About the St. Clair County Clerk
Angie Waters serves as the St. Clair County Clerk and Register of Deeds. Kimberly Bennett is the Chief Deputy County Clerk. The office works out of the main courthouse in downtown Port Huron. Michigan county clerks are elected officials, so the Clerk answers to county voters. The court records counter sits on the first floor of the building, in Room 1100.
The County Clerk wears two hats. As clerk of the 31st Circuit Court, the office files pleadings, keeps case files, and issues certified copies for the county's felony, high-dollar civil, and family cases. As Register of Deeds and vital records office, it records land documents and holds birth, death, and marriage records. The same office runs elections, processes concealed pistol licenses, and takes notary and business filings. Most of these tasks now start online through the Clerk's own site.
The Clerk publishes its services, hours, and public notices on the St. Clair County Clerk homepage.
The homepage lists the request forms, fees, and holiday closures, and it posts notices about genealogy access. The contact block below gives the address, phone, and hours for court record visits.
St. Clair County Clerk / Register of Deeds
Clerk: Angie Waters
Chief Deputy: Kimberly Bennett
201 McMorran Blvd., Room 1100
Port Huron, MI 48060
(810) 985-2200
Fax: (810) 985-2241
Mon-Thu 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Fri 10:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
What St. Clair County Court Records the Clerk Keeps
The County Clerk holds records of the St. Clair County 31st Circuit Court only. That covers felonies, civil claims over $25,000, and Family Division cases such as divorce, paternity, child support, and name changes. It also covers appeals that rise from the district court. The Clerk does not keep files from other courts.
This point trips up many people. Both the court document and divorce request forms state, in capital letters, that only 31st Circuit Court records are retained by the Clerk and that a request does not include district, probate, or any other court. Traffic tickets, misdemeanors, landlord-tenant cases, and small claims are 72nd District Court matters. Estates, trusts, and guardianships are Probate Court matters. Those files route to different offices in the same courthouse.
The Clerk's contact page shows the room, staff, and hours for in-person court record help.
Michigan lets the public view many records at the office that holds them, so the first step is matching the record to the right court. You can confirm a case number for the 31st Circuit Court before you order a copy.
Records that the County Clerk does not supply go to these offices:
- District Court cases, Room 2900 in Port Huron or the Marine City branch
- Probate Court cases, Room 2700 in the courthouse
- Statewide district and probate searches through the MiCOURT case search
- Sheriff incident reports through the Sheriff's Service Bureau
The County Clerk contact page lists the room number, staff names, phone, fax, and office hours.
The same page confirms the Room 1100 location and the Monday through Friday hours, which shift later on Fridays.
Important: The Clerk's request forms state in all capital letters that only 31st Circuit Court records are retained and that district, probate, and other court files are not included.
Court Document Request Form Fields
The online Court Document Request Form is the main way to order a circuit court copy. It asks for the document you want, the parties, and where to send the file. The more detail you give, the faster staff can find the record. A clear document description and date help most.
You can open the 31st Circuit Court document request form on the Clerk's website.
The form ends with a certified copy option and a submit button that sends the paid request to the Clerk. The fields below show what the form collects.
| Field | Entry Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Description of Document | Text | Example shown: "Motion Filed 1/1/2017" |
| Party 1 First and Last Name | Text | Name on the case |
| Party 2 First and Last Name | Text | Second name on the case |
| Year Case Opened | Text | Year the case began |
| Case Number | Text, optional | Format 99-000000-XX |
| Judge | Text, optional | Judge name if known |
| Requestor Name and Mailing Address | Text | City, ZIP, and a state dropdown from Alabama to Wyoming |
| Phone and Email Address | Text | Email is where the PDF is sent |
| Certified Copy | Yes / No radio | Adds a mailed certified copy up to 25 pages |
| Submit | Button | Sends the paid request |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the Clerk's seal and proves the record is genuine. Courts, banks, and agencies often ask for one. A plain PDF works for personal review, but legal use usually needs the certified version. The steps below follow the online request path.
- Confirm the case is a 31st Circuit Court matter. The Clerk cannot supply district or probate files.
- Gather the details: party names, year opened, the case number in 99-000000-XX format, and the exact document description and date.
- Open the Court Document Request Form and enter the requestor name, mailing address, phone, and email.
- Choose the certified copy option so the copy is sealed and admissible.
- Pay online. The emailed PDF is $15, plus a $5 processing fee, plus $10 for a certified copy up to 25 pages by mail.
- Watch for the emailed PDF and, for certified orders, the mailed copy that follows.
Note: The processing fee is not refunded if the requested record is not held in St. Clair County, so confirm the court level first.
St. Clair County Clerk Fee Schedule
Clerk fees are set per service and are paid online for most requests. Copy fees cover the emailed file and the certified paper version. Electronic transactions add a processing charge. The table lists the current amounts for the most common court record services.
| Service | Amount |
|---|---|
| Emailed PDF of a 31st Circuit Court document | $15.00 |
| Online processing fee, per transaction | $5.00 |
| Certified copy by mail, up to 25 pages (added) | $10.00 |
| Marriage certificate, first certified copy | $20.00 |
| Marriage certificate, each additional copy | $6.00 |
| Attorney electronic fax filing | $10.00 plus 3.2% |
| Electronic payment of fines, costs, restitution | $5.00 plus 3.2% |
St. Clair County Divorce and Marriage Copies
Divorce judgments and marriage certificates each have their own online form. Both run through the County Clerk because divorce is a 31st Circuit Court family matter and marriage records are filed with the Clerk. The forms ask for the parties and the requestor's mailing and email details. Fees mirror the general copy schedule.
The Divorce Judgment Request Form asks for both parties, the year the case opened, an optional case number in 99-000000-XX format, and an optional judge. It offers the same certified copy choice and charges $15 plus the $5 processing fee. It repeats the 31st Circuit Court-only limit.
The Marriage Certificate Request Form asks for both people on the record, the marriage date, and the Michigan city where they lived when they married. The first certified copy is $20, which includes the $5 processing fee, and each added copy is $6. Only marriages of people who applied in St. Clair County are available here.
Two forms cover these vital court records:
- Divorce Judgment Request Form for 31st Circuit Court divorce judgments
- Marriage Certificate Request Form for St. Clair County marriage records
More detail on applying and searching sits on the county marriage and divorce records page.
Attorney Electronic Fax Filing
The 31st Circuit Court accepts electronic fax filing from attorneys. This path is for lawyers, not the general public, and non-attorney attempts may be rejected. Only 31st Circuit Court pleadings are accepted through it. The rule sits under MCR 2.406.
The 31st Circuit Court electronic fax filing page lists the fees and cutoff times.
The fee is $10 plus 3.2% of the total filing fee, and the limit is 50 pages per submission. A pleading received at or before 4:15 p.m. on a county business day is filed that day. Anything after 4:15 p.m. is filed the next business day. The electronic document counts as an original, so filers should not also mail it. Processing can take up to 24 business hours, and a confirmation email returns a time-stamped first page.
Note: Because the fax-filed document is treated as the original, mailing a duplicate copy can create a double filing and slow the case.
St. Clair County Court Payments Online
People with a 31st Circuit Court balance can pay restitution, fines, and costs online. The Clerk's payment form covers these criminal case obligations. To use it, you need the case number, which you can find by searching party names in the county web inquiry group. The circuit case number follows the 99-000000-XX format.
The electronic payments page handles restitution, court fines, and costs.
The form collects the case number, payment amount, defendant name, and payer name, email, and phone. It charges a $5 fee plus 3.2% of the payment. Payments are allocated under MCL 780.766a, which governs how certain restitution and criminal payments are split. Only 31st Circuit Court balances can be paid through this page.
The St. Clair County Genealogy Room
The Clerk runs a genealogy room for family history research. It is open by appointment only. Records reach far back, but access rules differ by record type because of state health department updates. Only the death and marriage indexes are open to the public right now. The birth index is not public.
Researchers can view an index entry and then buy a copy for more detail. Cameras and video recording are not allowed in the room. The coverage dates below show how deep the collection runs.
| Record Type | Coverage | Public Index |
|---|---|---|
| Marriages | 1839 to present | Yes, index open |
| Births | 1867 to present | No, index not public |
| Deaths | 1868 to present | Yes, index open |
Note: Finding a name in the open death or marriage index is only the first step, since any added detail on that record requires buying a copy from the Clerk.
Other St. Clair County Clerk Services
Beyond court copies, the County Clerk delivers a wide slate of public services. Many share the same online request style as the court forms. These touch land records, licensing, and civic life across the county.
- Birth and death certificate requests for St. Clair County vital records
- Concealed pistol license and notary applications
- Elections, jury, and business form filings
- Register of Deeds recording for land documents
- DD-214 military discharge filing during normal business hours
The office no longer processes veteran's cards. That work moved to the Veteran's Office, which can be reached at (810) 989-6945. The Clerk still files DD-214 military records during regular hours.