Find Criminal Records in St. Clair County
St. Clair County criminal records are maintained by the Sheriff's Office in Port Huron and through the 31st Circuit Court and 72nd District Court. With a population around 160,000, St. Clair County is a mid-size Michigan county on the eastern shore near the Canadian border. This page explains how to search and request St. Clair County criminal records through local courts, the county clerk's document request system, MiCOURT, and statewide Michigan criminal history tools.
St. Clair County Overview
Sheriff's Office and Court Contacts
Sheriff Tim Donnellon leads the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office. The office is located at 1170 Michigan Rd, Port Huron, MI 48060. You can reach the office at 810-987-1712 or email Sheriff Donnellon at tdonnellon@stclaircounty.org. The Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement records for the county, including arrest logs, police reports, and incident records. Their Sheriff's Office page on the county website has department information and current contacts.
The County Clerk's office at 201 McMorran Blvd, Room 100, Port Huron is the main point of contact for court records. The Clerk's main number is 810-985-2200, and the fax is 810-985-2241. The 31st Circuit Court, which handles felony criminal cases and major civil matters, operates from 201 McMorran Blvd. The 72nd District Court, which covers misdemeanors and preliminary felony hearings, is part of the same courthouse complex in Port Huron. The County Clerk website has information on requesting court documents and filing forms.
St. Clair County courts also maintain a secure web inquiry system. The MiCOURT public web inquiry for the 72nd District Court is available at micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/court/D72. This tool lets you search District Court cases directly by name or case number.
| Sheriff's Office | 1170 Michigan Rd, Port Huron, MI 48060 |
|---|---|
| Sheriff Phone | 810-987-1712 |
| Sheriff Email | tdonnellon@stclaircounty.org |
| County Clerk | 201 McMorran Blvd, Room 100, Port Huron, MI 48060 |
| Clerk Phone | 810-985-2200 |
| Clerk Fax | 810-985-2241 |
| 72nd District Court (MiCOURT) | micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/court/D72 |
How to Search St. Clair County Criminal Records
St. Clair County has several options for searching criminal records. The statewide MiCOURT portal covers both the 31st Circuit Court and the 72nd District Court. Search by name or case number to get docket history, party names, case status, and filing dates. MiCOURT is free and does not require an account. For District Court cases specifically, the county's own MiCOURT link at court/D72 gives you a filtered view of 72nd District Court cases.
The St. Clair County Court Records page at stclaircountycourt.org has additional information on how court records are maintained and how to request them. Public terminals are available at the courthouse for in-person inspection during limited hours. This is useful if you want to review a file without paying copy fees. In-person searches work well for older records that may not appear in the online portal.
To get copies of court documents, use the Court Document Request Form on the Clerk's website. This online form lets you submit a request without visiting the courthouse. Documents cost $15.00 per document with a $5.00 processing fee per online transaction. Certified copies carry additional fees. The Clerk's office accepts in-person and mail requests too. Note that email submissions are not accepted as of June 28, 2021.
Note: Email filings and requests are not accepted by St. Clair County courts as of June 2021; use mail, in person, or the online form instead.
FOIA and Records Access
St. Clair County law enforcement records are subject to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act under MCL 15.231. Submit written FOIA requests to the Sheriff's Office for arrest records, police reports, and related law enforcement documents. The Sheriff's Office processes these requests and responds within 5 business days, with an optional 10-day extension. If the agency cannot fulfill the request or must redact portions, they will provide a written explanation under MCL 15.243.
For court records, contact the Clerk of Court rather than filing a FOIA request. Court files are public under Michigan Court Rules. You can inspect them in person at the courthouse or request copies through the Court Document Request Form. Certified copies cost more than plain copies. The Clerk can tell you the total cost when you submit your request.
Michigan State Police handles FOIA requests for state-level records separately. Submit those through the MSP portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia. For a full background check using fingerprints, mail to Michigan State Police, CJIC, P.O. Box 30266, Lansing, MI 48909 with a $30 payment and your fingerprint card. Results come back in 21 to 35 days.
Fees for St. Clair County Criminal Records
Online document requests through the Court Document Request Form cost $15.00 per document. Each online transaction also carries a $5.00 processing fee. Certified copies cost more and will be quoted when you submit your request. In-person copy requests at the courthouse counter follow a standard per-page fee set by the court. If you are searching only and do not need copies, inspecting the file at a public terminal is free during courthouse hours.
For statewide records, ICHAT at apps.michigan.gov/ichat charges a small per-search fee. Results come back almost instantly and show adult conviction history from the Michigan State Police database. The fingerprint-based CJIC check through MSP costs $30.00 and is the most thorough criminal background check available for Michigan residents.
Statewide Tools for St. Clair County
Michigan State Police maintains the central criminal history database for the entire state under MCL 28.241. Every conviction entered in the 31st Circuit Court or 72nd District Court in St. Clair County flows to that database. The public can search it using ICHAT, which returns conviction records quickly for a small fee. ICHAT does not show pending charges or arrests that did not lead to conviction.
The Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS tool at mdocweb.state.mi.us covers anyone sentenced to a state prison after a St. Clair County conviction. Search by name or MDOC prisoner number to find current location, offense type, and sentence details. The Michigan Sex Offender Registry at michigan.gov/psor allows free searches by name or geographic area and covers all registered offenders in the Port Huron area and throughout St. Clair County.
The screenshot below shows the Michigan MSP FOIA portal, which handles state police records requests for residents in St. Clair County and across Michigan.
Michigan State Police FOIA request portal
The MSP FOIA portal accepts requests for records held by the Michigan State Police that are separate from county-level sheriff or court records.
Communities in St. Clair County
St. Clair County includes Port Huron as the county seat and largest city. Other communities in the county include Marine City, Marysville, St. Clair, Algonac, East China, and Yale. All criminal court filings for these communities go through the 31st Circuit Court and 72nd District Court in Port Huron. None of the communities in St. Clair County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city records page on this site.
Nearby Counties
St. Clair County is located in Michigan's Thumb region on Lake Huron and the St. Clair River. If you need criminal records from a neighboring county, use the links below.