Civil Division

About the Division
The 86th District Court Civil Division (case types GC, GZ, LT, SP and SC) Imaging project is in full swing. The court no longer has paper files, however, we are not yet permitted by the State Court Administrators Office (SCAO) to accept E-filings.

The action for general civil, small claims or landlord-tenant must be filed in the District Court in the county where the premises are located.

Changes
The following changes are required when filing with Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties:

For All Case Types
  • Provide a single check for each transaction.
  • Unless specified below, do not send multiple copies of a document.
  • A separate judge copy will no longer be necessary.
  • Provide the court only the Request and Writ for Garnishment (PDF), Part 1 and 2, the filing fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Please do not sent to the court the disclosure fee and disclosure forms, but retain them for distribution upon the court issuing the Writ for Garnishment.
  • Provide 1 copy of the Default Judgment (PDF) with 1 return envelope the plaintiff with adequate postage and 1 envelope for the defendant with adequate postage.
  • Please do not staple the documents together.
  • If you use a dot matrix printer, ensure the ribbon is printing clearly (many documents are not readable after being scanned).
For General Civil Cases
  • Only 1 copy of the Summons (PDF) is necessary.
  • Provide 1 return envelope for the plaintiff with adequate postage.
  • Send only 1 Complaint (PDF) unless using the Court Process Servers.
For Landlord/Tenant Cases
  • Provide 1 return envelope for the plaintiff with adequate postage.
  • Provide 1 return envelope addressed to each defendant with adequate postage.
  • Provide 2 copies of the Complaint, Lease and Notice to Quit (PDF) for each defendant.
There are 2 complaint forms for the Landlord/Tenant Cases:
For Small Claims Cases
  • Provide 1 return envelope for the plaintiff with adequate postage.