Jackson County Clerk of Court Office

About the Jackson County Clerk of Court

Cierra Sowle is the elected Jackson County Clerk and Register of Deeds. She also serves as Clerk of the 4th Circuit Court. Voters elect the clerk on a partisan basis every four years. The first Jackson County Clerk took office in 1833, soon after the county was organized. The role blends court duties with county record duties in a single elected office.

The clerk has care and custody of the county seal and the county's official records. In the court role, the clerk files and records civil, criminal, and divorce proceedings under the direction of the Circuit Court. The office keeps every Circuit Court file, accepts new pleadings, and collects filing fees. The clerk also serves the Board of Commissioners and handles election, jury, and canvassing work. The County Clerk directory lists the current clerk and the main phone line.

A look at the county's County Clerk and Register of Deeds page shows the office and its duties at a glance.

That directory confirms the clerk's dual role as county recordkeeper and clerk for the Circuit Court in Jackson County.

The Clerk as Circuit Court Clerk

In Jackson County, the phrase "Clerk of Court" points to the County Clerk's role as Clerk of the 4th Circuit Court. The clerk maintains all Circuit Court files. Every pleading and document for a Circuit Court case must be filed with the clerk's office. The clerk records the case events under the court's direction and keeps the case papers safe.

District Court and Probate Court are separate. Each of those courts keeps its own records and runs its own request channel. A traffic or misdemeanor file lives with the District Court. An estate or guardianship file lives with the Probate Court. That split matters when you decide where to send a request.

The county's 4th Circuit Court directory spells out the clerk's court-records role.

The directory helps searchers see that Circuit Court copies come from the clerk, not from the sheriff or the prosecutor.

Court records in Michigan are not ordinary county records. The judiciary is left out of the state Freedom of Information Act under MCL 15.232. Case files are requested under court rules instead. A person who wants a certified Circuit Court document uses the clerk's request process rather than a FOIA form.

Court Services and the Tower Building

The clerk's work is split across two buildings, and the split confuses many visitors. Court Services handles Circuit Court filings and court copies at the courthouse. Vital records, elections, and Register of Deeds services moved to the County Tower Building. A person seeking a marriage record or a deed should not assume the courthouse is the right stop.

Court Services sits inside the Jackson County Courthouse at 312 S. Jackson Street. The Tower Building stands a short distance away at 120 W. Michigan Avenue. The two offices share the same elected clerk but serve different needs. Marriage records, birth records, and land records are Tower Building work.

Divorce files are a different case. A divorce is a Circuit Court and Family Division matter, so its file stays with Court Services and the clerk. The state vital records office can issue certified divorce certificates, but that is not the full court file. More detail on marriage and divorce copies appears on the Jackson County marriage and divorce records page.

What the Clerk Does in Jackson County

The clerk's court duties center on filing, recording, and copying. The office accepts documents, stamps them into the record, and produces copies on request. It also collects the fees that come with each filing. These tasks keep the Circuit Court file complete and reliable.

• Serves as Clerk of the 4th Circuit Court and keeps all Circuit Court files.
• Accepts pleadings and documents filed for Circuit Court cases.
• Records civil, criminal, and divorce proceedings under the court's direction.
• Issues regular and certified copies of court records.
• Collects filing fees or reviews fee-waiver requests at the time of filing.

The county homepage links the clerk, the courts, and other service directories in one place. The main Jackson County website is a useful map of these offices.

From that homepage a searcher can reach Court Services, the courts, and the record request forms without guessing at addresses.

Filing With Court Services

Court Services takes filings three ways: in person, by mail, and by fax. Each channel goes to the same office at 312 S. Jackson Street. Fax filings go to 517-788-4601 and are capped at 20 pages. The office treats the fax as the original, so a sender should not mail a second copy of the same paper.

Timing controls the filing date. A document received in full before 4 p.m. is filed that same day. Anything that arrives after 4 p.m. counts as received the next business day. Any copy meant for the Friend of the Court or a judge must go straight to that office, not through the clerk.

Fees are due when you file. A filing fee or a fee-waiver request must be made at the time of filing, or the office will not accept the papers. The clerk's office will not mail or email true copies or receipt copies back to the sender. The sender must confirm that the filing was received and pay the fees that apply.

Note: Fax filings are limited to 20 pages, and certified copies can never be sent back by fax, so plan mailed or in-person pickup for certified paperwork.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's stamp and proves that the paper matches the court file. People need certified copies for legal filings, name proof, and out-of-state use. Regular copies work for personal reference but do not carry that legal weight. The steps below cover a Circuit Court copy request through Court Services.

1. Find the case number from MiCOURT, court papers, an attorney, or a court notice.
2. Download or pick up the Jackson County Clerk record request form and list the parties, case number, and document you want.
3. Choose a regular copy or a certified copy, then pick a return method of pickup, mail, or fax.
4. Submit the form in person, by mail, or by fax to Court Services with the correct fee.
5. Pick up the copy at the courthouse or wait for the mailed copy, since certified copies cannot be faxed.

The Court Services page links the record request form and lists the copy rules.

That page also explains the fax-is-original rule and the before-4 p.m. deadline that shapes each filing.

Circuit Court Record Request Form Fields

The clerk's record request form asks for contact details, the case to search, and the exact document you want. It separates regular copies from certified copies and lists several common Circuit Court documents as check boxes. The form also asks how you want the copy returned. The table lists the fields captured from the official form.

Completing every field the first time cuts down on callbacks and speeds up the copy.

Jackson County Clerk Copy Fees

The clerk charges set rates for copies and certification. Regular copies run one dollar a page. Certified copies cost more because the clerk stamps and verifies them. Audio and video hearing records and District Court transcripts carry their own fees. The table shows the current published rates.

Audio and video hearing records are limited to a party in the case, and a long hearing may need more than one USB. Transcript rates follow state law set in MCL 600.2543. A person who wants to first confirm a case exists can search MiCOURT Case Search before ordering a copy.

Note: MiCOURT shows case details online, but Michigan court rules block internet access to document images, so copies still come from the clerk.

Access, Hours, and Older Files

Court Services keeps counter hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mailed and faxed requests reach the same office at 312 S. Jackson Street. Payment must accompany a copy request. For a mailed copy, the office asks for a self-addressed envelope.

Not every record is a Circuit Court file. District Court traffic and criminal copies use the District Court request form, and older District Court files more than ten years past the current year may sit on microfilm with limited availability. Probate copies come from the Probate Court staff. When in doubt about the right desk, the county's court and clerk directories name the office that holds each record.