Kent County Phone Directory Search

The Kent County phone directory gives you a way to look up public records held by offices across the county. Court cases, property data, vital records, and clerk contact details are all within reach through Kent County systems. Grand Rapids serves as the county seat, and most county offices sit along Monroe and Ottawa avenues downtown. Whether you need to check a case filing at the 17th Circuit Court or pull up a parcel through the Kent County property search tool, this page has the phone numbers, addresses, and links you need. Kent County keeps records that go back to the 1840s in some cases, and many of them are now searchable from any device with a browser.

Kent County Clerk Phone Directory

Lisa Posthumus Lyons is the Kent County Clerk and Register. Her office sits at 300 Monroe Avenue NW in Grand Rapids. The phone number is (616) 632-7640, and the fax line is (616) 632-7645. Office hours run Monday through Friday. The Kent County Clerk website has forms, fee info, and instructions for requesting records by mail or in person.

The clerk handles vital records for all of Kent County. Birth certificates go back to 1867. Marriage records start even earlier, from 1845 to present. Death records are also on file from 1867 forward. Fees range from $15 to $25 per certified copy, depending on the type and age of the record. Mail requests take about 3 to 4 weeks. If you don't know the exact date, the clerk will search a 5-year window for you. Under MCL 333.2815, birth records less than 100 years old are restricted. Only the person named, a parent, or a legal representative can get a copy. Once a record hits 100 years old, anyone may request it. Death and marriage records are open to the public.

The Kent County phone directory for clerk services also covers business registrations, notary commissions, and election records. Contact the clerk at kcclerk@kentcountymi.gov for questions about any of these.

The Kent County Clerk page below shows the layout and tools on the official site.

You can use the site to find forms for vital record requests and learn about notary services the office provides.

Kent County Property Search Directory

Kent County runs a free property search tool that covers every parcel in the county. You can search by parcel number or by address. For address searches, include the direction prefix before the street name. So type "E Beltline" not just "Beltline." Skip street type words like avenue, court, or street. The search pulls real property data from both the Treasurer and Equalization offices.

Results show the property owner name, assessed value, taxable value, and tax amounts. Every taxable property in Kent County gets assessed at 50% of True Cash Value. Assessment notices go out each January, and the values are current as of March each year. Changes made after March won't show until the next April. If you want to check your own property tax estimate, the Kent County Assessor offers a property tax estimator tool through the Grand Rapids Assessor's website. Keep in mind that this directory covers assessment data for the entire county, not just Grand Rapids proper.

Below is a look at the Kent County property search page where you can start a parcel or address lookup.

The tool works from any device and does not charge a fee.

Kent County Court Records Lookup

The 17th Circuit Court handles civil, criminal, and family cases across Kent County. The courthouse is at 180 Ottawa Avenue NW in Grand Rapids. Call (616) 632-5220 for general info. The Circuit Court Clerk's Office is on the same floor at Suite 2400, with Amy Doering serving as Chief Deputy Court Clerk. That office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The direct line is (616) 632-5480 and the fax is (616) 632-5458.

Divorce records for Kent County go back to 1918 and are kept at the Circuit Court Clerk's Office at 180 Ottawa NW, Suite 2400. For records before 1918, you need to reach Western Michigan University Archives at East Hall Room 111 in Kalamazoo. Their phone number is 616-387-8490.

The 61st District Court also sits at 180 Ottawa Avenue NW. Its phone number is (616) 632-7770. This court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, civil cases up to $25,000, and small claims up to $6,500. The Kent County Probate Court is at the same address, reachable at (616) 632-5220.

You can search Kent County court cases through MiCOURT, the statewide system. Enter at least two letters of a last name to pull up results. The system covers circuit, district, and probate cases. Case type codes include CR for criminal, CB for civil, DR for domestic relations, and TR for traffic. Cases before 1995 may need a phone call to the clerk. The Kent County courts page on the official website is shown below.

Use MiCOURT for quick lookups and call the clerk for older filings or copies of documents that aren't posted online.

Kent County FOIA Phone Directory

Mary Hollinrake is the FOIA coordinator for Kent County. Reach her at (616) 632-7640 or by email at kcclerk@kentcountymi.gov. Under MCL 15.231-15.246, anyone can submit a FOIA request. You do not have to live in Kent County or even in Michigan. The county must respond within 5 business days. They can grant the request, deny it, or ask for up to 10 more business days on complex searches.

Standard fees are $0.10 per copied page. Certified copies cost $5.00 plus copying charges. Labor fees apply when searches take extra time. If your total will run over $50, the county can ask for a deposit. Fee waivers are available in some cases. If the county denies your request, you can appeal within 180 days.

Grand Rapids has its own FOIA process for city records. The city attorney handles those requests at (616) 456-3030 or foia@grcity.us. Police records go through the Grand Rapids Police FOIA page. The Kent County phone directory above covers county-level requests only.

Note: FOIA responses are valid for the date they are issued, so always check the response date on any records you receive.

Police Records in Kent County

The Grand Rapids Police Records Unit is at 1 Monroe Center Street NW. Call (616) 456-4177 for the Records Unit desk. Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM, Monday through Friday. They handle incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and audio or visual recordings from police activity.

If you are named in a report and it has been closed, you can pick up a copy at the counter with a valid photo ID. No FOIA needed for those. But some reports always require a FOIA request regardless of whether you are named. These include cases involving death, aggravated assault, and criminal sexual conduct. Accident reports cost $5.00 each. Incident reports are $10.00. A local public arrest check runs $10.00. Photos on CD are $10.00. Fingerprint cards cost $15.00 each, and LiveScan fingerprints are $61.50. Payment options include cash, check, and credit or debit cards.

Wyoming has its own police department. Their records line is (616) 530-7305 and the non-emergency dispatch is (616) 530-7300. The address is 2300 DeHoop Avenue SW in Wyoming.

Kent County District Court Directory

Kent County has several district courts that serve different parts of the county. Here is a breakdown of the main ones with their phone directory info:

• 61st District Court at 180 Ottawa NW, Grand Rapids: (616) 632-7770. Serves Grand Rapids.
• 62-A District Court at 2120 Plainfield NE, Grand Rapids: Covers Grand Rapids Township.
• 62-B District Court at 1155 28th Street SW, Wyoming: (616) 530-7515. Serves Wyoming and Byron Township.
• 63rd District Court at multiple locations serving various townships in Kent County.

Each court handles misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil cases up to $25,000, small claims up to $6,500, and felony arraignments. You can search any of these courts through MiCOURT using the link in the section above. Traffic citation payments are available online through Point and Pay. Drop boxes are at most court locations for after-hours payments.

Kent County Government Directory

The Kent County government website is the main hub for finding phone numbers, office addresses, and department links. You can browse by department name or search for a specific service. Below is the Kent County homepage where you can start your search.

The site covers everything from parks to public health, but the most used sections for phone directory searches are the Clerk, Courts, and Property Search pages. If you need a direct line to a Kent County office and can't find it on this page, the website has a full staff directory sorted by department.

Cities in Kent County

Kent County has two major cities with their own phone directory pages on this site. Each city runs its own clerk, police department, and district court with separate records and FOIA processes.

Grand Rapids is the county seat and the largest city in Kent County. The city clerk is at 300 Monroe Avenue NW, 2nd Floor. Call (616) 456-3010 for the clerk or (616) 456-4177 for police records. Wyoming sits just south of Grand Rapids. Their city clerk is at 1155 28th Street SW, reachable at (616) 530-7222. Both cities process FOIA requests through their own coordinators, separate from the county.

Nearby County Phone Directories

Looking for records in a county next to Kent? These neighboring counties each have their own clerk, courts, and property search systems.