Iron County Criminal Records
Iron County criminal records are maintained by the Sheriff's Office and County Clerk in Crystal Falls, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The county's courts include the 41st Circuit Court for felony cases and the 95th District Court for misdemeanors and traffic matters. You can search criminal records in person at the courthouse, through Michigan's statewide ICHAT portal, or by submitting a written FOIA request to the appropriate office. This page gives you the contacts, tools, and legal framework you need to access these records.
Iron County Overview
Iron County Sheriff and Circuit Court
The Iron County Sheriff's Office is at 2 S. 6th Street in Crystal Falls and can be reached at (906) 875-3721. The fax number is (906) 875-6736. This office is the main law enforcement agency in the county and handles arrests, jail operations, and local incident reports. For emergencies, call 911. If you need records tied to a specific arrest or law enforcement event, the Sheriff's Office is the right place to start.
The County Clerk handles court records and can be reached at (906) 875-3224. The clerk's address is the same building: 2 S. 6th Street, Crystal Falls, MI 49920. Court records in Iron County run through the 41st Circuit Court and the 95th District Court. The circuit court handles felony criminal cases, and the district court covers misdemeanors, local ordinance violations, and traffic matters. Staff at the clerk's office can assist with in-person lookups, certified copies, and case file access.
The Iron County Government website provides contact information for the Sheriff, Clerk, and other county departments. Use it to confirm current hours before visiting or submitting a records request.
The county government site links to all major departments and is a useful starting point for finding the right office for your records request.
| Sheriff's Office | Iron County Sheriff |
|---|---|
| Address | 2 S. 6th St., Crystal Falls, MI 49920 |
| Phone | (906) 875-3721 |
| Fax | (906) 875-6736 |
| County Clerk Phone | (906) 875-3224 |
| Circuit Court | 41st Circuit Court |
| District Court | 95th District Court |
How to Search Iron County Criminal Records
The main statewide tool for criminal history searches is ICHAT, run by the Michigan State Police. ICHAT searches felony and serious misdemeanor conviction records from all 83 counties in Michigan, including Iron. Each name search costs $10. Reporting is required under MCL 28.241, which directs law enforcement to submit criminal history data to the state. ICHAT covers convictions, not just arrests, and results come back fast.
For court case data from the 41st Circuit Court and 95th District Court, use MiCOURT, the free Michigan court case lookup tool. You can search by name, case number, or filing date. Most public criminal cases are indexed and viewable online. For older records or certified copies, contact the County Clerk at (906) 875-3224.
FOIA Requests in Iron County
Under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act at MCL 15.231, every person has the right to request and receive public records held by government agencies. In Iron County, that includes records held by the Sheriff's Office and the County Clerk. You must submit a written request to the office that holds the specific records you want. The agency has 5 business days to respond, with an option to extend by up to 10 more days.
For law enforcement records, send your FOIA request to the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 2 S. 6th St., Crystal Falls, MI 49920. For court records, contact the County Clerk at the same address. Under MCL 15.243, agencies may withhold records that could harm an ongoing investigation or violate someone's personal privacy. Denials must be explained in writing, and you have the right to appeal.
Note: Iron County does not have a public online criminal records portal, so ICHAT and in-person courthouse visits are your best options for most records searches.
Record Copy Fees in Iron County
Iron County follows Michigan's standard FOIA fee structure. Plain copies cost $0.10 per page. Certified copies add a $10.00 fee per document. Labor charges may apply for requests that take significant staff time to process. ICHAT searches cost $10.00 per name through the Michigan State Police portal. Contact the Sheriff's Office at (906) 875-3721 or the County Clerk at (906) 875-3224 to get a fee estimate before submitting your request.
Additional Resources for Iron County Records
The Michigan Department of Corrections runs the Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) as a free public tool. OTIS shows current and former state prison inmates, parolees, and those on probation. It covers the entire state and does not require an account to search. It does not include local jail records from Iron County.
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry is free and searchable by name, address, or zip code. It covers all registered offenders statewide, including those in Iron County. The registry is managed by the Michigan State Police and is updated on a rolling basis. Michigan's Clean Slate law under MCL 780.621 allows certain convictions to be automatically expunged after a waiting period. If a criminal records search returns no results, expungement under this law may be the reason. The Michigan Sheriffs' Association page for Iron County provides additional contact details for the local Sheriff's Office.
Communities in Iron County
Iron County is a sparsely populated Upper Peninsula county. Communities include Crystal Falls, Iron River, Caspian, Stambaugh, and Gaastra. None of these communities exceed the population threshold for a dedicated city page. All criminal cases from across the county are handled through the 41st Circuit Court and 95th District Court in Crystal Falls.
Nearby Counties
Iron County borders several other Upper Peninsula counties. If you are not certain which county holds the records you need, verify where the incident or arrest took place.