Van Buren County Court Records

Van Buren County court records contain information on legal proceedings that occurred within the county. Examples of these records include indexes of cases, schedules of court proceedings, case history, calendars, orders, judgments, and minute entries. The Van Buren County Clerk's office is responsible for maintaining and disseminating court records in the county.

Michigan court records are crucial to the state's legal system as they provide legal references. Access to these records helps citizens stay informed about legal matters, ensures the judicial process is transparent, and sets legal precedents for future cases.

Are Court Records Public in Van Buren County?

Yes, court records are public in Van Buren County. According to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq, all persons are permitted to access all documents created by public bodies, including courts. The record custodians of these public documents are, therefore, mandated to make them available for inspection and copying upon request unless restricted by law.

Although all persons have the right of access to court records, this right is not absolute. Michigan statutes, court rules, and even some court orders may restrict certain information from court records to protect personal identifying information, the interests of parties involved in the case, or even the integrity of the case. Examples of information that may be restricted from court records include the following:

• Personal identifying information (PII) such as social security numbers, financial account numbers, etc
• Witness or victim information
• Investigation techniques
• Juvenile records
• Expunged records
• Sealed records
• Some family law records (mental health records, health information, adoption records, etc).

To access restricted records, a person must get a court order and present it before the record's custodian.

Van Buren County Court Records Search

Interested individuals can conduct a Van Buren Records Search through various methods, including the following:

• In-person requests
• Online requests
• Mail Requests
• Third-party websites.

Van Buren County Courts

The courts in Van Buren County and their contact information is listed as follows:

7th District Court (Paw Paw)
212 East Paw Paw Street
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8222
Fax: (269) 657-8223
Email: 7dc@vanburencountymi.gov.

7th District Court (South Haven)
1007 East Wells Street
South Haven, MI 49090
Phone: (269) 637-5258
Fax: (269) 639-4517
Email: 7dc@vanburencountymi.gov.

36th Circuit Court
212 East Paw Paw Street
2nd Floor
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8200
Email: 36circuitcourt@vanburencountymi.gov.

Probate Court
212 East Paw Paw Street
Suite 220
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8225
Fax: (269) 657-7573
Email: probate@vanburencountymi.gov.

Van Buren County Criminal Records

Individuals can obtain Van Buren County Arrest and Criminal Records using one of the following methods:

• Michigan State Police: The Michigan State Police maintains the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT), which allows interested parties to conduct a name-based criminal history search. Individuals must register on the platform and make payment before completing a search. To perform a search, key details such as the first name, last name, date of birth, race, and gender are compulsory to provide before a record can be obtained.
• MiCourt Case Search: The Michigan Courts manage the MiCourt Case Search tool, which allows individuals to look up statewide criminal cases and their records. To search for records specifically from Van Buren, the requester should search for the appropriate Van Buren Court and select criminal under "case category" before completing a name or case number search.

Get Van Buren County Civil Court Records

The 36th Circuit Court in Van Buren has jurisdiction over civil cases with claims surpassing $25,000. Individuals can search online cases using the MiCourt Case search portal, a repository for civil, criminal, traffic, domestic, and probate case records.

A search can be conducted by name or case number, but key information needed to complete a search includes last name, business name, or case number. As MiCourt contains records of different types of cases, individuals should filter their search and select "civil" under the case category for more precise results.

Individuals can also contact the Van Buren County Clerk's Office by phone, mail, or in-person for access to civil court records. Details of the case, such as the case number and names of parties involved, have to be provided to complete a search. Fees may apply for copying or certifying these records. The contact information of the Clerk's Office is as follows:

Van Buren County Clerk's Office
212 East Paw Paw Street
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8218, option 6
Fax: (269) 657-8298
Email: clerk@vanburencountymi.gov.

Van Buren County Marriage Records

The Van Buren County Clerk's Office is the custodian of marriage records of marriages in the county. Individuals can request marriage records online, in person, or by mail. For online requests, they are required to fill out an Online Vital Records Request Form. For mail requests, the requester is required to fill and submit this Marriage Certificate Request Form or a letter stating the names of parties involved in the marriage, the marriage date, and the applicable fee.

It costs $15 for a certified record and $5 for each extra copy. In-person record requests are possible at the Clerk's Office during working hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday). The only individuals eligible to request marriage records include the couple named on the record, immediate family members of the couple, their legal representatives, and any individual authorized to access the record by a court order.

Van Buren County Divorce Records

Van Buren County Divorce records are maintained by the County Clerk's office, where the divorce was granted, just like other vital records. The Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also records all vital records and makes divorce records available upon authorized request.

Anyone can request an uncertified divorce record by filling out a Verification of Michigan Divorce Form. However, official copies of the record can be requested by filling out an Application for a Certified Divorce Record Form. To complete a certified record search, the names of both spouses and the year of divorce must be provided.

Van Buren Birth and Death Records

The county clerk's office can provide certified copies of births and deaths in Van Buren County. Individuals eligible to request certified birth records include the record owner, the parents of the child named on the record, an heir of the record owner, a legal guardian, or a legal representative of the record owner. A certified birth or death record costs $15, and an extra copy costs $5.

Van Buren County birth and death records can be requested online, by mail, and in person. For record requests, individuals fill out an Online Vital Records Request Form while for mail requests, a filled copy of the Vital Record Request Form or a birth records request letter stating the full name of the record holder, parents' full names, date, and place of birth, ID, and signature of the requester. Death records request letters should state the deceased individual's name and their approximate year of death.

Van Buren County Probate Court Records

The Van Buren Probate Court handles all probate matters in the county. These probate matters include estate administration, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, petitions for protective orders, wills, mental health proceedings, and secret marriage records. The Van Buren Clerk of the Probate Court is the county's custodian of probate court records. A record request can be made to them by phone, mail, or in person at their office. The contact information for obtaining a probate court record is as follows:

Van Buren County Probate Court
212 East Paw Paw Street
Suite 220
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8225

Individuals can also use the MiCourt Case Search tool maintained by Michigan Courts to obtain online probate court records for Van Buren and across Michigan.

Van Buren County Property Records

Van Buren County property records are official documents containing information on real estate in the county. Examples of property records include deeds, property boundaries, legal descriptions, tax assessments, and records of sales or transfers. The Van Buren Register of Deeds records and maintains real property records within the county. To obtain property records online, individuals can use the Document Search Tool provided by the Register of Deeds or the Parcel Viewer provided by the GIS Department of Van Buren County. The contact information of the Register of Deeds's Office for obtaining property information is as follows:

Van Buren County Register of Deeds
219 East Paw Paw Street
Suite 102
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-8242

Van Buren County Court Records Online

Third-party websites such as Michigancourtrecords.us can be used as supplementary resources for obtaining court records and official government online resources. They offer user-friendly interfaces through which court records can be obtained, provided the requester has critical search information such as the names of parties involved in the case and the case number.

Third-party websites are convenient and time-saving avenues for navigating and retrieving records from multiple court websites at a time. However, there may be discrepancies in the accuracy of these third-party records and limited availability for the less digitized duration as they are not the custodian of the official records. Court records obtained from third-party sources should be verified against official sources for completeness before being used for official purposes.