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.
Oakland County, Michigan, has about 1.3 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Oakland 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Oakland County public records, Oakland County arrest records, Oakland County warrants, Oakland County inmate search, Oakland County criminal records, Michigan arrest records and Michigan inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Oakland County
In Oakland County, the Oakland County Circuit Court 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.
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 Oakland County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at oaklandcountymi.gov/government/clerk-register-of-deeds/court-record... (page title: Court Explorer | Oakland County, MI), phone 248-858-0582, 1200 North Telegraph Road Dept 413 Pontiac, MI 48341, Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm, 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 Oakland County
Together, the 51 agencies in Oakland County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 17,547 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Oakland County Circuit Court or the District Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at oaklandcountymi.gov/government/prosecutor/about-the-prosecutor-s-of... (page title: About the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office | Oakland County, MI), phone 248-858-0656, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd West Wing - Building 14E Pontiac, MI 48341, Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, 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 Oakland County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Oakland County criminal records, Oakland County divorce records, Oakland County traffic tickets, Oakland County DUI and Oakland County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Oakland County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Oakland County and Michigan. These court pages from its Oakland County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- 43RD DISTRICT COURTFERNDALE DIVISON (ferndalecourt.com)
- Court Divisions (cityofsouthfield.com)
- Daily Calendar (micourt.courts.michigan.gov)
- Genealogy :: Home (courts.oakgov.com)
- Judges and Court Staff (waterfordmi.gov)
- PAY ONLINE, 43rd District Court (ferndalecourt.com)
- Welcome Page (e.courts.michigan.gov)
Cities in Oakland County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Oakland County Circuit Court or the District Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Oakland County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Troy (89,209)
- Farmington Hills (84,173)
- Rochester Hills (78,330)
- Southfield (76,874)
- Novi (67,675)
- Pontiac (62,528)
- Royal Oak (58,251)
- Madison Heights (28,626)
- Auburn Hills (26,047)
- Birmingham (22,198)
- Ferndale (19,431)
- Berkley (15,313)
- Hazel Park (15,064)
- Rochester (12,978)
- South Lyon (12,219)
- Clawson (11,440)
- Walled Lake (7,413)
- Huntington Woods (6,345)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Oakland County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at oaklandcountymi.gov, phone 248-858-0582. Statewide, MiCOURT Case Search is the Michigan courts' statewide case search; not every court has joined.
Which court hears felonies in Oakland County?
The Oakland 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 Oakland County?
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 Oakland County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.