inspection of court records at the Leelanau County Courthouse is free of charge; members of the public may review case files and docket entries without payment. The MiCOURT Case Search portal provides free online access to case index information for Michigan trial courts. Courthouse public access terminals are available at no cost for viewing purposes.

Fees are assessed for the following services:

Service	Typical Fee
Standard paper copies	$1.00 per page
Certified copies	$10.00 per document plus $1.00 per page
Electronic copies (where available)	Varies by court
Record search by staff	Varies; may be assessed per request

Fee schedules for Michigan trial courts are established pursuant to MCL § 600.1988, which authorizes the collection of fees for copies and certifications. Members of the public who are unable to pay filing or copy fees may petition the court for a fee waiver under MCR 2.002.

The Criminal Records Search tool maintained by the Leelanau County Prosecutor's Office provides free access to publicly available criminal case information for matters prosecuted in Leelanau County.

How Long Does Leelanau County Keep Court Records?

Retention periods for court records in Leelanau County are governed by the Michigan Trial Court Case File Management Standards, issued by the State Court Administrative Office pursuant to MCR 8.119(I). Retention schedules vary by case type and record category:

Felony criminal case files: retained permanently or for a minimum of 25 years following final disposition
Misdemeanor and civil infraction files: retained for a minimum of 7 years following final disposition
Civil case files: retained for a minimum of 10 years following final disposition, with some judgment records retained permanently
Probate case files: retained permanently for estate proceedings; guardianship and conservatorship files retained for a minimum of 7 years after termination
Juvenile case files: retention varies by proceeding type; delinquency records may be retained until the subject reaches age 30 or longer
Docket books and minute records: retained permanently as permanent records of court action

As the State Court Administrative Office notes in its records management guidance, "paper files may be destroyed after imaging" once records have been transferred to an approved electronic storage format, provided the imaging meets applicable standards. Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, county archives, or the State Archives of Michigan. Destruction of a record differs from sealing or expungement: destroyed records no longer exist in any form, while sealed records remain in existence but are restricted from public access, and expunged records are treated as though they never existed under applicable Michigan law.

How To Find a Court Docket in Leelanau County

A court docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case, distinct from the full case file. The docket records each filing received, each hearing scheduled or completed, each order entered, and each status change — but does not itself contain the text of the underlying documents. The full case file contains the actual pleadings, motions, and orders referenced in the docket.

Members of the public may locate a Leelanau County court docket through the following methods:

MiCOURT Case Search: The MiCOURT Case Search portal allows users to search by party name, case number, or attorney name across Michigan trial courts. Search results display docket-level information including case type, filing date, party names, and case status. Document images are available for some courts and case types.
Courthouse public access terminals: Terminals located at the Leelanau County Courthouse provide access to the court's case management system, where docket entries may be reviewed in person.
Clerk's office request: Members of the public may request a printed docket sheet from the Leelanau County Clerk's office. Staff can retrieve docket information by case number or party name.

A court docket entry contains hearing dates and times, continuances, motion filing dates, minute entries summarizing court proceedings, and status updates. A docket does not include full document images for sealed entries, confidential attachments, exhibits admitted under seal, or records restricted by court order. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules for the 13th Circuit Court may be available through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse. The Michigan Courts website also provides access to appellate case opinions and orders for matters decided by the Court of Appeals or the Michigan Supreme Court that originated in Leelanau County.