About the Ingham County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Ingham County runs a split clerk system, so two offices divide work that a single clerk handles in many other counties. The elected Ingham County Clerk manages elections, vital records, and marriage licenses. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the court-facing side, and it holds the official files for cases heard in the circuit court. Anyone tracking a lawsuit, a felony case, or a divorce starts with this office. For a birth, death, or marriage record, the elected Ingham County Clerk is the correct desk instead.
The Ingham County Clerk of the Circuit Court accepts new filings, stamps them into the record, and keeps them organized by case number. Staff issue certified copies, collect filing fees, and maintain both paper and electronic files. The Ingham County circuit clerk works alongside the circuit judges but does not give legal advice. Its job is custody of the record, not the outcome of a case.
The Ingham County circuit clerk publishes its service points and contact numbers on the Ingham County Clerk of the Circuit Court page.
Those service details help visitors confirm which floor and which courthouse handles a request before making the trip to Mason or Lansing.
Ingham County Courthouse (Mason)
Clerk of the Circuit Court
315 South Jefferson, 3rd Floor
Mason, MI 48854
517-483-6500
Fax: 517-483-6401
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Veterans Memorial Courthouse (Lansing)
Clerk of the Circuit Court
313 West Kalamazoo, 1st Floor
Lansing, MI 48933
517-483-6500
Fax: 517-483-6401
Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Which Clerk Handles Your Ingham County Record
The split between the two offices trips up first-time requesters more than any other detail. A short rule helps. Court cases go to the circuit clerk, and life-event records go to the elected county clerk. The table below sorts the most common requests so a visitor picks the right counter the first time.
| Record Type | Where to Request It |
|---|---|
| Circuit civil, criminal, and family case files | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Certified copies of court judgments and orders | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Court transcripts and filing fees | Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Birth and death certificates | Ingham County Clerk |
| Marriage licenses | Ingham County Clerk |
| Elections and notary services | Ingham County Clerk |
For the life-event records at the bottom of the table, the elected clerk is the destination, and its marriage and vital-record services are covered on the Ingham County County Clerk page.
What the Ingham County Circuit Clerk Handles
Court records reach the public through the tasks this office performs each day. The Ingham County circuit clerk records every document filed in a circuit case and preserves it as the official version. When a party needs proof of what was filed, the clerk produces a copy under seal. Fees for filings and copies are collected here as well, and the office routes older or protected files to the right channel.
- Filing and time-stamping pleadings, motions, and orders in circuit cases
- Maintaining the official civil, criminal, and family case files
- Issuing certified and plain copies of court documents
- Collecting filing fees and copy charges
- Managing documents submitted through electronic filing
- Directing archived or restricted files to the correct records channel
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and a signed statement that the document matches the file. Courts, employers, and government agencies often require that seal, because a plain printout does not prove authenticity. The Ingham County Clerk of the Circuit Court issues these copies once a request identifies the exact record. A little preparation keeps the process short.
Common reasons to order a certified copy include proving a divorce judgment, showing the outcome of a case, or filing a court order with another agency. The clerk can certify a single page or an entire file, and the charge scales with the number of pages. When the record is not online, a phone call ahead of time confirms that the file exists and is available at the counter you plan to visit.
- Identify the case number and the parties. A name and an approximate filing year help staff locate the file when the number is unknown.
- Submit the request to the Ingham County circuit clerk in person at either courthouse counter, or by mail to the Mason courthouse.
- Pay the copy fee and the certification charge. The clerk sets these amounts on its published copy-fee schedule.
- Pick up the certified copy at the counter, or have it mailed once payment clears.
Ingham County Circuit Clerk Records Request Fields
No single downloadable form governs every court copy request in Ingham County, so the office works from the details a requester supplies. A written or verbal request that carries the right identifiers moves faster and cuts down on back-and-forth. The fields below reflect what circuit clerk staff typically expect on a records request.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Helpful | Speeds retrieval; if unknown, party names and a filing year substitute |
| Party Names | Yes | Full legal names of the plaintiff and defendant, or petitioner and respondent |
| Document Type | Yes | Judgment, order, complaint, or the full case file |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Sets the per-copy total charged |
| Certified or Plain | Yes | Certified copies carry the seal and cost more than plain copies |
| Requestor Contact | Yes | Name, phone, and mailing address for return of the copy |
Request Channels at the Ingham County Circuit Clerk
The Ingham County circuit clerk does not rely on a single method, which helps when a file is not available online. In-person requests move fastest, since staff can pull a record and certify a copy while the requester waits. Mail works for people outside the Mason and Lansing area. A phone call to the Ingham County circuit clerk sorts out which counter holds a file and what a copy will cost before anyone travels.
The county's clerk operations, including the court-facing circuit clerk role, are described on the Ingham County Clerk landing page.
That overview shows how the elected clerk's services connect to the circuit court record desk. Each channel below fits a different situation.
- In person at the Mason or Lansing counter for same-visit copies
- By mail to the Mason courthouse for out-of-area requesters
- By phone at 517-483-6500 to confirm location, fees, and availability
- By fax at 517-483-6401 for documents the clerk accepts that way
Ingham County Circuit Court Copy Fees
Copy charges depend on the record type, and the office keeps its rates on a published schedule rather than a single flat price. Plain copies, certified copies, and transcripts each carry their own charge. One fixed figure that appears in the county's estate records is the certified copy of letters of authority, which runs a set amount. The full breakdown lives on the circuit court copies and filing fees page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy (per page) | Per the circuit clerk copy-fee schedule |
| Certified copy | Per the circuit clerk copy-fee schedule |
| Certified copy of letters of authority | $13 |
| Court transcript | Per the transcript rate schedule |
| Record search | Per the circuit clerk copy-fee schedule |
Payment is accepted in office and through the county portal, and staff can confirm the current total before a copy is produced.
Note: Fee amounts change over time, so confirm the current charge with the Ingham County circuit clerk before mailing payment or driving to a counter.
E-Filing in the Ingham County Circuit Court
Michigan courts moved much of their intake online through MiFILE, the state's electronic filing platform. Ingham County courts adopted civil e-filing under this rollout, with the 55th District Court enabling MiFILE civil e-filing in 2025. Attorneys and self-represented filers upload documents, pay fees, and receive stamped copies without a counter visit. The Ingham County circuit clerk still reviews each submission and enters accepted filings into the official record.
E-filing does not replace certified copies. A stamped electronic document proves a filing was made, yet a court or agency may still want a sealed certified copy from the clerk before it accepts the paperwork.
The shift to MiFILE is part of a longer modernization of Ingham County court services. Online payment, remote hearing links, and web-based case review now run beside the traditional filing counters. Even so, the Ingham County circuit clerk remains the office of record. It is the point where a filing becomes official, and it is the office that certifies the version a court will treat as authentic.
Accessing Historical Ingham County Court Records
Older cases predate the county's online index, so the newest tools will not show every file. The Ingham County court record search reaches criminal cases back to 2000 and other circuit and probate cases back to 1986. Anything filed earlier sits in archived storage, and a records request to the circuit clerk is the way to reach it.
For cases that are indexed online, the county's search tool is the quickest first step, and the Ingham County circuit clerk can pull the full file when a summary is not enough. Details on that public search sit with the broader Ingham County court records tools, while the Ingham County circuit clerk handles certified and archived copies directly.
Note: Archived files may take several business days to retrieve, so plan ahead when a certified copy is needed for a filing deadline.