Wayne County Phone Directory Search

Wayne County holds more public records than any other county in Michigan. With a population of nearly 1.8 million, the county keeps court files, property deeds, vital records, and government contacts across dozens of offices in the Detroit metro area. The Wayne County phone directory covers the County Clerk, Register of Deeds, Third Judicial Circuit Court, 36th District Court, and the county treasurer. You can search many of these records online for free. Some need a paid account or an in-person visit. This guide lists each office, what records they hold, how to search them, and how to reach the right person by phone or email.

Wayne County Clerk Phone Directory

Lisa L. Brown serves as the Wayne County Clerk. Her office handles vital records, court filings, and a range of public documents. The main office is at 400 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, MI 48226. Call (313) 224-6262 for general questions. The fax line is (313) 224-2251. You can also email clerk@waynecounty.com. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The clerk keeps birth, death, and marriage records going back to 1867. Birth and death records from 1867 to 1910 are open to the public. Records from 1911 on are restricted under MCL 333.2815-333.2861 of the Michigan Public Health Code. That means only the person named on the record, a parent, or a legal rep can get copies of recent birth and death files. Marriage records from 1911 to the present are public. Each copy costs $22 from the Wayne County phone directory office, which is less than the state rate of $34. You can search the Wayne County vital records index through the online portal, filter by name, date range, or document type, and order copies with a credit card.

Wayne County also keeps a death records database covering 1867 to 1910 at wcrs.waynecounty.com. This free tool shows the full name, date of death, age, place of death, and sometimes the cause and parents' names. It is a good starting point for old records.

Phone Directory for Wayne County Register of Deeds

Bernard J. Youngblood runs the Wayne County Register of Deeds. The office is in the International Center Building at 400 Monroe Street, 7th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226. The main phone line is (313) 224-5854. Fax goes to (313) 967-4070. For billing questions, email RODFinance@waynecountymi.gov. Staff are on site Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Wayne County Register of Deeds public search system at wayne.mi.publicsearch.us covers recorded documents from 1915 to the present. You can search by property address, parcel number, owner name, document type, subdivision, date range, book and page (for records before 1982), or instrument number (1983 on). The index search is free. Document viewing costs $30 for a one-hour session or $70 for three hours. Copies are $2 per page. Certified copies run $10 each. The system holds warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgages, mortgage discharges, lis pendens, judgment liens, mechanic's liens, probate deeds, land contracts, easements, plats, and condo master deeds. Each record shows grantor and grantee names, legal description, property address, sale price if listed, recording date, and document number.

The Wayne County phone directory for property records is one of the most complete in Michigan. The Register of Deeds website shows the search portal where you can look up deeds and liens by name or address.

That screenshot shows the Wayne County Register of Deeds site. You can start a search right from the main page with just a street name or owner last name.

Wayne County Property Tax Phone Directory

The Wayne County property tax search is a separate tool from the Register of Deeds. It shows current and past tax bills, payment status, and delinquent amounts. Enter a street name with at least three letters to start. You can also search by parcel ID with dashes or pick a municipality from the drop-down list. Results show the owner name, property address, mailing address, parcel ID, assessed value, taxable value, tax amounts by year, payment status, and any special assessment districts.

You can pay Wayne County property taxes online. An e-check costs $0.50. Credit cards carry a 2.5% fee. You can also pay by mail or in person at the treasurer's office. The Wayne County phone directory for tax questions connects to the same office that runs this search tool.

The Wayne County tax search portal is shown below. It lets you pull up any parcel in the county by name or address.

Use this tool to check if a property has unpaid taxes before buying. Delinquent amounts show up in the results along with the full payment history.

Note: Detroit residents can also search property data through the city assessor at bsaonline.com, which shows assessed values, building details, sales history, and zoning info for free.

Wayne County Court Records Directory

Wayne County has two main courts. The Third Judicial Circuit Court handles big cases. The 36th District Court covers smaller matters in Detroit. Both keep phone directory contact lines for public access to case records and court schedules.

The Third Judicial Circuit Court sits at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226. Call (313) 224-5261 for general info. The civil division is at (313) 224-5770. Criminal cases go to (313) 224-2255. Fax is (313) 224-7585. This court has jurisdiction over civil cases above $25,000, criminal felony cases, family law matters like divorce and custody, probate and estate cases, and some juvenile proceedings. You can search case records through the Odyssey Public Access system online. The system shows the register of actions, party names, case type, filing date, and status. Documents filed by the parties are not available online. You can view records at public access kiosks on the lower level of the Coleman A. Young building.

The 36th District Court is the busiest in Michigan. It is at 421 Madison Street, Detroit, MI 48226. The main phone number is (313) 965-2200. Fax is (313) 965-3951. Hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. The case inquiry system lets you search by party name, case number, or date range. It covers traffic violations, criminal misdemeanors, preliminary exams, small claims, and civil cases under $25,000 from 1990 to the present. Certain records are not available. Cases under MCL 333.7411 for first-time drug offenses, HYTA cases under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, sealed records, and expunged records do not show up in the Wayne County phone directory for court data.

Note: The 36th District Court case search is free, but document images are not available online. You must visit the court in person for copies.

Wayne County FOIA Phone Directory

The Michigan Freedom of Information Act under MCL 15.231-15.246 gives anyone the right to request government records from Wayne County. You do not need to live in Michigan. Any person or group can file a request. Maria Miller is the Wayne County FOIA Coordinator. She works in the Department of Corporation Counsel at 500 Griswold Street, Suite 1300, Detroit, MI 48226. Call (313) 224-6378 or fax (313) 224-6873. Email goes to foiacoordinator@waynecounty.com.

Wayne County must respond to FOIA requests within 5 business days. They can grant the request, deny it with a written reason, or ask for up to 10 more days. Standard fees are $0.10 per page for copies. Electronic files cost the price of the media used. Labor charges apply when a request takes a long time to search or redact. If the total will top $50, the county can ask for a deposit up front. Fee waivers are available for low-income requestors or when the records serve the public interest. If your request is denied, you can appeal within 180 days to the Office of the Ombudsman or take the matter to Circuit Court.

For police records in Detroit, FOIA requests go through a separate process. Send those to DPDFOIA@detroitmi.gov at the Law Department, 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 500, Detroit, MI 48226. The phone line is (313) 224-5505. Detroit handles over 9,500 FOIA requests each year.

How to Search Wayne County Records

The Wayne County phone directory gives you several ways to look up public records. Each office runs its own search tool. Here is what you can find and where to start.

• Property deeds and liens: Use wayne.mi.publicsearch.us for free index searches going back to 1915
• Property tax data: Go to pta.waynecounty.com for owner names, assessed values, and payment status
• Court cases (felonies, civil over $25K): Search the Third Judicial Circuit Court OPA system
• Court cases (misdemeanors, small claims, traffic): Use the 36th District Court case inquiry
• Vital records (birth, death, marriage): Contact the County Clerk at (313) 224-6262
• Government documents: File a FOIA request with Maria Miller at foiacoordinator@waynecounty.com

Most index searches are free. Document copies and certified records carry fees that vary by office. The Register of Deeds charges $30 for a one-hour viewing session. Court copies follow standard rates set by state law. The County Clerk charges $22 per vital record copy. Keep these numbers in mind when you plan your search through the Wayne County phone directory system.

Wayne County Cities Phone Directory

Wayne County covers 43 cities, townships, and villages across the metro Detroit area. Each city has its own clerk, police department, and district court. The larger cities have their own phone directory pages with local contact info and search tools. Smaller cities route most record requests through the Wayne County offices listed above.

Dearborn's city clerk is at (313) 943-2090 at 16901 Michigan Ave. The 19th District Court at (313) 943-2060 handles cases in Dearborn. Livonia's clerk can be reached at (734) 466-2237 at 33000 Civic Center Dr, and the 16th District Court at (734) 466-2500 covers that area. Westland runs its clerk office at (734) 467-3200 at 36600 Ford Rd, with the 18th District Court at (734) 595-2130. Canton Township's clerk is at (734) 394-5120 at 1150 S. Canton Center Rd, and the 35th District Court at (734) 397-8999 serves Canton. These are just some of the local phone directory contacts in Wayne County.

Nearby Counties in the Phone Directory

Wayne County borders several other counties in southeast Michigan. Each one has its own set of public records and phone directory contacts. If a person or property crosses county lines, you may need to search more than one county to get the full picture.