Michigan Divorce Laws: Residency, Waiting Period, Custody and Support
Michigan divorce rules: residency requirement, grounds, waiting period, filing fee, property division, alimony, custody, child support and uncontested divorce.
Quick answers for Michigan
- Residency requirement
- One spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days immediately before filing, and one spouse must have lived in the county where the case is filed for 10 days before filing. MCL 552.9; MCL 552.9f
- Waiting period
- No testimony can be taken to finish a divorce until 60 days after the complaint is filed. If there are dependent minor children under 18, the waiting period is 6 months from filing, although the court may shorten it to no less than 60 days in cases of unusual hardship or compelling… MCL 552.9f
- Dividing property
- Michigan is an equitable distribution state. On divorce, annulment or separate maintenance, the court may restore to either spouse all or part of the property that came to them through the marriage, or award its value in money, as it finds just and reasonable. MCL 552.19; MCL 552.401; MCL 552.23
- Filing fee
- Filing a civil action in circuit court, including a divorce, costs $150 plus a $25 electronic filing system fee. When custody or parenting time of a minor child is to be decided, an additional $80 fee is due at filing; MCL 600.2529(1)(a), (1)(d); Michigan Courts, Circuit Court Fee and Assessments Table (February 2025)
- When child support ends
- Child support generally ends at 18. A court may order support after 18 while the child is regularly attending high school full-time with a reasonable expectation of earning enough credits to graduate, and is living full-time with the parent receiving support (or at an institution), but… MCL 552.605b
Last verified: 2026-10-27
Filing for divorce
| Residency requirement | One spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days immediately before filing, and one spouse must have lived in the county where the case is filed for 10 days before filing. The 10-day county rule does not apply in certain cases where there is a risk that a minor child will be taken out of the United States by a spouse born in or a citizen of another country. If the defendant was not domiciled in Michigan when the case was filed or when the grounds arose, the filing spouse must also show that the couple lived together in Michigan as a married couple, or that the filing spouse lived in Michigan in good faith for 1 year before filing. Source: MCL 552.9; MCL 552.9f |
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| Grounds for divorce | Michigan is a no-fault state. The only ground is that there has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved. The complaint may not explain the grounds beyond this statutory language, and the court grants the divorce when that evidence is presented in open court. Source: MCL 552.6 |
| Waiting period | No testimony can be taken to finish a divorce until 60 days after the complaint is filed. If there are dependent minor children under 18, the waiting period is 6 months from filing, although the court may shorten it to no less than 60 days in cases of unusual hardship or compelling necessity. Source: MCL 552.9f |
| Filing fee | Filing a civil action in circuit court, including a divorce, costs $150 plus a $25 electronic filing system fee. When custody or parenting time of a minor child is to be decided, an additional $80 fee is due at filing; if only child support is to be decided, the additional fee is $40. Fees can be waived or suspended for a person who cannot pay, and if the filing fee is waived for indigence, the e-filing fee must also be waived. Fee table: https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/court-administration/resources/cfee.pdf |
| Uncontested or simplified divorce | Michigan has no separate simplified divorce procedure. Every divorce uses the same no-fault ground and waiting periods. The defendant may admit the ground in an answer without explanation, but the court still requires evidence in open court before entering a judgment. Parties may also ask the court, with their first papers, not to open a Friend of the Court case, and the court must agree unless, for example, a party receives or applies for public-assistance child support (Title IV-D) services or asks for a Friend of the Court case. |
Property and alimony
| Dividing property | Michigan is an equitable distribution state. On divorce, annulment or separate maintenance, the court may restore to either spouse all or part of the property that came to them through the marriage, or award its value in money, as it finds just and reasonable. The court may also award a spouse all or part of property owned by the other spouse, as is equitable, if the spouse contributed to acquiring, improving or accumulating it. If the property awarded is not enough to support a spouse and the children in their care, the court may award more of the other spouse's property. The statutes reviewed do not define separate property. |
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| Alimony (spousal support) | The court may award spousal support if the property awarded is not enough for the suitable support of a spouse and the children in their care. Support may be paid in a lump sum or otherwise, as the court considers just and reasonable, after considering each spouse's ability to pay, the character and situation of the parties, and all other circumstances. Temporary support may be ordered while the case is pending. The court may end alimony when the recipient remarries, unless the judgment says otherwise. The statute sets no formula for amount or length. Source: MCL 552.23; MCL 552.13 |
Children: custody and support
| Child custody | Custody is decided by the best interests of the child, which is the sum of these statutory factors: emotional ties; each party's capacity to give love, guidance and education and to provide food, clothing, medical care and other needs; how long the child has lived in a stable home and the value of continuity; the permanence of the custodial home; moral fitness; mental and physical health; the child's home, school and community record; the child's reasonable preference, if the court considers the child old enough to express one; each party's willingness to encourage a close relationship with the other parent; domestic violence; and any other relevant factor. Parents must be told about joint custody, and the court must consider it if either parent asks. If parents agree on joint custody, the court must award it unless clear and convincing evidence shows it is not in the child's best interests. No specific age is set for the child's preference. Joint custody: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-722-26a Source: MCL 722.23; MCL 722.26a |
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| Emergency and temporary custody | Before a temporary order is entered, the court can issue an ex parte order (without first hearing the other side) if specific facts in an affidavit or verified pleading show that irreparable injury, loss or damage will result from the delay needed to give notice, or that notice itself will cause harmful action. A request for ex parte custody or parenting time must describe the child's established custodial environment and show either that the order will not change it or that clear and convincing evidence shows a change is in the child's best interest. If the order could change the established custodial environment, the court must schedule an evidentiary hearing within 21 days. The person who got the order must serve it within 3 days, and the other party has 14 days after service to file a written objection or a motion to modify or rescind it; otherwise it becomes a temporary order. |
| Grandparents' rights | A grandparent may ask for a grandparenting time order in specific situations, including when a divorce, separate maintenance or annulment between the parents is pending or has been granted; when the grandparent's child (the child's parent) has died; when the parents never married, do not live together, and paternity has been legally established; when someone other than a parent has legal custody or the child lives outside a parent's home; or when the grandparent provided an established custodial environment in the past year. The grandparent files a motion or complaint with an affidavit, and the parents may file opposing affidavits. Source: MCL 722.27b |
Child support
| Child support | Courts must set child support using the Michigan Child Support Formula developed by the State Friend of the Court Bureau. By law, the formula is based on the needs of the child and the actual resources of each parent and accounts for child care and health care costs. A court may deviate from the formula only if applying it would be unjust or inappropriate, and must state the formula amount, how and why the order differs, and the value of any property awarded instead. |
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| How to apply for child support | A parent, or anyone responsible for the care of a minor child, can apply for child support services through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Office of Child Support. The quickest way is the online application at Michigan.gov/MiChildSupport. You can also print and mail the paper IV-D Child Support Services Application/Referral (DHS-1201) to the Office of Child Support in Lansing or to a local MDHHS, Prosecuting Attorney or Friend of the Court office, or call 866-540-0008. People receiving cash or medical assistance are referred automatically. The handbook does not mention an application fee. |
| When child support ends | Child support generally ends at 18. A court may order support after 18 while the child is regularly attending high school full-time with a reasonable expectation of earning enough credits to graduate, and is living full-time with the parent receiving support (or at an institution), but never after the child reaches 19 years and 6 months. A request for this extended support can be filed any time before the child reaches 19 years and 6 months, and the order must end on the last day of a specified month. Support beyond these limits is enforceable only if the parents agreed to it. Source: MCL 552.605b |
| Changing a child support order | To change a support order, a parent can ask the Friend of the Court to review it or file a motion with the circuit court. The FOC must review an order on a party's written request, but does not have to act on more than one request from a party every 36 months; it also reviews public assistance and medical assistance cases at least every 36 months and can start a review itself for reasons such as an unordered change in custody, changed needs of the child, changed health care costs, changed finances, or an order based on incorrect facts. The FOC must seek a modification within 180 days if appropriate, but does not petition if the difference is below the minimum threshold set by the Michigan Child Support Formula. A party who disagrees with an FOC decision of no change can object in writing within 21 days to get a court hearing. |
| If child support isn't paid | The Friend of the Court (FOC) and Office of Child Support must begin enforcement when one month or more of support is past due. Tools include income withholding (required in all orders unless the parents and court agree otherwise); show cause (contempt) hearings and bench warrants; a surcharge on overdue support when the court finds willful nonpayment; credit bureau reporting once arrears reach two months of support; suspension of professional, sporting, recreational and driver's licenses when arrears reach two months; liens on real and personal property, financial assets and insurance proceeds; passport denial at $2,500; interception of state tax refunds (arrears of $150) and federal tax refunds ($150 in cash assistance cases, $500 otherwise); and booting the vehicle of a parent with a bench warrant. Failure to pay support can also be a felony, which the local prosecuting attorney handles. |
| Official child support calculator | Michigan child support is calculated under the Michigan Child Support Formula (MCSF), published by the State Court Administrative Office, Friend of the Court Bureau; the January 2025 Michigan Child Support Formula Supplement contains the current schedules and figures used with the formula. |
Separation, annulment, records and marriage
| Legal separation | Yes. A spouse may file an action for separate maintenance in circuit court on the same no-fault ground as a divorce. If the other spouse files a counterclaim for divorce and the ground is proven, the court enters a divorce instead of separate maintenance. Property may be divided and spousal support ordered in a separate maintenance judgment. |
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| Annulment | A marriage performed in Michigan is void if the spouses are too closely related by blood or marriage, if either spouse was already married, or if either spouse was not legally capable of marrying. A marriage is also void if a spouse was under the age of consent and the couple separated during that time and did not live together afterward, or if a spouse's consent was obtained by force or fraud and the couple did not voluntarily live together afterward. Either spouse may file in circuit court to have the marriage declared void, using the same procedure as a divorce. Children of a void marriage are legitimate. Source: MCL 552.1; MCL 552.2; MCL 552.3 |
| Common-law marriage | No, not for marriages formed on or after January 1, 1957. Since that date, consent alone does not create a legal marriage; it must be followed by a marriage license and a ceremony. Source: MCL 551.2 |
| Changing your name after divorce | When granting a divorce, the circuit court may, at the woman's request, restore her birth name or the surname she legally had before the marriage, or allow her to take another surname, if the change is not sought for a fraudulent purpose. Source: MCL 552.391 |
| Divorce records | Divorce records are not restricted in Michigan; anyone can request a search. The MDHHS Vital Records Office has records of Michigan divorces filed with the state since 1897 (some were never filed with the state). A mail request costs $34, which includes a one-year search and one certified copy or a no-record letter; additional years searched are $12 each, extra certified copies are $16 each, and rush processing is $12 more. Orders can also be placed online or by phone through VitalChek for an added fee. The state has only the record of divorce; for the actual divorce judgment, contact the county where the divorce was granted. |
Marriage and name changes
| Getting a marriage license | Couples get a license from the county clerk of the county where either party lives; if both live outside Michigan, from the clerk of the county where the wedding will take place. The applicant files a sworn application (affidavit) with the clerk, including each applicant's Social Security number unless exempt, and must show a birth certificate or other proof of age if the clerk asks. The license may not be delivered until 3 days after application (counting the application day), though the clerk may release it immediately for good cause for an extra county-set fee. The license is void unless the marriage takes place within 33 days after the application. The statutory fee is $20 (plus $10 if both parties are nonresidents); a probate court may order the fee waived for undue hardship, and a charter county over 1.5 million people may set a different fee. |
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| Minimum marriage age | An individual under 18 may not marry in Michigan, and a marriage entered into in Michigan by someone under 18 is void. The statute has no parental-consent or court-approval exception. Source: MCL 551.51, 551.103(1) |
| Legal name change | The family division of circuit court may change the name of a person who has lived in the county for at least 1 year, files a written petition, and shows a sufficient reason and no fraudulent intent. The petition must disclose any criminal record (or state that there is none). The court may decide with or without a hearing, and if it holds a hearing it orders publication under court rule, except that the court must order no publication and a confidential record when the petition shows good cause, presumed for victims of assaultive crime, domestic violence, harassment, human trafficking or stalking, or a person affirming gender identity. Source: MCL 711.1, 711.3 |
Adoption, guardianship and paternity
| Adoption requirements | A person who wishes to adopt a child or adult files a verified petition, together with his or her spouse if married, in the court of the county where the petitioner lives, where the adoptee is found, or where parental rights were terminated; the court may excuse a spouse's failure to join for good cause or in the child's best interest. In a direct placement, the petitioner must attach a preplacement assessment completed or updated within one year finding the petitioner suitable. Consent is required from each parent (unless rights were terminated, the child was released to an agency, or another exception applies) or from the agency, department or court with authority, and from a child over 14. After filing, the court directs a full investigation, with a written report due within 3 months. Source: MCL 710.24, 710.43, 710.46 |
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| Stepparent adoption | A parent with legal custody who is married to the stepparent petitioner joins the petition and does not sign a consent, and that parent's rights are not terminated. The other parent's consent is required unless the court terminates that parent's rights after notice and hearing on a showing that, for 2 years or more before the petition, the other parent, having the ability to do so, failed to provide regular and substantial support (or to comply with a support order) and regularly and substantially failed to visit, contact or communicate with the child. A child over 14 must consent. |
| Guardianship of a child | A person interested in the minor's welfare, or a minor 14 or older, may petition the probate court to appoint a guardian. The court may appoint one if the parents' rights are terminated or suspended (for example, by death, divorce judgment, incompetency, disappearance or confinement); if the parents let the child live with another person without giving that person legal authority and the child is not living with a parent when the petition is filed; or, for a child of never-married parents, if the custodial parent dies or is missing and the proposed guardian is a relative within the fifth degree. The court may order an investigation, and may order the parents to pay support and allow parenting time. Source: MCL 700.5204 |
| Guardianship of an adult | The probate court may appoint a guardian for an adult only if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person is incapacitated and that guardianship is necessary to provide continuing care and supervision. The court grants only the powers, and only for the time, needed for the demonstrated need, and must design the guardianship to encourage maximum self-reliance and independence. A limited guardian is appointed when the person can do some but not all self-care tasks; a full guardian only when the person is totally without capacity. A guardian may not exercise medical decision powers held by a patient advocate the person designated earlier, unless the court finds a problem with that designation. Source: MCL 700.5306 |
| Establishing paternity | For a child born outside marriage, the mother and the man (or, for assisted reproduction, the other intended parent) may sign an acknowledgment of parentage, notarized or witnessed by a qualifying disinterested adult (such as a hospital or court employee), at any time during the child's life. The original is filed with the state registrar, and a valid acknowledgment establishes parentage. The mother, acknowledged parent, an alleged father or the prosecuting attorney may file a court action to revoke an acknowledgment within 3 years after the child's birth or 1 year after signing, whichever is later, supported by an affidavit showing mistake of fact, newly discovered evidence, fraud, misrepresentation or duress. If the affidavit is sufficient, the court orders genetic testing, and the challenger must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the acknowledged parent is not the father. Michigan's statute sets a 3-year/1-year court revocation period rather than a 60-day administrative rescission. Source: MCL 722.1003, 722.1005, 722.1437 |
| Emancipation of a minor | A minor is emancipated by law at 18, while on active military duty, or if validly emancipated in another state. A minor at least 16 who lives in Michigan may petition the family division of circuit court in the county where he or she lives, with a sworn statement of ability to manage financial and personal affairs and an affidavit from a professional (such as a teacher, physician, clergy member or social worker) who believes emancipation is in the minor's best interest; the parents are served. The court grants it if it is in the minor's best interest and the minor shows (by a preponderance of the evidence) that the parents do not object or an objecting parent is not providing support, plus proof of employment or other support and housing. An emancipated minor has adult rights, such as making contracts and leases, keeping earnings, consenting to medical care and making a will, except age limits such as voting and alcohol. |
Where to get help in Michigan
Divorce & Family Law FAQ
How long do you have to live in Michigan to file for divorce?
One spouse must have lived in Michigan for 180 days immediately before filing, and one spouse must have lived in the county where the case is filed for 10 days before filing. The 10-day county rule does not apply in certain cases where there is a risk that a minor child will be taken out of the United States by a spouse born in or a citizen of another country. If the defendant was not domiciled in Michigan when the case was filed or when the grounds arose, the filing spouse must also show that the couple lived together in Michigan as a married couple, or that the filing spouse lived in Michigan in good faith for 1 year before filing.
Is Michigan a no-fault divorce state?
Michigan is a no-fault state. The only ground is that there has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved. The complaint may not explain the grounds beyond this statutory language, and the court grants the divorce when that evidence is presented in open court.
Is there a waiting period for divorce in Michigan?
No testimony can be taken to finish a divorce until 60 days after the complaint is filed. If there are dependent minor children under 18, the waiting period is 6 months from filing, although the court may shorten it to no less than 60 days in cases of unusual hardship or compelling necessity.
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Michigan?
Filing a civil action in circuit court, including a divorce, costs $150 plus a $25 electronic filing system fee. When custody or parenting time of a minor child is to be decided, an additional $80 fee is due at filing; if only child support is to be decided, the additional fee is $40. Fees can be waived or suspended for a person who cannot pay, and if the filing fee is waived for indigence, the e-filing fee must also be waived.
How do you get an uncontested divorce in Michigan?
Michigan has no separate simplified divorce procedure. Every divorce uses the same no-fault ground and waiting periods. The defendant may admit the ground in an answer without explanation, but the court still requires evidence in open court before entering a judgment. Parties may also ask the court, with their first papers, not to open a Friend of the Court case, and the court must agree unless, for example, a party receives or applies for public-assistance child support (Title IV-D) services or asks for a Friend of the Court case.
Is Michigan a community property state?
Michigan is an equitable distribution state. On divorce, annulment or separate maintenance, the court may restore to either spouse all or part of the property that came to them through the marriage, or award its value in money, as it finds just and reasonable. The court may also award a spouse all or part of property owned by the other spouse, as is equitable, if the spouse contributed to acquiring, improving or accumulating it. If the property awarded is not enough to support a spouse and the children in their care, the court may award more of the other spouse's property.
How is alimony decided in Michigan?
The court may award spousal support if the property awarded is not enough for the suitable support of a spouse and the children in their care. Support may be paid in a lump sum or otherwise, as the court considers just and reasonable, after considering each spouse's ability to pay, the character and situation of the parties, and all other circumstances. Temporary support may be ordered while the case is pending. The court may end alimony when the recipient remarries, unless the judgment says otherwise. The statute sets no formula for amount or length.
How is child custody decided in Michigan?
Custody is decided by the best interests of the child, which is the sum of these statutory factors: emotional ties; each party's capacity to give love, guidance and education and to provide food, clothing, medical care and other needs; how long the child has lived in a stable home and the value of continuity; the permanence of the custodial home; moral fitness; mental and physical health; the child's home, school and community record; the child's reasonable preference, if the court considers the child old enough to express one; each party's willingness to encourage a close relationship with the other parent; domestic violence; and any other relevant factor. Parents must be told about joint custody, and the court must consider it if either parent asks. If parents agree on joint custody, the court must award it unless clear and convincing evidence shows it is not in the child's best interests. No specific age is set for the child's preference.
How is child support calculated in Michigan?
Courts must set child support using the Michigan Child Support Formula developed by the State Friend of the Court Bureau. By law, the formula is based on the needs of the child and the actual resources of each parent and accounts for child care and health care costs. A court may deviate from the formula only if applying it would be unjust or inappropriate, and must state the formula amount, how and why the order differs, and the value of any property awarded instead.
Can you get a legal separation in Michigan?
Yes. A spouse may file an action for separate maintenance in circuit court on the same no-fault ground as a divorce. If the other spouse files a counterclaim for divorce and the ground is proven, the court enters a divorce instead of separate maintenance. Property may be divided and spousal support ordered in a separate maintenance judgment.
What are the grounds for annulment in Michigan?
A marriage performed in Michigan is void if the spouses are too closely related by blood or marriage, if either spouse was already married, or if either spouse was not legally capable of marrying. A marriage is also void if a spouse was under the age of consent and the couple separated during that time and did not live together afterward, or if a spouse's consent was obtained by force or fraud and the couple did not voluntarily live together afterward. Either spouse may file in circuit court to have the marriage declared void, using the same procedure as a divorce. Children of a void marriage are legitimate.
Does Michigan recognize common-law marriage?
No, not for marriages formed on or after January 1, 1957. Since that date, consent alone does not create a legal marriage; it must be followed by a marriage license and a ceremony.
Do grandparents have visitation rights in Michigan?
A grandparent may ask for a grandparenting time order in specific situations, including when a divorce, separate maintenance or annulment between the parents is pending or has been granted; when the grandparent's child (the child's parent) has died; when the parents never married, do not live together, and paternity has been legally established; when someone other than a parent has legal custody or the child lives outside a parent's home; or when the grandparent provided an established custodial environment in the past year. The grandparent files a motion or complaint with an affidavit, and the parents may file opposing affidavits.
How do you change your name back after a divorce in Michigan?
When granting a divorce, the circuit court may, at the woman's request, restore her birth name or the surname she legally had before the marriage, or allow her to take another surname, if the change is not sought for a fraudulent purpose.
At what age does child support end in Michigan?
Child support generally ends at 18. A court may order support after 18 while the child is regularly attending high school full-time with a reasonable expectation of earning enough credits to graduate, and is living full-time with the parent receiving support (or at an institution), but never after the child reaches 19 years and 6 months. A request for this extended support can be filed any time before the child reaches 19 years and 6 months, and the order must end on the last day of a specified month. Support beyond these limits is enforceable only if the parents agreed to it.
How do I file for child support in Michigan?
A parent, or anyone responsible for the care of a minor child, can apply for child support services through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Office of Child Support. The quickest way is the online application at Michigan.gov/MiChildSupport. You can also print and mail the paper IV-D Child Support Services Application/Referral (DHS-1201) to the Office of Child Support in Lansing or to a local MDHHS, Prosecuting Attorney or Friend of the Court office, or call 866-540-0008. People receiving cash or medical assistance are referred automatically.
What happens if you don't pay child support in Michigan?
The Friend of the Court (FOC) and Office of Child Support must begin enforcement when one month or more of support is past due. Tools include income withholding (required in all orders unless the parents and court agree otherwise); show cause (contempt) hearings and bench warrants; a surcharge on overdue support when the court finds willful nonpayment; credit bureau reporting once arrears reach two months of support; suspension of professional, sporting, recreational and driver's licenses when arrears reach two months; liens on real and personal property, financial assets and insurance proceeds; passport denial at $2,500; interception of state tax refunds (arrears of $150) and federal tax refunds ($150 in cash assistance cases, $500 otherwise); and booting the vehicle of a parent with a bench warrant. Failure to pay support can also be a felony, which the local prosecuting attorney handles.
How do you modify child support in Michigan?
To change a support order, a parent can ask the Friend of the Court to review it or file a motion with the circuit court. The FOC must review an order on a party's written request, but does not have to act on more than one request from a party every 36 months; it also reviews public assistance and medical assistance cases at least every 36 months and can start a review itself for reasons such as an unordered change in custody, changed needs of the child, changed health care costs, changed finances, or an order based on incorrect facts. The FOC must seek a modification within 180 days if appropriate, but does not petition if the difference is below the minimum threshold set by the Michigan Child Support Formula. A party who disagrees with an FOC decision of no change can object in writing within 21 days to get a court hearing.
How do you get emergency custody in Michigan?
Before a temporary order is entered, the court can issue an ex parte order (without first hearing the other side) if specific facts in an affidavit or verified pleading show that irreparable injury, loss or damage will result from the delay needed to give notice, or that notice itself will cause harmful action. A request for ex parte custody or parenting time must describe the child's established custodial environment and show either that the order will not change it or that clear and convincing evidence shows a change is in the child's best interest. If the order could change the established custodial environment, the court must schedule an evidentiary hearing within 21 days. The person who got the order must serve it within 3 days, and the other party has 14 days after service to file a written objection or a motion to modify or rescind it; otherwise it becomes a temporary order.
Are divorce records public in Michigan, and how do I get a copy?
Divorce records are not restricted in Michigan; anyone can request a search. The MDHHS Vital Records Office has records of Michigan divorces filed with the state since 1897 (some were never filed with the state). A mail request costs $34, which includes a one-year search and one certified copy or a no-record letter; additional years searched are $12 each, extra certified copies are $16 each, and rush processing is $12 more. Orders can also be placed online or by phone through VitalChek for an added fee. The state has only the record of divorce; for the actual divorce judgment, contact the county where the divorce was granted.
How do you get a marriage license in Michigan?
Couples get a license from the county clerk of the county where either party lives; if both live outside Michigan, from the clerk of the county where the wedding will take place. The applicant files a sworn application (affidavit) with the clerk, including each applicant's Social Security number unless exempt, and must show a birth certificate or other proof of age if the clerk asks. The license may not be delivered until 3 days after application (counting the application day), though the clerk may release it immediately for good cause for an extra county-set fee. The license is void unless the marriage takes place within 33 days after the application. The statutory fee is $20 (plus $10 if both parties are nonresidents); a probate court may order the fee waived for undue hardship, and a charter county over 1.5 million people may set a different fee.
What is the legal age to get married in Michigan?
An individual under 18 may not marry in Michigan, and a marriage entered into in Michigan by someone under 18 is void. The statute has no parental-consent or court-approval exception.
What are the requirements to adopt a child in Michigan?
A person who wishes to adopt a child or adult files a verified petition, together with his or her spouse if married, in the court of the county where the petitioner lives, where the adoptee is found, or where parental rights were terminated; the court may excuse a spouse's failure to join for good cause or in the child's best interest. In a direct placement, the petitioner must attach a preplacement assessment completed or updated within one year finding the petitioner suitable. Consent is required from each parent (unless rights were terminated, the child was released to an agency, or another exception applies) or from the agency, department or court with authority, and from a child over 14. After filing, the court directs a full investigation, with a written report due within 3 months.
How does stepparent adoption work in Michigan?
A parent with legal custody who is married to the stepparent petitioner joins the petition and does not sign a consent, and that parent's rights are not terminated. The other parent's consent is required unless the court terminates that parent's rights after notice and hearing on a showing that, for 2 years or more before the petition, the other parent, having the ability to do so, failed to provide regular and substantial support (or to comply with a support order) and regularly and substantially failed to visit, contact or communicate with the child. A child over 14 must consent.
How do you get guardianship of a child in Michigan?
A person interested in the minor's welfare, or a minor 14 or older, may petition the probate court to appoint a guardian. The court may appoint one if the parents' rights are terminated or suspended (for example, by death, divorce judgment, incompetency, disappearance or confinement); if the parents let the child live with another person without giving that person legal authority and the child is not living with a parent when the petition is filed; or, for a child of never-married parents, if the custodial parent dies or is missing and the proposed guardian is a relative within the fifth degree. The court may order an investigation, and may order the parents to pay support and allow parenting time.
How do you get guardianship of an adult in Michigan?
The probate court may appoint a guardian for an adult only if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person is incapacitated and that guardianship is necessary to provide continuing care and supervision. The court grants only the powers, and only for the time, needed for the demonstrated need, and must design the guardianship to encourage maximum self-reliance and independence. A limited guardian is appointed when the person can do some but not all self-care tasks; a full guardian only when the person is totally without capacity. A guardian may not exercise medical decision powers held by a patient advocate the person designated earlier, unless the court finds a problem with that designation.
How do you establish paternity in Michigan?
For a child born outside marriage, the mother and the man (or, for assisted reproduction, the other intended parent) may sign an acknowledgment of parentage, notarized or witnessed by a qualifying disinterested adult (such as a hospital or court employee), at any time during the child's life. The original is filed with the state registrar, and a valid acknowledgment establishes parentage. The mother, acknowledged parent, an alleged father or the prosecuting attorney may file a court action to revoke an acknowledgment within 3 years after the child's birth or 1 year after signing, whichever is later, supported by an affidavit showing mistake of fact, newly discovered evidence, fraud, misrepresentation or duress. If the affidavit is sufficient, the court orders genetic testing, and the challenger must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the acknowledged parent is not the father.
How do you legally change your name in Michigan?
The family division of circuit court may change the name of a person who has lived in the county for at least 1 year, files a written petition, and shows a sufficient reason and no fraudulent intent. The petition must disclose any criminal record (or state that there is none). The court may decide with or without a hearing, and if it holds a hearing it orders publication under court rule, except that the court must order no publication and a confidential record when the petition shows good cause, presumed for victims of assaultive crime, domestic violence, harassment, human trafficking or stalking, or a person affirming gender identity.
How does a minor get emancipated in Michigan?
A minor is emancipated by law at 18, while on active military duty, or if validly emancipated in another state. A minor at least 16 who lives in Michigan may petition the family division of circuit court in the county where he or she lives, with a sworn statement of ability to manage financial and personal affairs and an affidavit from a professional (such as a teacher, physician, clergy member or social worker) who believes emancipation is in the minor's best interest; the parents are served. The court grants it if it is in the minor's best interest and the minor shows (by a preponderance of the evidence) that the parents do not object or an objecting parent is not providing support, plus proof of employment or other support and housing. An emancipated minor has adult rights, such as making contracts and leases, keeping earnings, consenting to medical care and making a will, except age limits such as voting and alcohol.
Is there an official child support calculator in Michigan?
Michigan child support is calculated under the Michigan Child Support Formula (MCSF), published by the State Court Administrative Office, Friend of the Court Bureau; the January 2025 Michigan Child Support Formula Supplement contains the current schedules and figures used with the formula.
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.