Clinton County, Michigan Public Records

Investigations closed

61

Back wages agreed

$561,252

Workers due back wages

677

Civil money penalties

$140,884

Employers on the record

55

The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 55 on the Clinton County record; 17 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 30 more with smaller records are on the Michigan wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.

Clinton County record requests: counter suites, index periods and separate court charges

Use the Clinton counter suite that matches the record

The County Clerk handles vital records and Circuit Court record requests at 100 East State Street, Suite 2600, St. Johns, telephone 989-224-5140. Its weekday counter hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., with an arrival request of 4:30 p.m. for transactions. A planned lunchtime visit will therefore miss the published service window. County Clerk counter and birth service.

The Register of Deeds is in Suite 2500 at the same street address, telephone 989-224-5270, with the same published weekday split schedule and 4:30 p.m. arrival request. Use that suite for a recorded real-estate instrument rather than the Clerk's vital-record counter. Include the suite when mailing an order so it reaches the intended records function. Register of Deeds copying counter.

Separate an online land search from earlier instrument retrieval

Clinton's Deeds Index Search describes online searching, index browsing, and copies back to February 26, 1963. Earlier records require an office visit or a request for a digital copy from staff. Keep the party names and recording reference from each useful result; an unsuccessful search within the online coverage does not establish that the office lacks an older instrument. Land-search coverage and earlier records.

Self-service searching is free, but users must register to view, purchase, and print documents, and copies carry charges. Staff searching is a different service: $0.50 per year per name, with a $5 minimum, plus copying. Specify the person, period, and instrument sought when requesting research so the quoted search covers the intended subject. Source: clinton-county.org.

Price a complete land copy and its separate certification

Paper real-estate copies are $1 per page. Certification adds $5 per document, and the county requires the document to be copied in its entirety for certification. An order for a selected page therefore differs from an order for a complete certified instrument. State the recording reference, complete document request, certification requirement, and delivery method before asking for a total. Source: clinton-county.org.

The recording charge is $30 per document for the listed ordinary instruments, rather than a first-page charge with a page-by-page increment. A document assigning or discharging multiple instruments adds $3 for each instrument after the first. Tax certification and applicable transfer taxes are separate, so do not treat the basic document charge as the total for every transaction. Recording calculation and additional charges.

The recording requirements address document preparation, signatures, acknowledgment, and legal descriptions. The Register cautions against relying on an abbreviated assessment description without verifying it against the complete description. Bring preparation questions to the office before submission; identifying a parcel on an assessment record and preparing a recordable conveyance are separate tasks. Recording preparation requirements.

Document the applicant authority for a Clinton birth certificate

Local birth records begin in 1867. The Clerk identifies eligible applicants, including the person named, a named parent, a court-appointed guardian, and other specifically authorized applicants. Guardians must supply the court guardianship papers; the instructions expressly reject custody papers as a substitute. An heir requesting a deceased person's record must supply the death certificate. Source: clinton-county.org.

The ordinary local certified-copy charge is $15 for the first copy and $5 for additional copies ordered together; a qualifying senior rate is listed separately. A mailed order needs identifying event details, the applicant's signature, return address, daytime telephone, identification, and payment. The Clerk retains the fee for its search when a record is not found. Source: clinton-county.org.

Allow for different death and marriage index dates

Death records cover local deaths from 1867 onward, while the searchable online death database begins in 1934. The Clerk lists $15 for the first certified death copy and $5 for additional copies in the same order. Its online-request instructions describe same-day turnaround, which concerns that request service and should not be read as a promise of postal delivery that day. Death holdings, price and online service.

The marriage database covers records filed after January 1, 1927. The Clerk describes its holdings as licenses applied for in Clinton County by county residents; the place of ceremony alone may therefore be an incomplete search lead. Marriage copies cost $15 first and $5 for additional copies ordered together. Supply both parties' names, applicable maiden names, and the marriage date. Marriage holdings and copy requests.

The separate search menu links business-name, death, and marriage databases and says the databases update daily after 6 p.m. When checking a recently filed record, account for that update schedule before asking staff to investigate an apparent omission. A database result helps locate a record; certification is a separate order. Database categories and refresh time.

Use the Circuit Court search procedure for the correct period

The Clerk's Circuit Court instructions cover criminal, civil, and divorce or family records. Before July 1996, an in-office search has no search fee; mailed searches cost $10 per name for a ten-year period. After July 1996, the instructions also provide online access. A mailed request should include the written search details, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment; the stated search service is conducted within 24 hours. Circuit Court search and copy procedure.

Ordinary Circuit Court copies cost $2 per page for the first ten pages and $0.50 per page thereafter, per case. Certified copies have their own formula of $1 per page plus $10. Call 989-224-5257 for the page count before paying for a particular document. The Clerk expressly limits these procedures to Circuit Court and directs District Court questions to that court. Source: clinton-county.org.

Ask the District Court division holding the traffic or misdemeanor file

The 65A District Court handles misdemeanors, preliminary felony proceedings, traffic matters, small claims, and other listed civil proceedings. It is in Suite 3400 at 100 East State Street. Its general telephone is 989-224-5150; the listed division numbers are 989-224-5152 for civil, 989-224-5153 for criminal, and 989-224-5151 for traffic. District Court responsibilities and division contacts.

Its weekday counter closes at 4:45 p.m., phones remain open until 5 p.m., and civil filings must arrive by 4:30 p.m. Use the case or citation number when requesting the file and ask that division about its copy procedure. The different court schedules matter when arranging a visit involving both Circuit and District Court. Source: clinton-county.org.

Keep Sheriff reports, city reports and fingerprint services distinct

The Sheriff operates the county jail and lists its administrative office at 1347 East Townsend Road, telephone 989-224-5200. The Sheriff's main contact lists jail and inmate inquiries at 989-227-6580, while reporting a new incident goes through Central Dispatch at 989-224-6792. For a Sheriff FOIA request, use the Sheriff's designated FOIA contact linked with those office details. Sheriff services and record-request contact.

The current linked county schedule lists $5 for a crash or police report request, $5 for a local records check, and $15 for fingerprinting. The Sheriff explains that it performs the physical fingerprint process and requires the applicant to know the needed fingerprint type. Those local services do not establish the price or scope of a Michigan statewide criminal-history product. Sheriff service charges.

A St. Johns Police report belongs to the city agency. Its office is at 409 South Whittemore Street, telephone 989-224-6721, with lobby hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Identify the responding agency before ordering a report, because a city incident and a Sheriff incident can have separate custodians even within the same county. St. Johns Police contact.

Describe the county record and requested format in the FOIA request

The county's linked FOIA procedures direct written requests to the County Administrator as coordinator at 100 East State Street, Suite 2100, or admin@clinton-county.org. Identify the existing record sufficiently for staff to locate it and specify inspection, paper copies, or the desired electronic medium. The procedures describe an initial response within five business days and a permitted extension of up to ten business days; this is a response framework, not a universal delivery estimate. County FOIA procedures.

Distinguish municipal assessment work from county equalization

The Equalization Department reviews local township and city assessment work, prepares countywide valuation and tax reports, and helps with property information. It is in Suite 1200 at 100 East State Street, telephone 989-224-5170. Use the municipality and assessment year when asking about a valuation, and use the county's assessor directory to identify the responsible local assessor. Equalization and local-assessor roles.

The Clerk's Election Information service publishes election material and results. Read the status and reporting notes attached to the chosen election, including how absentee totals are presented, before combining figures. The Clerk can identify the appropriate election record; a result total and an individual registration record are different requests. County election information.