Midland County, Michigan Arrest Records Search

When you have a specific name to look up, Midland County’s arrest records sit across two parallel systems: the court docket and the Sheriff’s booking log. The Midland County courts records portal links to both the 75th District Court and the 42nd Circuit Court case searches on MiCOURT. For booking-level records held by the Midland County Sheriff’s Office, call (989) 832-6735 — the Sheriff’s records office is separate from the Clerk’s and handles jail-side documentation. The Midland County Courthouse at 301 W Main Street in downtown Midland is reachable at (989) 832-6797; confirm hours before visiting, as the Clerk’s office hours are not posted online.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Midland County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

Searching for records beyond Michigan

A nationwide criminal background search may help surface records that pre-date the portal’s online window — cases filed before Midland County’s digital records began, or arrests in other states and federal jurisdictions that local court searches never reach. Run a preliminary scan free; a full report requires creating an account. This tool is one source among several, and its per-jurisdiction completeness cannot be guaranteed.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

How to look up arrest records in Midland County

Midland County has two courts that generate criminal case records, and the Sheriff’s Office holds a separate set of booking records — knowing which system you need saves a wasted trip. Every adult criminal case in Midland County originates at the 75th District Court. Misdemeanors are tried there; felonies are arraigned there before moving up to the 42nd Circuit Court for trial.

MiCOURT Case Search — court dockets online. The judiciary’s statewide portal has a direct entry point for the 75th District Court case search and a separate entry for the 42nd Circuit Court case search. Search by name or case number. MiCOURT covers participating courts and may not show every older case — if a result is missing, confirm directly with the Clerk.

Clerk of Court — certified copies and older records. The Midland County Courthouse Clerk’s office at 301 W Main Street handles certified record copies and requests for cases not visible online. Call (989) 832-6797 to confirm current fees and hours before visiting. Insider note: the Courthouse phone line can be busy — visiting in person or using online resources for form clarification is often faster. Card payments may carry a service fee; money order or certified check are preferred. Cards are not accepted after 4 p.m.

Sheriff’s records request — booking-side documentation. The Sheriff’s records office is a distinct operation from the Clerk’s. Booking logs, jail records, and incident reports held by the Midland County Sheriff’s records office are requested separately. Call the Sheriff’s Office at (989) 832-6735; confirmed hours are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Note that the Sheriff’s Office parking lot can have limited availability and periodic closures — check ahead if you plan to visit in person.

Michigan State Police — Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT). The Michigan State Police maintain the state’s central criminal history repository. Their paid public name-search tool, ICHAT, reports public conviction information. It does not show dismissed cases, warrants, traffic records, or local misdemeanors. Never treat it as a complete arrest history — it is a conviction-focused supplement to the court and Sheriff searches above.

MDOC offender search — state prison or supervision. If the person you’re researching is serving a state prison sentence or on state parole, the Michigan Department of Corrections offender search is the right tool. It does not cover county jail holds or cases that ended without a state sentence.

Midland Police Department — city arrests. Many arrests within the city of Midland are made by the Midland Police Department, which operates out of the Midland Law Enforcement Center. City police reports feed into the same 75th District Court docket, but for incident-level records you may need to contact the department’s records division directly.

Are Midland County arrest records public?

Court filings and booking records in Midland County carry a default-public status under Michigan’s open-records framework. The controlling statute is MCL 15.231 et seq. — the Michigan Freedom of Information Act — which presumes government records are accessible unless a specific exemption applies.

Sealed and expunged records are the most common exception. Once a conviction is set aside under Michigan law, the public record is suppressed; law enforcement retains access, but the general public does not. A search of MiCOURT or the Clerk’s records will not surface a properly set-aside case.

Juvenile adjudications are handled separately from adult criminal records. Michigan law restricts public access to most juvenile court records, and those records do not appear in standard adult criminal history searches through MiCOURT or ICHAT.

Victim-protection redactions apply case by case. Addresses, contact information, and certain identifying details for crime victims may be withheld from publicly released documents. The Clerk applies these redactions before releasing copies — what you receive may differ from the complete internal file.

Booking photographs are generally public records under the same statute, subject to a privacy exemption applied on a case-by-case basis. The official record may contain a booking photo; call the Midland County Sheriff’s Office at (989) 832-6735 to ask about the current release policy for a specific record.

An arrest that ended in acquittal or a pretrial dismissal is handled differently from a conviction. Michigan law provides for destruction of the arrest record in those circumstances rather than a sealing process — meaning the record may not appear in public searches at all once the destruction procedure is complete.

What’s in a Midland County arrest record?

Docket entries and booking entries are two distinct documents, and they live in different systems with different visible fields — understanding which one you’re looking at matters.

The court-side docket, accessible through MiCOURT for both the 75th District Court and the 42nd Circuit Court, typically shows: case number, filing date, charge description and statute, arraignment date, bond conditions, scheduled hearing dates, disposition (guilty plea, trial verdict, or dismissal), and sentencing information if applicable. The docket also lists the attorney of record — both the prosecuting attorney and defense counsel appear in the case file at the Midland County Courthouse. If you need to identify current defense counsel for an active case, pull the docket on MiCOURT and look for the most recent attorney entry; the name and bar number will be listed. For older cases or cases where the docket entry is incomplete, call the Clerk at (989) 832-6797 — staff can confirm who is currently listed as counsel of record.

The booking record, held by the Sheriff’s Office, contains different fields: booking date and time, arresting agency (which may be the Midland Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, or Michigan State Police), charges at time of booking, physical descriptors, and the booking photograph if one was taken. The booking record does not automatically update when a charge is later amended or dismissed — the court docket is the authoritative source for case outcome.

A practical note about MiCOURT: new case entries can take time to appear online after a booking occurs. If a name search returns no result for a recent arrest, the case may simply not yet be reflected in the online system. Confirm with the Clerk directly for recent filings.

The Michigan State Police ICHAT tool shows only public conviction information — it will not display the charge-level detail, booking date, or attorney information that the court docket contains. Use ICHAT as a conviction summary, not as a substitute for the full docket.

How to expunge an arrest record in Midland County

Petitioning to set aside a conviction in Midland County is a routine legal procedure governed by MCL 780.621, and many people handle it without an attorney. The court that entered the conviction is where you file — for a misdemeanor conviction from the 75th District Court, that’s the District Court Clerk; for a felony conviction from the 42nd Circuit Court, that’s the Circuit Court Clerk at the Midland County Courthouse, 301 W Main Street.

Juvenile records have their own separate path, which is typically more accessible than the adult conviction process. The procedures and eligibility rules differ from the adult set-aside statute — ask the Clerk’s office or consult the Michigan Attorney General’s expungement assistance resource for the current juvenile-specific procedure.

Waiting periods for adult convictions. The clock runs from whichever comes last: completion of the sentence, end of probation, end of parole, or release from imprisonment. For most misdemeanors, the wait is three or more years. For one felony, one or more serious misdemeanors, or a first drunk-driving offense, the wait is five or more years. For more than one felony, the wait is seven or more years. If the court denies a petition, you must wait three years from the denial before petitioning again for the same conviction, unless the court sets an earlier date.

Application limits. A petition can set aside no more than three felony offenses in total, no more than two convictions for an assaultive crime in a lifetime, and no more than one felony for the same offense when it is punishable by more than ten years.

Automatic set-aside under Clean Slate. Since Michigan’s Clean Slate law took effect, many eligible convictions are set aside automatically — no application required. The automatic path covers no more than two felonies and four misdemeanors in a lifetime (that misdemeanor limit does not count misdemeanors punishable by 92 days or less). The automatic clock runs seven years from the imposition of the sentence for a misdemeanor, and ten years from the later of the sentence or release from prison for a felony. Serious offenses are excluded from the automatic path, and some offenses can never be set aside. Do not rely on a predicted date for automatic set-aside — the process runs on the state’s schedule, not a calendar you can calculate yourself.

Arrests that did not result in conviction. An arrest that ended in acquittal or pretrial dismissal is handled by destroying the arrest record rather than setting anything aside. This is a separate process from MCL 780.621 — ask the Clerk which procedure applies to your specific case.

Filing and fees. Downloadable petition forms are available through the Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Office forms library. Call the Midland County Courthouse at (989) 832-6797 to confirm the current filing fee and whether an indigency waiver is available. An attorney is not required, but the Michigan Bar Lawyer Referral Service and the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission can connect you with counsel if you want assistance.

What remains visible after set-aside. Law enforcement agencies retain access to set-aside records. The public record is suppressed — a MiCOURT search or ICHAT query will not surface it — but the underlying record is not destroyed for law enforcement purposes.

Quick-contacts reference

Frequently asked questions about Midland County arrest records

Where do I go to look up or obtain a Midland County arrest record in person?

Court-side records — charges, dispositions, attorney of record — are held at the Midland County courts records office inside the Courthouse at 301 W Main Street, Midland. Call (989) 832-6797 to confirm current hours and fees before visiting; the Courthouse phone line can be busy, so an in-person visit often resolves form questions faster. Booking-side records are a separate request handled by the Midland County Sheriff’s records office — call (989) 832-6735 during weekday business hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m.). For online searches, the 75th District Court case search and the 42nd Circuit Court case search on MiCOURT are the county’s official online dockets.

How do I get a Midland County arrest record set aside or expunged?

File a petition under MCL 780.621 at the court that entered the conviction — the 75th District Court Clerk for misdemeanors, or the 42nd Circuit Court Clerk at the Midland County Courthouse for felonies. Waiting periods run from the end of your sentence, probation, or parole: three or more years for most misdemeanors, five or more years for one felony or a first drunk-driving offense, and seven or more years for more than one felony. Many eligible convictions are also set aside automatically under Michigan’s Clean Slate law after seven years (misdemeanor) or ten years (felony) from the sentence or release date, with no application required. Petition forms are available through the Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Office forms library. Call the Courthouse at (989) 832-6797 to confirm the current filing fee and indigency waiver availability. An arrest that ended in dismissal or acquittal follows a separate record-destruction procedure — ask the Clerk which process applies to your case.