Family Court
A divorce proceeding can be initiated with or without
an attorney. If you choose to proceed in pro per
(without an attorney), forms and instructions are
available on the State Court website at courts.michigan.gov;
you may purchase The Michigan Divorce Book with minor
children, which gives detailed instructions on filing;
or, visit the local library. At this time the Court
does not have forms available to the public.
The Friend of the Court’s
office is involved in all domestic proceedings. Any
pleadings filed with the Family Court Clerk must be
copied to the Friend of the Court also.
Filing fees: $150.00
fee payable at time of filing; $80.00 Friend of the
Court investigation fee, payable upon entry of Final
Judgment; $20.00 motion fee; copies of documents,
$1.00 per page.
Delinquency
All petitions must first be filed with the
Prosecuting Attorney [906-482-3214]. Juveniles found
by the court to be delinquent are placed on probation
and supervised by the Juvenile Officer or Probation
Officer; occasionally, referrals are made to the
Family Independence Agency. Out-of-home placement
decisions are made based on a youth’s prior record
and current allegation before the court. If a juvenile
is placed out of the home, the parents will be
responsible for at least partial reimbursement of
foster care expenses incurred by the County. All child
care fund questions should be directed to the Juvenile
Officer [906-482-1032]. Scheduling questions can be
handled by the Family Court Office [906-482-3120].
Neglect/Abuse
All neglect proceedings are initiated through the
Family Independence Agency and approved by the
Prosecuting Attorney. All children involved in a
neglect or abuse situation will be appointed an
attorney/guardian ad litem to represent their best
interests. Scheduling questions can be handled by the
Family Court Office [906-482-3120].
Adoption
Direct placement and foreign adoptions are filed
through an adoption agency or an attorney. The filing
fee is $150.00; petition fees are $20.00; copies of
records are $1.00 per page. Adoptions involving
step-parents or relatives, i.e. grandparent, aunt,
uncle, etc, can be handled through the Court’s
adoption worker, Susan L. O’Connell [906-482-0252].
All of the above fees apply to step-parent and
relative adoptions, as well as an additional $250.00
court supervision fee. Requests for confidential
intermediaries can also be directed to the Court’s
adoption worker. The applicable fee is $20.00.
Adoption search fee is $20.00per search.
General
Emancipation; $150.00 filing fee; must be at least 16
years old; only a child can petition, not a parent;
copy of birth certificate and ability to manage
financial and social affairs required; child cannot be
receiving any state assistance; affidavit must be
signed by professional with personal knowledge of
minor, i.e. physician, school counselor, teacher,
clergy, etc; court will schedule hearing and notify
petitioner, parents, and affiant. Attorney will be
appointed to represent minor on an as-needed basis.
Forms are available at the Family Court Office.
Name Changes
$150.00 filing fee; $64.45 publication fee (payable to
local newspaper and subject to change); fingerprinting
fees applicable to anyone filing over age 22; contact
Family Court Office for further information and forms.
To order transcripts of
court proceedings, please make your request in writing
to the Court Reporter, with the name of the case, date
of hearing, and file number, if available. Transcripts
are billed at the rate of $2.05 per page.
