Frequently Asked Questions

You are required by law to return the completed Jury Questionnaire to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684. Failure to return the questionnaire will cause you to be summoned to court. Failure to respond to the summons may lead to your arrest and imposition of a fine or costs.

Fill out the questionnaire that has the name you prefer and write "duplicate" at the top of the 2nd questionnaire that you are not filling out. Return both questionnaires to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684.

Mark "deceased" on the questionnaire and return it to the Jury Board at 400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102, Traverse City, MI 49684. We try to avoid this situation, please accept our apology.

Forward the questionnaire to your son/daughter at college and have him/her mail the questionnaire to the Jury Board at:

400 Boardman Ave., Ste. 102

Traverse City, MI 49684

If selected for jury service, the court will mail a summons for jury duty approximately 2 weeks prior to the scheduled trial.

If summoned for a trial when he/she is at college, he/she can call the Circuit Court Clerk at 231-922-4710 for further instructions and may be rescheduled to serve during a holiday or summer break.

If you have lost or damaged your questionnaire, please contact the relevant County Clerk Office and request another copy. The Antrim County Clerk phone number is 321-533-6353. The Grand Traverse County Clerk phone number is 231-922-4710. The Leelanau County Clerk phone number is 231-256-9824.

The jury selection process generally takes a 1/2 day. If you are actually selected as a juror in a case, the average length of a trial is 2 - 3 days.

Each case is handled individually and depends upon whether your circumstances fall within the statutory provisions for an excuse from service based upon undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. Upon receiving a summons, you need to direct a letter to the Circuit Court Administration Office for review by the presiding Judge. Be specific and provide financial, medical and/or other proof regarding your hardship. If prepaid travel is the source of hardship, please provide copies of your pre-paid airline tickets or other reservations.

The following are the addresses for County Clerk Offices by County:

Antrim County Clerk

P.O. Box 520

203 E Cayuga Street

Bellaire, MI 49615

Grand Traverse County Clerk, Court Records

280 Washington Street

Suite 206

Traverse City, MI 49684

Leelanau County Clerk

8527 E Government Center Drive

Suite 103

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Each case is handled individually and depends upon whether your circumstances fall within the statutory provisions for an excuse from service based upon undue or extreme physical or financial hardship. Upon receiving a summons, you need to direct a letter to the Circuit Court Administration Office for review by the presiding Judge. Be specific and provide financial, medical and/or other proof regarding your hardship.

Correspondence should be directed to:

Antrim County Clerk

P.O. Box 520

203 E Cayuga Street

Bellaire, MI 49615

Grand Traverse County Clerk

280 Washington Street

Suite 206

Traverse City, MI 49684

Leelanau County Clerk

8527 E Government Center Drive

Suite 103

Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Michigan law prohibits an employer from terminating, disciplining, threatening or taking adverse actions against an employee because that employee received or responded to a jury summons. An employee may not be required or requested to use annual, vacation, personal, or sick leave for time spent responding to a jury summons, time spent participating in the jury selection process, or time spent actually serving on a jury.

However, the law does not require your employer to pay you wages while you are on jury duty. Many employees are paid wages while on jury duty because it is a negotiated contract provision. Please check with your supervisor to answer this question.

Jury Service is compensated by the Court (District, Circuit or Probate) in which you are selected for.  Please contact them for current compensation rates. 

Yes, unless you reported for jury service within the last year or you do not meet 1 of the other qualifications. Reported means you appeared in the jury room on an assigned date as instructed by the court. If you received a summons and your number was never selected to come in, then you did not report.

If you do not know the year you previously served, place a question mark in the blank on the questionnaire for the year. The jury staff will check your prior service.

Find your election voting location with the link provided.

Subscribe to our Notify Me service.

The CodeRED database contains information received from public databases, including regional phone books. However, no resident should assume that their information is in the system. Click this link to go to the CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment page where you can enroll in the system. 

CodeRED is a service of Emergency Communications Network which takes security and privacy concerns very seriously. They will not sell, trade, lease or loan any citizen supplied data to 3rd parties.

Grand Traverse County arraignments are being held via Zoom beginning at 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. In custody arraignments begin at 1:00 p.m. Use the YouTube link for Magistrate Tammi Rodgers.

Antrim County arraignments are being held via Zoom beginning at 9:00 a.m. each Tuesday. Use the YouTube link for Magistrate Sarah Lorigan.

Leelanau County arraignments are being held via Zoom beginning at 9:00 a.m. each Tuesday.  Use the YouTube link for Magistrate Norene Kastys.

At the time of your arraignment, you are given an Advice of Rights. When your case is called, the Judge will ask you if you have read and understand your rights. You will be informed of the charges and asked how you intend to plea. At this time you may request a court appointed attorney if you cannot afford one. The initial plea is taken and the next court date is assigned.

Grand Traverse County Probation is located in:

Robert P. Griffin Hall of Justice

280 Washington Street

Lower Level

Traverse City, MI 49684

You must pass through security (including metal detectors) and take the stairs or elevator to the lower level. There are blue tiles on the floor that will lead you to District Court Probation.

In Antrim County and Leelanau County the probation staff can be found within the District Court office. Please refer to the staff directory for the appropriate address.

If you miss an appointment with a Probation Officer, you should call them immediately. Please be advised that missing a court ordered appointment may result in a warrant for your arrest.

After sentencing, a Probation Officer supervises the defendant to ensure the court order is being followed. The Probation Officer will refer the defendant to appropriate agencies so the defendant can fulfill the court’s requirements.

If the court order is not followed, the Probation Officer may issue a bench warrant or set a court date for the defendant to be seen on a Probation Violation.

Yes, however, partial payments will not prevent your license from being suspended if the ticket is not paid in full prior to the suspension deadline. You will receive a suspension warning notice prior to your license actually suspending. Late fees will automatically be added to your balance after 56 days.

Once your license is suspended, a $45 reinstatement fee is also added. Payments on tickets in suspension must be made with cash or money order.

If you are at a place of business, you can go inside the business and ask to have the vehicle owner paged. If you notice a dog in a car and you feel that the temperature inside the car is not acceptable and the dog does not appear to be properly cared for (having food, water, and acceptable temperature) or is in distress, please contact Central Dispatch at 231-922-4550.

Burn permits are issued by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the purpose of burning large amounts of brush or natural vegetation. For more information, please visit the

Job postings are available on our website.  

Property must meet 1 of these 4 criteria: a property is a "facility" as defined by part 201, Environmental Remediation of the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, 1994 PA 451 as amended; a property is "blighted;" or a property is "functionally obsolete or a historic resource."

An eligible activity is:

• Baseline Environmental Activities (BEA) "Phase I ESA" and "Phase II ESA"
• Due Care Activities
• Response Activities
• Hazardous Material Surveys and Abatement
• Demolition 
• Site Preparation
• Infrastructure Improvements

The Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) only captures the property taxes paid by the developer on the additional taxable value as assessed and created by the new investment made to the property. The increased portion of tax revenues, or the "tax increment," is temporarily "captured" by the BRA to reimburse the developer for eligible activities up to a maximum of  30 years.

After the developer has been repaid for eligible activities, the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) can collect the incremental increase in the property taxes for an additional 5 years. Collection of state property taxes can be 5 years or up to the amount approved by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for eligible activities. Local tax can be captured for up to 5 years after repayment is complete. State-approved Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) activities cannot be captured into the LBRF, only EGLE activities.

Use of funds can only be used for eligible activities on eligible property. If state funds are used, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) approval must be received.

Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Neither the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office nor the Grand Traverse County Jail offer public fingerprinting services.  You may contact neighboring sheriff's offices to see if they offer the service.

We recommend visiting the IdentoGO website by clicking HERE, or contact Third Coast Identity, 1776 S. Garfield Avenue, Traverse City, (231) 715-1532, who offer Live Scan fingerprinting services.

The Jail lobby hours are normally Monday thru Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm.

Due to privacy issues, our Department does not fax accident reports. Those wishing to obtain a copy of an accident report should contact their insurance company or request the report through the Sheriff’s Office. See the Records Division page for more information.

False, the insurance company must request the report.  You may choose to get pick up a copy from our Central Records Division at 851 Woodmere Avenue, for a fee.

Accident reports cost $5 each, NO CASH.  Payment can be made by check, money order or debit/credit cards for an additional nominal fee.

A form is available at our front desk to complete a request for a non-traffic report. There are fees associated with the request. Payment must be in the form of a check, money order or debit/credit card for an additional nominal fee. You can fax your request to 231-995-5010 or email your request to sherifffoia@gtsheriff.org. Be sure to include, in detail, what you are requesting and your contact information in case we have any questions. The requests are reviewed to determine if the requested information can be given legally and within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.

The defendant or the defendant’s attorney can contact the Prosecutor Attorney’s Office at 231-922-4600 to obtain a copy.  There may be a fee associated with this.

The accident report must be requested. This can be done in writing or in person when our lobby is open. There is presently a $5 fee to obtain a copy of the accident report. Payment can be made by check, money order or debit/credit card for an additional nominal fee.

No. Neither, the local treasurer, County Treasurer, nor State treasurer has authority to waive interest or penalties. Michigan law holds the taxpayer responsible to know that taxes are paid on time.

No, forfeiture is not foreclosure. If your property is in forfeiture, you still have a year before it will be foreclosed. However, the interest and fees will be higher. When a property is forfeited, the interest rate goes from 1% per month to 1.5% per month, back to the date the taxes became delinquent. A $175 title search fee is added along with other notice fees.  We will record a Certificate of Forfeiture with the Grand Traverse County Register of Deeds, so it will come up on any title searches.

Even if you can't pay your taxes all at once, you can still make partial payments. Each payment will reduce the amount of interest that is added each month. The final payment must be made prior to the foreclosure date. Make your check or money order payable to the Grand Traverse County Treasurer. To ensure your payment is applied to your parcel, please write your parcel number on your check or money order along with the year you intend to pay. The mailing address is: 

Grand Traverse County Treasurer 

400 Boardman Avenue STE 104 

Traverse City, MI 49684

Yes, at least 5 notifications will be made. 2 will be by first class mail, 2 by certified mail and the last notification will be delivered by personal service. In addition to these notifications, names and addresses of delinquent property owners may be published in the Traverse City Record Eagle.

Yes, once you are notified of the foreclosure you will need to fill out “Notice of Claim” no later than July 1.  The following February after the property is sold you need to file a motion with the court requesting any remaining proceeds.  At the hearing the judge will review the claim and order any appropriate refund.

Your initial tax bill is sent by your local township/city/village treasurer. Any questions or concerns regarding your current taxes must be directed to your local Treasurers' office. 

Notify your township, city, or village office as soon as possible.

Contact your local township/city/village assessor's office. 

• From July 1 to February 28 – all current year taxes (summer/winter/villages) - pay your township, city, or village treasurer.
• March 1 – taxes are now delinquent (both Summer & Winter) - pay the Grand Traverse County Treasurer.
• Prior Year/Delinquent Taxes – pay the Grand Traverse County Treasurer.

Although the mortgage company is responsible for paying your taxes, they sometimes get missed. Watch your mortgage statements or call your local treasurer to check that your taxes are being paid promptly. Michigan law holds the property owner responsible.

Yes. Tax payments are quite often missed during the transitional time following a refinance. Be sure that your mortgage company is paying the taxes, as they should. Again, the taxpayer is ultimately responsible for seeing that the taxes are paid.

The Construction Code office hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of national holidays.

You may apply using the online portal by clicking the square labeled EPIC GT PORTAL on the main page of the construction codes website.  An application can also be obtained from this website or you may pick an application up in our office. The application must be filled out, and payment is required at that time.

The permit fees are determined based on the type of work being done and what items are chosen in the fee chart. The fee chart is at the bottom of each of those particular applications. These fees do not pertain to building permits.

The Construction Code Office accepts cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.  Invoices are emailed with a link in the body of the email where you can pay by credit card or electronic check.   For security purposes, we do not accept payments over the telephone.

Yes,  on the home page for Construction Codes select the square labeled EPIC GT PORTAL.  You will be required to register with EPIC-GT, and then can apply for permits, upload plans and other required documents, pay for permits, and request inspections.

No, for your protection we will no longer keep any credit card information on file.

Contractor do not register with the Construction Code Office.  All permit applications require the contractors license number.  We check this number against the State of Michigan licensing agency's database.  

A plan review application must be completed and submitted along with 2 full size sets of sealed drawings (hard copies), energy report for electrical and mechanical plans, and the review fee of $75/trade. The plan review time is a minimum of 2 weeks for each trade but may take longer depending on the size of the plans. A permit will not be issued until the plan review has been completed, approved, and the permit has been paid for. 

Commercial projects need to have a fire department plan review if your project is in East Bay or Acme townships you will need to contact Grand Traverse Metro Fire. Projects in City of Traverse City need to contact Traverse City Fire Department. Projects in Blair township need to contact Blair Township Fire Department.

Powered by Froala Editor

The cost to the applicant for an electrical, mechanical, or a plumbing plan review is $75 and must be paid before the plan review process begins. 

The types of inspections depend on the work being performed. If the work will be covered up at some point typically, you will need a rough and a final inspection. If you are not sure you may call or come in to speak with an inspector between 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m weekdays.

You may request inspections on your permits using the EPIC-GT portal or by calling the inspection line and leaving a message.  For any permit pulled prior to July 2020, have your permit number readily accessible and call our office at 231-995-6044 to schedule the inspection 24-48 hours prior. **Timed inspections, such as ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT/RECONNECT or SEWER/WATER CONNECTIONS must be called in as we perform a limited number of them each day.

Powered by Froala Editor

All dogs must be licensed at:

-Four month of age or older, or

-New residents of Grand Traverse County (within 30 days), or

 -Newly acquired (within 30 days)

A license is required even when the dog is always kept indoors or on a farm.

It is Michigan Law that every dog is licensed. It verifies and identifies that your dog is up to date on it rabies vaccination. It provides additional identification for Animal Control and citizens to return your dog quickly should it be found.

>Yes. Michigan law requires that all dog be licensed. A dog license is the only ID that can be traced quickly by Animal Control Officers. 

Yes. Michigan law states that all dog over the age of 4 months of age be properly licensed.

Yes. Michigan law specifies that dogs need to be licensed in the county that it resides. The license must be purchased within 30 days of residency. If your dogs license is currently valid, please mail the current license and paperwork to: Grand Traverse County Treasurer's Office, 400 Boardman Ave STE 104, Traverse City, MI 49684, and we may be able to replace it for free. 

Please contact our office at (231) 922-4735, and we will replace it free of charge.

It can take us a couple of weeks to reconcile with our local veterinarians who partner with us and sell our licenses. We may have printed the renewal notice before you renewed your dog's license at the veterinarian or updated our database.

If you currently have a puppy, one year, or three year license it will expire the same MONTH of your dog’s rabies vaccination.

Both dogs rabies may not expire in the same month. Licenses expire in the month the rabies expire. 

You can call our office at 231-922-4735, or email us at treasurer@gtcountymi.gov 

No. Licenses are not able to be transferred to a different dog. Since we go by the rabies vaccination month, the dog’s rabies dates will be different.

No. Whenever the ownership or possession of any dog is permanently transferred from one person to another within the same county, the license of the dog can likewise be transferred. Please contact the Treasurer’s office at (231) 933-4735 so we can update our records.

Yes, service dogs are required to have a license. We will license them free of charge if you come into our office and show proof that they dog is an active service dog. Examples of acceptable proof would be the service dog contract, a certified service dog card, or the identification badge issued by Paws with a Cause.

In order to get a dogs license without getting a rabies shot we would need a rabies waiver filled out as to why the dog cannot get a rabies shot, along with a signature of the veterinarian.  Please contact our office for a rabies waiver.  Once you have the waiver, please mail it along with payment to: Grand Traverse County Treasurer's Office, 400 Boardman Ave STE 104, Traverse City, MI 49684. We will then contact our animal control officer and they will decide if the dog can get a license without a rabies shot.

Yes, Michigan law requires that dogs wear their tag at all times, except when the dog is engaged in lawful hunting accompanied by its owner or custodian.

• You could receive a citation.

No there is no late fee but the license will expire the same month as your dog’s rabies vaccination. So if your dog’s rabies expiration is 10/31/2020 and you’re buying a 1 year tag in December 2020, that tag will expire 10/31/2021.

The prices are as follows:

• 1 year spayed/neutered: $15
• 1 year male/female: $30
• 3 year spayed/neutered: $30
• 3 year male/female: $60
• Puppy- 8 months and younger: $8

Stop by our office(400 Boardman Ave, Traverse City, MI 49684) or one of our authorized Licensing Locations.  Please bring your dogs current/valid rabies certificate. A certificate of sterilization is also required if the information is not stated on the rabies certificate or is incorrect.  Rabies certificates will be returned to you for your records.  

*Per Michigan Law the Rabies shot is required to be administrated by a certified veterinarian*