Courts & Law Enforcement

53rd Circuit Court

Circuit Court has jurisdiction over:

• civil cases of $25,000 or more
• criminal felony cases
• equity cases
• domestic cases including the following “Family Court” matters:
  • Adoption
  • Child Neglect/Abuse
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Emancipation of a Minor
  • Name Changes
  • Parental Waivers
  • Divorce
  • Personal Protection Order
  • Paternity Action
  • Child Support
  • Visitation/Parenting Time
  • Custody

89th District Court

The District Court provides services for the following:

Civil: General Civil under $25,000, Small Claims up to $5,000, Landlord/Tenant Cases.
Criminal: Issue all criminal warrants, felony and misdemeanor, conduct arraignments, misdemeanor case filings.
Probation: Misdemeanor adult probation.
Traffic: Civil infractions, misdemeanor traffic and state civil infractions.
Magistrate: Handles all traffic matters, informal hearings and performs wedding ceremonies.

Probate Court

Probate Court and this office acting in its Family Court capacity is responsible for providing court services for the following:

• Probate & Trust Proceedings
• Delinquent/Neglected Children
• Name Changes
• Guardianships & Conservatorships
• Adoptions
• Mental Health Proceedings

The Court also operates a community based delinquent youth program: The Straits Area Youth Promotional Academy (SAYPA).

Prosecuting Attorney

The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law.  Click here to continue to learn about how the Cheboygan County Prosecuting Attorney’s office’s involvment in:

• Court Process and Proceedings
• Crime Victims’ Rights Services
• Paternity/Child Support Services
• Community Reference
• Community Education

Sheriff Department

The Cheboygan County Sheriff Department is made up of eight divisions:

• Administrative
• Canine Division
• Corrections/Communications
• Investigative
• Marine Safety
• Narcotics Division
• ORV Safety
• Snowmobile Safety

The Sheriff enforces the General Laws of the State of Michigan and County Ordinances. By statue, the Sheriff must operate the County Jail. In Cheboygan County, the jail is the lock up for all Law Enforcement in Cheboygan County. The Sheriff serves Civil Process.

Friend of the Court

Duties of the Friend of the Court office include:

• Investigate, report and make recommendations to the Court on matters of custody, visitation, amount of support in cases involving divorce, legal separation or paternity.
• Provide mediation as a method of settling disagreements over custody and visitation.
• Collect, record and send all support payments ordered by the Court.
• Enforce all custody orders, visitation orders and support orders entered by the Court.