St. Clair County Family Court Records

St. Clair County family court records are filed and maintained at the 31st Circuit Court and the St. Clair County Clerk's office in Port Huron, Michigan. The 31st Circuit Court's Family Division handles divorce, paternity, custody, child support, and juvenile cases for St. Clair County residents. You can search cases through the county's own online portal, use MiCOURT at no charge, or submit a document request online through the clerk's office for copies of specific court records.

31st Circuit Court and Clerk's Office

The St. Clair County Clerk's office is at 201 McMorran Blvd., Room 1100, Port Huron, MI 48060. County Clerk Angie Waters oversees the office, which handles both vital records and circuit court filing functions. The main phone is (810) 985-2200 and fax is (810) 985-2241. St. Clair County has a distinctive Friday schedule: the office opens at 10:00 AM on Fridays instead of the standard 8:00 AM start. Monday through Thursday the office opens at 8:00 AM. All days close at 4:15 PM.

The 31st Circuit Court Family Division handles all domestic relations matters in St. Clair County, including divorce, paternity actions, custody disputes, child support enforcement, and juvenile cases. If you're not sure whether a case would be in the circuit court or a district court, domestic relations and family matters belong in the circuit court. The court's website at stclaircountycourt.org has contact information, filing guidance, and links to the online case search portal.

St. Clair County has its own fee structure for online document requests. If you request records electronically through the county's online system, the fee is $15.00 per emailed PDF. A non-refundable $5.00 processing fee also applies to online document requests. Additional certification fees may apply on top of those charges. In-person viewing remains free under MCR 8.119. Standard copy fees for in-person or mail requests are $1.00 per page, with $10.00 for certified copies.

Searching St. Clair County Family Court Records Online

St. Clair County offers its own secure online case search portal at securewebinquiry.stclaircountycourts.org. This county-specific tool lets you look up 31st Circuit Court cases by party name or case number. Results include case status, filing dates, party names, and the register of actions. The county portal is a good first stop for St. Clair County-specific searches because it draws directly from local court data.

St. Clair County also participates in Michigan's statewide MiCOURT Case Search system. MiCOURT is free, open around the clock, and covers the 31st Circuit along with all other participating courts in Michigan. Use MiCOURT when you want to check multiple counties at once or when you're not sure which county a case may have been filed in. Neither system provides document images. For actual copies of court filings, use the document request form.

The St. Clair County Clerk's office has an online document request form at stclaircountyclerk.org. This lets you request specific documents by mail or email without having to visit the courthouse in person. Remember the $15.00 per-document fee for emailed PDFs and the $5.00 non-refundable processing fee that applies to every online request.

The St. Clair County court website provides direct access to the online case search portal, the clerk's document request form, and contact information for all court divisions including the 31st Circuit Family Division.

Types of Records at the 31st Circuit Family Division

The 31st Circuit Family Division maintains the complete case file for every domestic relations matter filed in St. Clair County. Divorce files contain the initial complaint, proof of service on the other party, any temporary orders entered while the case was pending, financial disclosure statements, and the final judgment of divorce. If the parties had minor children, the judgment will incorporate a parenting time schedule and child support order. Modifications filed after the original judgment become part of the same case file.

Custody-only cases, paternity actions, and child support proceedings each have their own file structure. Paternity files include the complaint, any DNA testing order if parentage was contested, the order of filiation, and the child support order. Once a child support order is in place, the St. Clair County Friend of the Court takes over monitoring and enforcement. The FOC maintains separate records from the main circuit court file. Payment records and enforcement history live at the FOC, not the clerk's office. State-level guidance on FOC services is available at the Friend of the Court Bureau.

Protection orders issued by the 31st Circuit Court are also part of the court's records system. PPO records have limited public access under MCR 3.705. If you need information on an active protection order, contact the court directly rather than relying on the public search portals.

How to Request St. Clair County Court Records

You have three main options for requesting St. Clair County family court records. In person: visit the clerk's office at 201 McMorran Blvd., Room 1100, Port Huron during business hours. Remember the 10:00 AM Friday start time. Viewing is free; copies are $1.00 per page. Certified copies cost $10.00 plus the per-page fee. By mail: write to the same address, include the case number or party names, the year the case was filed, and a description of the documents needed. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment.

Online requests go through the clerk's document request form at stclaircountyclerk.org. Note the $15.00 per-document fee for emailed PDFs and the $5.00 non-refundable processing fee. Call (810) 985-2200 to confirm fees or ask questions before submitting any request. For vital records like birth, marriage, and death certificates, the same clerk's office handles those requests using a separate fee schedule.

SCAO forms required for St. Clair County circuit court filings are at courts.michigan.gov/scao-forms. These forms are required for most family division matters.

Michigan Law and Records Access in St. Clair County

St. Clair County family court records are public under MCR 8.119. In-person viewing is free. Copy fees are set under MCL 600.2546. Michigan courts are exempt from FOIA under MCL 15.232. A FOIA appeal won't help if the court refuses a records request. The right step is a motion filed with the court. Michigan statutes are available in full text at legislature.mi.gov. The statewide court site at courts.michigan.gov has the SCAO forms library, court contact directory, and guidance on records access across Michigan.

Nearby Counties

Family court records near St. Clair County may also be filed in neighboring counties.