SearchSystems Editorial

Reviewed and updated October 3, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.

About this guide

Berrien County is a county in Michigan with about 153,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are not in one place: court cases, jail bookings, deeds, property values, vital records and records requests each belong to a different office. This guide names the office that holds each kind of record, links to its own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 7 county office pages for Berrien County, every one opened and checked, and lists 1 more whose site blocks automated checks.

In this guide: Where the records live, Jail and arrests, Court records, County Clerk, Deeds and property, Vital records, Prosecuting Attorney, Records requests, Statewide sources, More directory links, Cities and towns, Other counties and Questions.

Where Berrien County public records live

Each kind of Berrien County record is kept by a different office. The list below names the office SearchSystems verified for each one; the sections that follow give its phone, address and hours where the office publishes them.

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Arrests, jail and inmate lookups in Berrien County

A person arrested in Berrien County is booked into the jail, and the booking record (name, charges, bond and the next court date) is public in most cases. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for jail and inmate information in Berrien County.

  • Website: berriencountymi.gov/558/Inmate-Search (page title: Inmate Search | Berrien County, MI)
  • Phone: 269-983-7141
  • Address: 919 Port Street St. Joseph, MI 49085
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

Jail rosters usually show the people in custody now. Once a person is released, the case continues in the court records below.

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Court records and case lookups in Berrien County

Civil, criminal, family, probate and traffic cases filed in Berrien County are kept by the clerk of the court that heard them. Many courts offer an online case search; the page below is the one SearchSystems verified for Berrien County.

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County Clerk of Berrien County

The county clerk is the county's record keeper. What the office holds differs by state: in some states it files marriage licenses and vital records, in others deeds, court papers or the meeting records of the governing board. Its own website below says what it holds in Berrien County.

  • Website: berriencounty.org/152/County-Clerk (page title: County Clerk | Berrien County, MI)
  • Phone: 269-983-7111
  • Address: 811 Port Street First Floor Saint Joseph, MI 49085
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

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Deeds, land records and property values in Berrien County

Two offices share property records. The recording office files deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents that affect title to land in Berrien County. The assessment office sets the taxable value of each parcel and usually offers a free parcel search by address or owner name.

Recorded documents: Register of Deeds

  • Website: berriencounty.org/296/Register-of-Deeds (page title: Register of Deeds | Berrien County, MI)
  • Phone: 269-983-7111
  • Address: 701 Main Street 3rd Floor St. Joseph, MI 49085
  • Hours: Monday - Friday Office: 8:30am - 5:00pm
  • Checked: September 23, 2026, the page answered.

Property values: County Assessor

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Birth, death and marriage records in Berrien County

Certified copies of birth and death certificates for events in Berrien County are issued by the office below. The Michigan state vital records office also issues certified copies for any event in the state.

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Prosecuting Attorney for Berrien County

The Prosecuting Attorney is the office that prosecutes criminal cases in Berrien County. The case files themselves are court records (above); the prosecutor's office handles victim services and questions about pending prosecutions.

  • Website: berriencountymi.gov/m/directory/department?did=19 (page title: Staff Directory, Prosecuting Attorney)
  • Phone: 269-983-7111
  • Address: 811 Port Street 2nd Floor St. Joseph, MI 49085
  • Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Checked: September 30, 2026, the page answered.

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Public records requests to Berrien County

Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it. Many counties run one request page for every department; it is listed below when SearchSystems verified one for Berrien County.

  • Website: berriencounty.org/1019/Public-Records
  • Checked: October 2, 2026, the site blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), and the page was found in a live search index on October 2, 2026; open it directly in a browser.

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Statewide Michigan sources

Some records are kept by the state rather than the county. These are the Michigan state offices SearchSystems verified; each link opens the state office's own page.

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These links come from the SearchSystems directory for Berrien County and were opened again on October 2, 2026. Each one still answers.

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Cities and towns in Berrien County

Berrien County has 17 incorporated cities and towns (2024 Census Bureau count, population in parentheses). City records such as council minutes, permits, business licenses and police reports are kept by each city; the records on this page are county records whatever the city.

  • Niles (11,738)
  • Benton Harbor (8,848)
  • St. Joseph (7,930)
  • Buchanan (4,169)
  • Bridgman (2,048)
  • Berrien Springs (1,786)
  • Watervliet (1,707)
  • New Buffalo (1,695)
  • Coloma (1,422)
  • Three Oaks (1,396)
  • Stevensville (1,153)
  • Baroda (913)
  • Shoreham (860)
  • Eau Claire (543)
  • Galien (523)
  • Grand Beach (288)
  • Michiana (215)

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Berrien County Arrest Records

The Berrien County arrest records guide names the 20 agencies that report arrests to the FBI here and the 3,464 arrests the 18 agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported that year. It also says where a person arrested here is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.

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Berrien County Records Guides

SearchSystems has nine more guides to Berrien County, each written from the county's own offices and figures: Berrien County warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), Berrien County inmate search (the custody page of the Berrien County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), Berrien County criminal records (the court file, the Michigan criminal history and the local arrest records), Berrien County court records (which court hears what, the case search and who keeps the files), Berrien County police reports (which agency holds a report and what the Michigan Freedom of Information Act requires), Berrien County traffic tickets (which court takes the ticket, who writes them and the driving record), Berrien County DUI (the OWI law, the arrest, the court case and the license case), Berrien County divorce records (which court holds the file and how a certified copy is had) and Berrien County property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Berrien County website?

No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official offices listed above; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.

How do I find out if someone is in jail in Berrien County?

Use the jail or inmate page SearchSystems verified for Berrien County at berriencountymi.gov/558/Inmate-Search, or call 269-983-7141. Rosters usually show the people in custody now; after release, the case continues in the court records.

Where do I look up a court case in Berrien County?

The court records page SearchSystems verified for Berrien County is at courts.michigan.gov. A case number finds a case fastest; a name search returns every case with that name.

Who records deeds in Berrien County?

The Register of Deeds, at berriencounty.org/296/Register-of-Deeds. Deeds, mortgages and liens on land in Berrien County are filed there.

How do I get a birth or death certificate for Berrien County?

From the office SearchSystems verified for Berrien County vital records at berriencounty.org, phone 888-243-0055, or from the Michigan state vital records office.

How do I request a public record from Berrien County?

From the office that holds it: the court for case files, the Register of Deeds for deeds, the sheriff for jail records, and so on. Every state has a public records law that applies to county offices.