How to Obtain and use Information in Michigan Divorce Records

The State of Michigan is very helpful to all callers who wish to apply for Michigan divorce records. So if you want to access these records, you will need to send your request to the state’s Vital Records Office, which is at 201 Townsend Street, Capitol View Bldg, 3rd Floor, Lansing MI 48913, across the street and to the south of the state capitol. The office hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, barring state holidays.

The office does not close for lunch. If you apply in person, and submit your request by 3:00 pm, you can actually get same-day service on Michigan divorce records. You are lucky here because this is not what happens in most states in the country.

The State of Michigan is unusual in another way too. Not only does it keep records of Michigan births, deaths and marriages that are filed as early as 1867, but also divorce records from 1897 (though you might not get complete information from before 1924).

You can order your Michigan divorce records over the Internet by using a debit or credit card or by sending a printed application to receive it by mail.

Michigan was an early bird in having its vital records computerized at the county level, and the records have been networked to its central vital records offices. As a result of this, you can obtain Michigan divorce records from that ‘single window’, either from the public counters or from the Internet.

So go ahead and place your request for Michigan divorce records that you need in the state. You must however be prepared to pay a fee of $15.00, which is payable by a personal check or money order made out to the State of Michigan. This price may change, as it tends to be different from one request to another. Regardless, you must contact the clerk of the county where the divorce was granted.

Which records office should you contact? Since the Michigan divorce records are all in the central database, you could find what you need there. However, the requests are still forwarded to the county offices. So you might want to start with the County Clerk. Throughout the US, the main repository of all vital records and related data is the County Clerk’s office.

Why Do You Need Michigan Divorce Records Searched? What Kind of Information Can You Access in Michigan Divorce Records?

If you are simply trying to find out essential facts about a divorce – if it did happen, when and who were the parties involved – the central records may be enough. If your search needs to involve the gory details, the complete Michigan divorce records will likely be at the county offices, and will need you to apply formally.

Do know that you will not be presented the divorce decree, and you cannot know the reason for the divorce. What you can obtain is the confirmation that the divorce indeed took place, the date when it happened and the county where it took place.

Just dig a little deeper and you can learn much more than that. Every divorce record tells a story and you can learn a lot about the people you are searching. Apart from the personal particulars, you can also learn about settlements, child custody, inheritance, debt and other surrounding factors. It is because of this reason that Michigan divorce records are often searched for reasons apart from genealogy research.

The good news is since the state and the counties are legally obliged to maintain them and share them with you, it is possible for you to get what you want. You will just have to know whom to approach and how to submit that request. If you do it right, you can obtain the record.

There are various ways to obtain your Michigan divorce records. You can walk in to the office and ask for it, or you can submit the request over mail, telephone and fax. What has become very popular in recent times is applying over the Internet. The Internet is a great medium because there are far less hassles and you can save a lot of time as well.