Bay County Warrant Records Bay County Warrant Records

Most questions about an official Bay County warrant belong with a court clerk or the sheriff's Records Division, not with us. The routing below sends each kind of question to the office that actually keeps the answer. We cannot confirm a warrant, recall one, or take a payment for anyone.

This Is Not a Government or Law Enforcement Office. Bay County Warrant Records is a private reference site. We cannot confirm whether a warrant exists, recall or clear a warrant, post bond, arrange a surrender, or give legal advice for anyone. For any of those, reach the issuing court or the sheriff's office directly.

Need Official Warrant Information?

Here is where the questions people ask most often end up in Bay County:

  • Whether a warrant exists: the court that issued it. The 74th District Court covers traffic, civil infractions, misdemeanors, and city ordinance matters countywide, and the clerk can speak to the docket it keeps.
  • A bench warrant for a missed court date: the court that set the case in the first place, which is usually the 74th District Court and is the Friend of the Court for a child-support matter.
  • Resolving or clearing a warrant: a licensed Michigan attorney and the issuing court, for a recall, a voluntary appearance, or a bond decision.
  • An arrest warrant tied to a charge: the issuing court sets the charge and the bond, and the county sheriff's office serves the warrant.
  • A custody or jail question: the sheriff's office at (989) 895-4050, or the county's VINELink route for current custody.
  • A public-records request: the county's FOIA coordinator for records the sheriff's office created, and the clerk for a court file.

For records the Sheriff's Office itself creates, the front counter is the Records Division.

Sheriff's Office Records Division503 Third Street, Bay City, MI 48708 · (989) 895-4050 · Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
74th District Court1230 Washington Avenue, Suite 747, Bay City, MI 48708 · (989) 895-4232
18th Circuit Court1230 Washington Avenue, Suite 725, Bay City, MI 48708 · (989) 895-4265
Probate and Family Court1230 Washington Avenue, Suite 715, Bay City, MI 48708 · (989) 895-4205 · Juvenile Division (989) 895-4206
Friend of the CourtCounty court facility, PO Box 856, Bay City, MI 48707 · automated line (989) 895-4295
County FOIA coordinator515 Center Avenue, Suite 402, Bay City, MI 48708 · foia@baycountymi.gov · fax (989) 895-2094

A court file and a county record are not the same thing. Michigan courts are not public bodies under the Freedom of Information Act, so a docket, a warrant order, or a certified copy comes from the clerk who keeps it, and public access to those files follows Michigan Court Rule 8.119. Records the sheriff's office holds are requested under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231, through the coordinator listed above. The county accepts requests through its FOIA public portal, and it answers within five business days, with a possible ten-day extension. Plan on a deposit when an estimate runs past $50.