Branch County, Michigan Arrest Records Search

Pull up the Branch County Clerk’s court record search portal to run a name search against filed criminal cases — the County Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM, inside the Branch County Courthouse on East Chicago Street in Coldwater. For booking-side records held by law enforcement, the Branch County Sheriff’s Office maintains a forms and records request page where you can initiate a records request directly. The statewide MiCOURT Case Search is a useful cross-check for cases that have moved through the court system, though it does not reach every Branch County case — older filings and some District Court matters may require a direct clerk inquiry to confirm.

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

If your person has a history in other states

A Branch County court search only surfaces cases filed in Michigan. A nationwide criminal database search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — records from other states, federal district cases, or filings under a prior name can surface through a broader search that Michigan’s own portals are not designed to reach. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

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 Branch County

Court filings in Branch County are split between two courts, and knowing which one holds the record saves time. Every adult criminal case in Branch County enters the system at the Branch County District Court — misdemeanors are tried there, and felony arraignments and preliminary examinations happen there before a case moves up. Felonies are then tried at the Branch County Circuit Court. If you’re pulling a family member’s record to help them prepare for a court appearance, you’ll want both courts’ dockets — the District Court for the initial charges and any misdemeanor disposition, the Circuit Court for any felony conviction record.

The Branch County Clerk’s court record search portal is the county’s own online access point for filed criminal cases. The County Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM. The courthouse itself opens at 8:00 AM and doors close at 4:50 PM — plan to arrive with enough time to clear security screening at the entrance. Public parking is available in the lot on the east side of the building and along surrounding streets. If you’re paying for copies in person, the court accepts cash, check, or money order; make checks and money orders payable to 3-A District Court.

For booking-side records — the arrest itself, charges at intake, and the Sheriff’s jail log — go directly to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office records and forms page. You can reach the Sheriff’s Office by calling (517) 278-2325. The Sheriff’s records and the Clerk’s court docket are separate systems: the Sheriff holds the booking entry, the Clerk holds the case file. A complete picture of an arrest — from booking through disposition — requires checking both.

The statewide MiCOURT Case Search covers participating Michigan courts and is worth running as a cross-check. It does not reach every Branch County case, and older records or cases that predate the portal’s online window may not appear. A missing result there does not mean no record exists — confirm directly with the Clerk.

If the person you’re researching is serving a state prison sentence or is on state supervision rather than held locally, use the Michigan Department of Corrections offender search. That system covers MDOC-supervised individuals only; it does not show Branch County jail bookings or local misdemeanor records.

The Michigan State Police maintain a separate paid public name search — the Internet Criminal History Access Tool — that reports public conviction information statewide. It does not show dismissed cases, warrants, traffic records, or local misdemeanors. It is a paid service; the fee is listed on the Michigan State Police website. For a guardian or attorney of record pulling records on behalf of a family member, note that the Clerk’s office can confirm whether a case file lists an attorney of record, which may be relevant if you’re coordinating with existing counsel.

If you’re checking for nonsupport warrants specifically, the Branch County Friend of the Court maintains a nonsupport warrants list through the courts portal. General court information and additional court contacts are available through the Branch County courts directory.

Are Branch County arrest records public?

Ninety-nine percent of adult criminal records in Michigan carry a default-public status under state law — the narrow exceptions are what require explanation, not the rule. Michigan’s open-records framework, MCL 15.231 et seq., establishes that government records are presumptively available to the public. An arrest record held by the Branch County Sheriff’s Office or filed with the Branch County Clerk falls squarely within that presumption.

Sealed and expunged records are the most common exception. When a court grants a petition to set aside a conviction under Michigan law, the record is removed from public view — it still exists in law enforcement systems, but a public records request will not surface it. The same statute governs automatic set-asides under Michigan’s Clean Slate law, which operates without a petition after qualifying waiting periods.

Juvenile adjudications are handled separately. Records from Branch County’s juvenile docket are not public records in the same way adult criminal records are. A juvenile adjudication is not a criminal conviction under Michigan law, and those records carry stronger confidentiality protections by default.

Victim-protection redactions apply in certain cases. Identifying information for victims of specific crimes — particularly domestic violence and sexual assault cases — may be withheld from public copies of records even when the underlying case file is otherwise accessible. The Branch County Clerk’s office applies these redactions on a case-by-case basis.

Booking photographs are generally public records under the same framework, subject to a privacy exemption the Sheriff’s Office may apply in individual cases. If you need a booking photo, submit a records request through the Branch County Sheriff’s Office records page — the official record may contain one, but availability depends on the specific case and any applicable exemption.

What’s in a Branch County arrest record?

If the arrest is older, the record may look different depending on which system you’re pulling from — the Branch County Courthouse holds court-side docket entries, while the Sheriff’s Office holds the booking entry, and the two systems have different retention practices and visible fields.

On the booking side — the Sheriff’s record — you’ll typically see the booking date and time, the arresting agency (which may be the Sheriff’s Office, Coldwater Police Department, Bronson Police Department, or Michigan State Police), the charges as entered at intake, and the case number assigned at booking. The booking entry may also include the person’s date of birth, physical description, and a notation on bail or bond status. Bail in Branch County is set by a judge at a first appearance; Michigan law requires a strong presumption of release on personal recognizance or unsecured bond, with money bail ordered only when the judge finds on the record that nothing else will assure appearance or public safety. The Branch County Sheriff’s Office licensed bondsmen page lists bondsmen authorized to post bond at the Branch County jail.

On the court side — the Clerk’s docket — you’ll see the case number, the formal charges as filed by the prosecutor, all hearing dates and their outcomes, the attorney of record if one was entered, and the final disposition: conviction, acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi. The Branch County Clerk’s court record search portal surfaces these docket entries for cases within its online window. For a family member’s record, the attorney-of-record field in the docket is worth checking — it confirms whether counsel has appeared and who that attorney is.

Older records that predate the Clerk’s online window may not appear in the portal. Those cases are still retrievable — call the Branch County Clerk’s office directly to request a search of paper or archived records. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM, and the Clerk’s staff can confirm whether a case exists and what the retrieval process involves for older files.

For mugshot availability, call the Branch County Sheriff’s Office at (517) 278-2325 — the policy on releasing booking photographs isn’t published online and is handled on a case-by-case basis.

How to expunge an arrest record in Branch County

If the underlying case ended in a conviction, the waiting period and eligibility rules under MCL 780.621 determine whether a petition to set aside that conviction is available. If the case ended in an acquittal or a pretrial dismissal — no conviction was entered — Michigan law handles it differently: the arrest record is destroyed rather than sealed, and that path is typically more accessible and does not require the same waiting periods as a conviction set-aside.

Juvenile records have their own separate procedures under Michigan law, and those procedures are generally more accessible than the adult conviction set-aside process. If the record you’re dealing with involves a juvenile adjudication from Branch County’s juvenile docket, the process does not run through MCL 780.621 — ask the Branch County Clerk’s office or consult a licensed attorney about the applicable juvenile record path.

For adult convictions, the waiting period runs from whichever comes last: the end of the sentence, probation, parole, or imprisonment. Under the same statute, the wait is at least three years for most misdemeanors, at least five years for one felony, one or more serious misdemeanors, or a first drunk-driving offense, and at least seven years for more than one felony. 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.

Michigan’s Clean Slate law also created an automatic set-aside path for many eligible convictions — no application required. Misdemeanors may be set aside automatically seven years from the imposition of the sentence; felonies may be set aside automatically ten years from the later of the sentence or release from prison. 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). Serious offenses are excluded from the automatic path, and some offenses can never be set aside. Do not rely on a predicted date for when an automatic set-aside will occur — the process runs on its own timeline and is not guaranteed by calendar.

To petition by application, file at the court that entered the conviction — for a Branch County misdemeanor, that is the Branch County District Court; for a Branch County felony, that is the Branch County Circuit Court, both located at the Branch County Courthouse. The petition form and filing fee apply; an indigency waiver path exists if you cannot afford the fee. You may self-petition without an attorney, though attorney-assisted petitions tend to be more complete. After a successful set-aside, the public record is removed from public view — law enforcement retains access, but a standard public records request will not surface it.

If you need help navigating the petition process, the Michigan Bar’s the state bar lawyer directory can connect you with a licensed attorney. If you cannot afford private counsel, the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission has resources for locating public defender assistance.

Frequently asked questions about Branch County arrest records

What charges will show up on a Branch County arrest record, and what happens next in the process?

A Branch County arrest record will show the charges as entered at booking by the arresting agency — these are the initial charges, not necessarily the final ones. The prosecutor may file different or reduced charges once the case reaches the Branch County District Court. At a first appearance before a judge, the court reviews the charges, addresses bail, and sets the next hearing date. To see how charges evolved after booking, pull the court-side docket through the Branch County Clerk’s court record search portal, which shows each filing, amendment, and disposition as the case moved through the system. If the case was dismissed before charges were formally filed, it may appear only in the Sheriff’s booking records and not in the Clerk’s docket at all.

Can a Branch County arrest record be expunged, and does an arrest without a conviction qualify?

An arrest that ended in acquittal or a pretrial dismissal — where no conviction was entered — is handled by destroying the arrest record under Michigan law, not by sealing it, and that path does not require the same waiting periods as a conviction set-aside. For a conviction, the petition process runs under MCL 780.621 and is filed at the court that entered the conviction, which for Branch County cases means either the Branch County District Court (misdemeanors) or the Branch County Circuit Court (felonies) at the Branch County Courthouse. Waiting periods apply from the end of the sentence, probation, parole, or imprisonment — whichever comes last. Michigan’s Clean Slate law also provides an automatic set-aside path for many eligible convictions after qualifying periods, with no application required. Serious offenses are excluded, and some convictions can never be set aside. If you’re unsure whether a specific Branch County conviction qualifies, the Michigan Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with an attorney who can review the record.