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Wayne County, Michigan Public Records

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Find the right office in Wayne County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Wayne County records

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Local record guide

About public records in Wayne County

County profile

Wayne County at a glance

State
Michigan
County seat
Detroit
Population
1,793,561
Area
673 sq mi
Founded
1796
Cities and towns
32

Wayne County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Wayne County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in Wayne County's unincorporated areas, operating Wayne County jail, and maintaining criminal records.

Police Departments. Wayne County is served by multiple law enforcement agencies, including Wayne County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Detroit Police Department, Dearborn Police Department, and Livonia Police Department. Each department has jurisdiction over its respective city, while the Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated areas and provides support to local agencies.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Wayne County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 1231 St. Antoine Street, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5000), provides law enforcement services throughout unincorporated areas and operates Wayne County's detention facilities. Wayne County Jail Inmate Locator is available through the Sheriff's Office website at www.waynecounty.com/elected/sheriff, where the public can search for current inmates by name or booking number. Municipal police departments operating within Wayne County include the Detroit Police Department, Dearborn Police Department, Livonia Police Department, Westland Police Department, Taylor Police Department, Lincoln Park Police Department, Allen Park Police Department, Wyandotte Police Department, and approximately 35 other municipal law enforcement agencies. Arrest records in Wayne County are public records accessible under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), specifically MCL 15.231 et seq, which requires government agencies to provide access to public records upon written request. Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, located at 1441 St. Antoine Street, Detroit, handles felony prosecutions and can provide information on criminal case status.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Wayne County are maintained by Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the various municipal police departments within Wayne County.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Wayne County are taken and retained by Wayne County Sheriff's Office during the booking process.

Wayne County's court system includes Wayne County Circuit Court, located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5261), which handles felony criminal cases, civil cases exceeding $25,000, divorce and family law matters, and appeals from lower courts. Elections in Wayne County are administered by Wayne County Clerk's Office, Elections Division, located at 400 Monroe Street, Suite 280, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5525, website: www.waynecounty.com/elected/clerk/elections.aspx). Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5706), has jurisdiction over estates, wills, conservatorships, guardianships, mental health proceedings, and juvenile delinquency cases. Wayne County Register of Deeds, located at 400 Monroe Street, 5th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5857), maintains all property and land records for Wayne County, including warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgage documents, liens, satisfactions, easements, condominium bylaws, and plat maps. Young Municipal Center, 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, MI 48226 (phone: 313-224-5990), maintains property tax records and assessment information. Sales tax licenses are issued by the Michigan Department of Treasury. The Detroit Regional Chamber, Michigan's largest chamber of commerce (phone: 313-964-4000, website: www.detroitchamber.com), serves Wayne County businesses and provides resources for business development, though it does not maintain official business records.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Wayne County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Wayne County

Old mine sites
9
Still producing
18
Worked underground, in the mine records
3
Main minerals
Clay; construction sand and gravel; crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
47
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, sand pit, silica mine
Maps surveyed
1952 to 1981
Records behind them
75 records for 74 sites, the rest are the same working written down more than once
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 27 named mine sites inside the county, 9 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 47 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Clay; construction sand and gravel; crushed stone.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. GeoWebFace shows historic mining sites as points; no agency page with underground workings outlines was found, and the OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds Michigan maps.

1 mile
Wayne County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
Michigan mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Wayne County (28 shown, 46 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Wayne County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Wayne County, Michigan?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Wayne County Sheriff's Office or a city police department in Wayne County. Ask that agency for its record.

How do I get a criminal background check in Wayne County, Michigan?

The Michigan criminal history record comes from the Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center. Name search online through the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT); fingerprint searches only where a state or federal law, executive order or rule requires one. Fee: $10.00 for a name based criminal record check (MCL 28.273).

How can I look up sex offenders in Wayne County, Michigan?

Search the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry (Michigan State Police), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Wayne County, Michigan?

Register with the city or township clerk or through the Michigan Department of State, Bureau of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. Same day registration: yes. With 15 or more days before an election you can register online, by mail or in person; within 14 days and on Election Day, only in person at your local clerk's office with proof of residency.

How do I look up property records in Wayne County, Michigan?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Wayne County are kept by the Wayne County Register of Deeds. Property values are set by the city or township assessor, and tax bills come from the city or township treasurer; taxes unpaid on March 1 go to the county treasurer as delinquent. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Wayne County, Michigan?

Certified birth and death certificates for Michigan come from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics. Copies of records may also be obtained from the County Clerk in the county where the event occurred. By mail with the signed application and a copy of ID, at the drop box in the lobby of 333 S. Grand Ave., Lansing, online or by phone through VitalChek, the only authorized online service provider, or in person by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fee: $34 search fee for a standard record ($14 online processing fee); $14.00 for one copy of your own birth record if you are 65 or older.

How do I find business license records in Wayne County, Michigan?

Business entity filings are searched with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division. Assumed names of sole proprietorships and co-partnership names are filed with the county clerk in each county where business is conducted.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.

DetroitDearbornLivoniaWestlandTaylorDearborn HeightsLincoln ParkSouthgateAllen ParkHamtramckGarden CityInksterRomulusWyandotteTrentonGrosse Pointe WoodsHarper WoodsWoodhavenMelvindaleRiverviewGrosse Pointe ParkFlat RockGrosse Pointe FarmsPlymouthEcorseHighland ParkRiver RougeNorthvilleGrosse PointeBellevilleRockwoodNew BostonMacomb CountyOakland CountyMonroe CountyWashtenaw County