Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Chelsea, Michigan, in Washtenaw County, has about 5,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court and the District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the County Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Chelsea public records, Washtenaw County court records, Chelsea arrest records, Chelsea warrants, Chelsea inmate search, Chelsea criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Chelsea
In Chelsea, the Washtenaw County Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $25,000, divorces and family matters.
Below it, the District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court's family division, and the file stays with the County Clerk.
The County Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
Looking Up a Case from Chelsea
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.michigan.gov/search/?searchQuery=washtenaw+county, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
The Michigan court page SearchSystems verified is at micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search.
What Reaches the Court from Chelsea
Together, the eight agencies in Washtenaw County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,408 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court or the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at washtenaw.org/prosecuting-attorney (page title: Prosecuting Attorney | Washtenaw County, MI), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Michigan Secretary of State, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Chelsea guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Chelsea criminal records, Chelsea divorce records, Chelsea DUI and Chelsea property records.
More Official Court Pages for Washtenaw County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Washtenaw County and Michigan. These court pages from its Washtenaw County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- 14B District Court Menu (ypsitownship.org)
- 15th Judicial District Court Home (a2gov.org)
- Available Courts (mifile.courts.michigan.gov)
- Docket, Calendar (washtenaw.org)
- Links, City of Ann Arbor (a2gov.org)
- Michigan, Pay a Ticket Online (e.courts.michigan.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Chelsea?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.michigan.gov. Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Which court hears felonies in Chelsea?
The Washtenaw County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $25,000, divorces and family matters. The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $25,000.
Who keeps the court records in Chelsea?
The County Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Michigan?
Yes: MiCOURT Case Search, the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Is this the official Chelsea website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.