Livingston County Court Dockets

Livingston County court dockets are maintained by the 44th Circuit Court in Howell, Michigan. The county offers online access to case records through the LivingstonLive portal and the statewide MiCOURT system. This page covers online search tools, how to request copies, fees, and what the docket records contain.

Livingston County 44th Circuit Court

The 44th Circuit Court in Howell is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Livingston County. It handles civil lawsuits, felony criminal cases, family law (divorce, custody, support, paternity), and juvenile matters. Chief Judge Michael P. Hatty presides over the court. The Circuit Court Clerk's Office is at 204 S. Highlander Way, Howell, MI 48843, which is separate from the County Clerk's office at 200 E. Grand River.

Livingston County also has a Brighton court location at 224 N First St, Brighton, MI 48116. The Brighton location is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to noon and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. If you are closer to Brighton than Howell, this location may be more convenient for in-person record requests.

The 44th Circuit Court has a specialized business court docket for commercial disputes, as required by Public Act 333. Courts with three or more judges are required to maintain a business docket for business and commercial cases. This makes Livingston County a good option for parties in commercial litigation who want their case before judges with business law experience.

Search Livingston County Court Dockets

Livingston County provides two online paths for court docket searches. The LivingstonLive portal at livingstonlive.livgov.com is the county's own online services system. You can search case records, order vital records, and get case history through this portal. It is a paid system for detailed results: $6.00 per name/court search and $2.50 per case history.

For free basic case lookups, the state MiCOURT portal at micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search/court/C44 covers the 44th Circuit Court. Search by party name, case number, or attorney. The system shows the Register of Actions (ROA), which is the full docket record listing every event in the case.

In-person searches at the courthouse terminals are free. Public access computers are available at the Howell and Brighton court locations during business hours. You can view case indexes and search for cases without any fee. Copies have a charge, but viewing records on-screen is free.

The Livingston County courts page at milivcounty.gov/courts/ and the clerk records page at milivcounty.gov/clerk-circuit-court/records/ both have more detail on what is available and how to access it.

Record Request Process and Fees

You can request Livingston County court records in person, by mail, or through the LivingstonLive portal. For mail requests, complete the Circuit Court Record Copy Request Form and send it to the Circuit Court Clerk at 204 S. Highlander Way, Howell, MI 48843. Include a check payable to the Livingston County Clerk. The office notes that checks must be from in-state accounts only.

Copy fees in Livingston County are $1.50 per page for standard copies. Certified copies cost $10.00 per document. The online search fee through LivingstonLive is $6.00 per name per court and $2.50 per case history. Vital records cost $25.00 per search or order through the online system.

Self-service court indexes at the courthouse are free to use. You can view records and search for cases at the public terminal without paying a fee. You only pay when you need a printed copy or a certified document.

Note: The Livingston County Clerk's Office has four primary divisions: Vital Records, Elections, Circuit Court Clerk, and Record Keeping. Make sure you contact the right division for the type of record you need. Circuit court dockets go to the Circuit Court Clerk division.

What Livingston County Docket Records Show

Court docket records in Livingston County follow the standard Michigan Register of Actions format. Each docket entry records a specific event: a new filing, a motion, a scheduled hearing, a court order, or a final judgment. The ROA is the master record of everything that happened in the case from the day it was filed to the day it was closed.

The 44th Circuit Court maintains separate dockets for civil, criminal, family, and juvenile cases. Business court cases have their own specialized docket. District court cases (handled by the 53rd District Court in Howell and the Brighton court) are separate from circuit court dockets and are also searchable through the state portal.

The Friend of the Court office in Livingston County handles enforcement of support and custody orders. FOC records are part of the family court case but are maintained separately. If you need FOC records, contact the Friend of the Court office directly. They are not the same as the Circuit Court Clerk.

Under MCR 8.119, most Livingston County court records are public. Restricted record types include personal protection orders (MCR 3.705), juvenile records (MCL 600.1750), HYTA-sealed cases, and expunged matters under Michigan's Clean Slate Law.

Livingston County Court Dockets and the Clean Slate Law

Michigan's Clean Slate Law, enacted in 2020, created automatic expungement for certain criminal convictions after a waiting period. This means some cases that were previously public in Livingston County's docket system will no longer appear in online searches once the automatic process runs. Conviction records can be set aside after three years for misdemeanors, five years for some felonies, and seven years for more serious felonies.

Under this law, online searches for criminal cases on MiCOURT may be missing records that existed before the expungement took effect. As of April 2023, the state also limited online searches for older criminal cases in some circumstances. If you are trying to find a case from years ago and cannot locate it online, the case may have been expunged or otherwise removed from the online system.

For an official criminal history that includes all convictions regardless of expungement status (for law enforcement or court use), you need to go through official channels. For general background check use, the Michigan State Police ICHAT system at apps.michigan.gov/ICHAT is the right tool. It costs $10.00 per search. Court records alone are not a complete criminal history source.

Legal Resources for Livingston County

If you need help with a Livingston County court case, Michigan Legal Help at michiganlegalhelp.org has free guides for self-represented parties. The site covers divorce, custody, small claims, and many other case types handled by the 44th Circuit Court.

Official court forms for Livingston County cases are available at courts.michigan.gov/SCAO-forms/. These are the standard SCAO forms used statewide. For e-filing, the MiFILE system at mifile.courts.michigan.gov/ handles electronic submission of court documents. Most attorneys must use MiFILE. Self-represented parties can also e-file in enrolled courts.

Cities in Livingston County

Livingston County is a growing county southeast of Lansing in the metro Detroit region. Howell is the county seat and Brighton is a secondary urban center. No cities in Livingston County meet the population threshold for dedicated city pages on this site.

All circuit court cases for Livingston County residents are handled by the 44th Circuit Court in Howell or the Brighton court location.

Nearby Counties

Livingston County borders several metro-area and mid-Michigan counties. Verify which county handles your matter before filing.