Grand Rapids Phone Directory

The Grand Rapids phone directory covers public records held by city and county offices in Michigan's second largest city. Grand Rapids sits in Kent County, and the city runs its own clerk, police department, and court system with records you can search, request, or pick up in person. From case filings at the 17th Circuit Court to property data through the Kent County search tool, this phone directory page has the numbers, links, and steps you need to find what you are looking for. Most Grand Rapids city offices are along Monroe Avenue NW in the downtown area, and many records are now available through online search tools or FOIA requests.

Grand Rapids City Clerk Phone Directory

Joel Hondorp serves as the Grand Rapids City Clerk. His office is at 300 Monroe Ave NW, 2nd Floor. The phone number is 616-456-3010, and the fax line is 616-456-4607. You can also reach the clerk by email at cityclerk@grcity.us. Office hours run from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The clerk handles city commission records, election work, voter registration, business licenses, and the city archives. If you need a copy of a city record or want to check who holds a business license in Grand Rapids, this is the office to call first.

Business license records are kept in the same office. Call 616-456-3016 for questions about business licensing in Grand Rapids. The clerk also runs the boards and commissions appointment process for the city. All of these records are part of the Grand Rapids phone directory and can be reached at the same main address on Monroe Avenue.

The Grand Rapids city website is the main hub for finding phone numbers and department links. The page shown below gives you a look at what you can find on the site.

Use the site to search by department name or browse the full list of Grand Rapids city services and phone numbers.

Grand Rapids Police Records Directory

The Grand Rapids Police Records Unit is at 1 Monroe Center St NW. Call (616) 456-4177 to reach the desk. Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM, Monday through Friday. This unit handles incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, calls for service logs, and audio or visual recordings from police work. The Grand Rapids phone directory for police records starts here, and the staff can tell you what is on file and how to get a copy.

If your name is in a report and the case is closed, you can pick up a copy at the counter. Bring a current government-issued photo ID. No FOIA request is needed for those. But certain reports always need a FOIA filing no matter what. Cases that involve a death, aggravated assault, or criminal sexual conduct fall into that group. Under MCL 15.231-15.246, anyone has the right to file a FOIA request with the Grand Rapids Police Department. The agency must respond within 5 business days, though they can take up to 10 more days for complex requests.

The Grand Rapids Police Records Unit page has more details on what you can request and how the process works. Below is a look at that page.

You can also file a FOIA request online. The records unit takes requests by email, mail, or in person at the desk.

Grand Rapids Police Fee Schedule

The Grand Rapids Police Department charges set fees for copies of records and related services. Knowing these costs ahead of time saves you a trip. Here is what to expect when you request records from the phone directory at the police department.

Accident reports cost $5.00 each. Incident reports are $10.00 per copy. A local public arrest check runs $10.00. If you need photos on a CD, that is $10.00 as well. Fingerprint cards cost $15.00 each. LiveScan fingerprints run $61.50, though LiveScan for a concealed pistol license (CPL) is just $15.00. A license to purchase a firearm costs $5.00 per application, and notary services are $5.00 per application too.

You can pay with cash, check, credit card, or debit card. Money orders are also fine. One thing to keep in mind is that checks and credit cards must be presented by the person whose name is on the account. Bring a photo ID that matches. Third-party checks are not accepted at the Grand Rapids police records window.

Note: Fingerprinting services at the Grand Rapids Police Department are for city residents only, and you need to set up an appointment first.

Grand Rapids FOIA Phone Directory

Grand Rapids processes FOIA requests for police records through a dedicated online form. The Grand Rapids Police FOIA page lets you submit a request right from your browser. You can choose to receive copies, inspect records in person, or subscribe to get regular updates on a topic. Delivery options include pick up, mail, or email. The screenshot below shows the FOIA request page layout.

Once you file a request, Grand Rapids has 5 business days to respond. Electronic requests are counted as received the next business day after you send them. The city can grant your request, deny it, grant part of it and deny the rest, or issue an extension notice for up to 10 more business days. Standard copy fees are $0.10 per page. If the search takes extra time, labor charges may apply. Fee waivers can be granted in certain situations, especially if the records serve a public interest.

For non-police city records, contact the Grand Rapids city attorney at (616) 456-3030 or email foia@grcity.us. The Grand Rapids phone directory for FOIA covers both paths, but police and city records go through different coordinators.

Grand Rapids Court Records Search

Three courts serve Grand Rapids. The 17th Circuit Court handles civil, criminal, and family cases at the county level. The 61st District Court covers misdemeanors, traffic cases, civil matters up to $25,000, and small claims up to $6,500. The Probate Court deals with estates, guardianships, and related filings. All three sit at 180 Ottawa Avenue NW in Grand Rapids.

For the 17th Circuit Court, call 616-632-5220. The Circuit Court Clerk's Office is at Suite 2400 in the same building. Amy Doering is the Chief Deputy Court Clerk. That office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The direct line for the clerk is (616) 632-5480 and the fax is (616) 632-5458. Lisa Posthumus Lyons serves as Kent County Clerk and Register, and her office handles vital records and court filings for the whole county.

The 61st District Court can be reached at 616-632-7770. The Probate Court shares the same main number as the circuit court. You can search all Grand Rapids court cases through MiCOURT, the statewide case search tool. Enter at least two letters of a last name and pick the court. Case codes include CR for criminal, CB for civil, DR for domestic relations, and TR for traffic. Cases filed before 1995 may not be in the system, so call the clerk for older records.

Phone Directory for Grand Rapids Property Records

Property data in Grand Rapids is available through the Kent County Property Search tool. It covers every parcel in the county, including all of Grand Rapids. Search by parcel number for an exact match, or by street address. When searching by address, include the direction prefix before the street name. So type "E Beltline" instead of just "Beltline." Leave off words like avenue, court, or street. For numbered streets, try both formats. Type "1st" or "First St" to see what comes up.

Results show the property owner name, assessed value, taxable value, and tax amounts. Michigan law requires every taxable property to be assessed at 50% of True Cash Value. Assessment notices go out each January. The data is current as of March each year, so any changes made after March will not show until the next April. The Grand Rapids phone directory for property questions also includes the City Assessor at 300 Monroe Ave NW, 3rd Floor. Lindsey Post is the acting assessor. Call 616-456-3081 or email assessorgr@grcity.us. Walk-ins are welcome for public records with no appointment needed. The Grand Rapids Assessor website has a property tax estimator tool as well.

Grand Rapids Voter Registration Directory

Voter registration in Grand Rapids goes through the City Clerk's Elections Division. Call 616-456-3010 or email elections@grcity.us. The office is at 300 Monroe Ave NW, 2nd Floor. You can register to vote online through the Michigan Voter Information Center, by paper form, or in person at the clerk's office. The phone directory for voter services in Grand Rapids covers registration, status checks, absentee ballot requests, and polling place lookups.

Registration by mail must be postmarked at least 15 days before Election Day. In-person registration starts 14 days before the election and stays open through 8:00 PM on Election Day itself. Extended hours include the Saturday before the election from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. First-time Michigan voters who register by mail need to show a state-issued driver license number, a copy of a photo ID, or a copy of a paycheck stub, utility bill, or bank statement. That rule does not apply if you hand your form to the clerk in person.

You must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by election day, and a resident of Michigan and Grand Rapids for at least 30 days. Under MCL 168.492, voter registration records are public in Michigan, though certain personal details like your full date of birth may be restricted.

Grand Rapids Vital Records Phone Directory

Vital records for Grand Rapids are handled by the Kent County Clerk. Call (616) 632-7640 for birth, death, and marriage certificates. The office is at 300 Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids. Birth records go back to 1867. Marriage records start from 1845. Under MCL 333.2815, birth records less than 100 years old are restricted to the person named, parents, or legal representatives. Records over 100 years old are open to anyone. Death and marriage records are generally public.

Fees for certified copies from the Kent County Clerk range from $15 to $25 depending on the type and age of the record. Mail requests take about 3 to 4 weeks to process.

Kent County Phone Directory

Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County. Many records that cover Grand Rapids are kept at the county level by the Kent County Clerk, Register of Deeds, and court system. For a full list of county office phone numbers, addresses, and search tools, visit the Kent County phone directory page.

Nearby Cities Phone Directory

Wyoming sits just south of Grand Rapids and has its own city clerk, police department, and district court. If you need records from a nearby city in the Grand Rapids area, check the link below.