Oakland County 6th Circuit Court Overview
The Oakland County 6th Judicial Circuit Court sits at 1200 N Telegraph Rd, Department 404, Pontiac, MI 48341-0404. The phone is 248-858-0344, and hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court is the felony criminal court for Oakland County, the major civil court for cases over $25,000, and the family court for divorce, child custody, juvenile, abuse and neglect, adoption, personal protection orders, and minor conservatorship and guardianship matters. The court also hears appeals from Oakland County district courts and Probate Court.
The 6th Circuit Court has Civil-Criminal, Family, and Juvenile components. The Family Division manages divorces, custody, parenting time, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, PPOs, adoption, and minor conservatorships and guardianships. Friend of the Court operates within the Family Division and runs the domestic relations services such as support, parenting time, and custody enforcement.
Oakland County Court List
Oakland County hosts the 6th Circuit Court, the Probate Court, and a set of district courts spread across the county. Some district courts are county-hosted, and several are run by their host cities or townships. The 48th District Court was established in 1969, and the 52-3 District Court was established in 1968. Oakland County holds 33 of Michigan's 258 district court judgeships.
| Court | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Circuit Court | 1200 N Telegraph Rd, Dept 404, Pontiac, MI 48341-0404 | 248-858-0344 |
| Probate Court | 1200 N Telegraph Rd, Dept 457, Pontiac, MI 48341 | 248-858-0260 |
| 48th District Court | 4280 Telegraph Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 | 248-647-1141 |
| 50th District Court | 70 N Saginaw, Pontiac, MI 48342 | 248-758-3800 |
| 52-1 District Court | 48150 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374-1222 | 248-305-6460 |
| 52-2 District Court | 5850 Lorac Dr, Clarkston, MI 48346 | 248-625-4880 |
| 52-3 District Court | 700 Barclay Circle, Rochester Hills, MI 48307 | 248-853-5553 |
| 52-4 District Court | 520 W Big Beaver Rd, Troy, MI 48084 | 248-528-0400 |
The county also links 43rd District Court locations in Ferndale, Hazel Park, and Madison Heights; 44th District Court in Royal Oak; 45th District Court in Oak Park; 46th District Court in Southfield; 47th District Court in Farmington Hills; and 51st District Court in Waterford. Each city-run district court keeps its own records and contact information; the county district-court landing page links the local pages.
Circuit Court vs District Court vs Probate Court
Michigan splits trial-court work between Circuit Court, district court, and Probate Court. Each tier handles different case types under state law. The table below summarizes how Oakland County trial courts compare.
| 6th Circuit Court | District Court | Probate Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil limit | Above $25,000 | Up to $25,000, plus landlord-tenant and small claims | Estates, trusts, and guardianships handled by petition |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies after bindover | Misdemeanors and felony preliminary examinations | None; handles juvenile delinquency through Family Division of Circuit Court |
| Family / domestic | Divorce, custody, juvenile, adoption, PPO | None | Mental health and developmentally disabled cases |
| Appeals | Receives appeals from district court and Probate Court | Appeals to Circuit Court | Appeals to Circuit Court or directly to Michigan Court of Appeals |
| Search portal | Court Explorer | Local district court site | Court Explorer by exact case number |
How a Case Moves Through the Oakland County System
Felony cases generally start in district court for arraignment and preliminary examination. After bindover, the case moves to the 6th Circuit Court for trial and sentencing. Civil cases above the district-court limit are filed directly in Circuit Court. Family and domestic cases are filed in Circuit Court's Family Division. Probate cases are filed in Probate Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest › District Court arraignment and preliminary exam › Circuit Court bindover › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal to Michigan Court of Appeals
Civil flow: Complaint filed in district court (under $25,000) or 6th Circuit Court (over $25,000) › Answer › Discovery › Case Evaluation or Mediation › Trial › Judgment › Appeal
The MSP conviction set-aside information page explains the post-sentence path for clearing eligible Circuit Court convictions. The application is filed back in the convicting court, with the Clerk's Legal Records Division handling intake for 6th Circuit Court matters.
Family Division and Friend of the Court
The 6th Circuit Court Family Division handles divorce, child custody, adoptions, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, personal protection orders, and minor conservatorships and guardianships. Friend of the Court operates within the Family Division and runs domestic relations services such as support enforcement, parenting time issues, and custody enforcement actions. Filing fees are $175 for a divorce without minor children and $255 for a divorce with minor children. Custody and paternity case fees are $255. The court also issues PPOs in protective-order matters.
Juvenile records and adoption records are restricted. Juvenile records are governed by MCL 712A.28. Adoption records are confidential under MCL 710.67. Personal Protection Orders are not in Court Explorer at all.
District Courts as Lower Trial Courts
District courts are the lower trial courts that feed felony cases up to the 6th Circuit Court after preliminary examination. They also handle misdemeanors, most traffic-related matters, civil cases up to $25,000, small claims, and landlord-tenant disputes. The 52-3 District Court page states the District Court was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1968 pursuant to constitutional mandate and has more citizen contact than any other court in the judicial system.
District courts have their own clerks. See the District Court Clerks page for the secondary-clerk workflow. Each district court keeps its own dockets, online tools, and fine schedules.
For Circuit Court sentences that result in MDOC custody, the MDOC OTIS Offender Search tracks the defendant after transfer from the Oakland County Jail. OTIS includes prisoners, parolees, and probationers under MDOC supervision and discharged people within the past three years.
Specialty Courts in Oakland County
The 6th Circuit Court runs the Adult Treatment Court for non-violent felony defendants with substance use or co-occurring mental health and substance use issues. Eligibility is set in the Pre-Sentence Investigation by the Michigan Department of Corrections. The Family Division operates a Juvenile Treatment Court. The 6th Circuit also runs the Combat Veterans Treatment Court for eligible U.S. military veterans on probation.
At the district court level, the 52-1 District Court in Novi has the Drug Court, Sobriety Court, Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and Community Courts. The 52-1 Drug Court was the first team certified by the State Court Administrative Office for its Sobriety Court Program. The 52-4 District Court in Troy runs a Drug Therapy Court. Specialty court cases still create court records, but participation often appears in the docket as compliance hearings rather than standard sentencing entries.
Federal Courts Serving Oakland County
Federal cases from Oakland County are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Detroit federal courthouse is described by the court as a 1934 Art Deco / Art Moderne building with domed ceilings, hand painting, marble flooring, historic bronze accents, and the "Million Dollar Courtroom" reassembled from the old 1890 federal building. The current court leadership shown on the court homepage is Honorable Stephen J. Murphy, III, Chief Judge, and Kinikia D. Essix, District Court Executive / Clerk of Court.
Victims of Circuit Court cases can use Michigan's Voices4 page, which links the Michigan Sex Offender Registry and MI-VINE custody notification services. These are separate from the 6th Circuit Court but are commonly used by parties to a Circuit Court criminal case.
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry tracks registered offenders. For Circuit Court criminal sex-offense cases, conviction triggers registration, with public profile fields including name, date of birth, registration number, photo, aliases, scars/marks/tattoos, addresses, campus, employment, vehicle, and status.
Custody Notification and Federal Custody
Once a Circuit Court defendant is sentenced and held in state or federal custody, separate tools come into play for tracking custody and release. The Voices4 page links the national VINELink system used for victim notifications, and the federal BOP locator is used when a defendant has a federal case from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
VINELink is the national victim notification platform. Michigan's MI-VINE service is built on it and lets victims and community members register for notifications about custody status, release, and court schedule.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator tracks people in federal custody. Federal cases from Oakland County that result in federal prison time appear in the BOP locator rather than the Sheriff's CLEMIS Inmate Locator. See released inmates for the federal and state release search workflow.
Court Administration
The Oakland County 6th Circuit Court has a full bench of judges who rotate through Civil-Criminal, Family, and Juvenile assignments. The court's official Circuit Court page publishes contact information, online assistance links, MiFILE eFiling links, Court Explorer ordering, PPO information, and judicial schedules. Appeals from the 6th Circuit Court generally go to the Michigan Court of Appeals, with discretionary review available from the Michigan Supreme Court.
Note: By court order, weapons and cutting instruments are not permitted inside Oakland County Circuit Court, and proceedings cannot be recorded or reproduced without written permission from the judge of record.