Find Kalamazoo County DUI Records

Kalamazoo County DUI records are split between two court levels depending on the offense. The 9th Circuit Court at 227 W. Michigan Avenue handles felony OWI cases, and the 8th District Court at the same address handles first and second offense charges as misdemeanors. Michigan law labels drunk driving as OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) under MCL 257.625, so Kalamazoo County court records use that language throughout. Knowing the right court and the right tools makes searching these records much more straightforward.

9th Circuit Court - Felony OWI

The 9th Circuit Court is Kalamazoo County's court of general jurisdiction and handles felony-level OWI cases. It is located at 227 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, and can be reached at (269) 383-8840. The court's website is at kalamazoocounty.com/circuitcourt/. Felony OWI charges come in three main forms: a third or subsequent offense, OWI causing serious impairment of a body function, and OWI causing death. Michigan eliminated the 10-year lookback rule in 2007, so any third OWI conviction is a felony regardless of when the prior two occurred. Circuit Court records on these cases may include the information or indictment, pretrial motions, guilty plea transcripts, jury instructions, verdicts, and full sentencing orders with probation conditions.

Case lookups at the 9th Circuit Court are available through the statewide MiCOURT system. In MiCOURT, felony OWI cases from Kalamazoo County appear under case type code FD (Felony Drunk Driving). You can search by name or case number. MiCOURT shows case status, party names, hearing dates, and charge information, but actual court documents are not available online. To get copies of filings, you need to contact the clerk's office directly or visit in person.

The image below is from the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court website, which provides information on court services and records access for OWI and other criminal cases.

The circuit court's clerk office handles document requests, certified copies, and case file access for Kalamazoo County DUI records.

8th District Court Kalamazoo County DUI Records

The 8th District Court at 227 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, handles first and second offense OWI cases in Kalamazoo County. The main number is (269) 383-8800. This court sees the bulk of drunk driving cases in the county, including standard OWI at 0.08% BAC, High BAC (Super Drunk) at 0.17% or above, OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired), and OWPD (Operating With Presence of Drugs). Each of these has different penalty structures but all generate a public court record at the 8th District Court.

MiCOURT covers 8th District Court cases, with misdemeanor drunk driving appearing under codes OD and SD. The system is free and gives you basic case information without a fee. For a full criminal history rather than a single case lookup, ICHAT is the right tool. It costs $10 per search and returns all of Michigan's criminal history for a given person, including any Kalamazoo County OWI convictions. ICHAT is run by the Michigan State Police and draws from the statewide criminal history database that courts report into after each conviction.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff and Arrest Records

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office is located at 1500 Lamont Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 48048, and can be reached at (269) 488-8911. The Sheriff's Office makes drunk driving arrests in unincorporated parts of Kalamazoo County and handles bookings for some DUI cases originating with contracted agencies. Arrest records from the Sheriff's Office are separate from the court records held by the 9th Circuit and 8th District courts. An arrest record shows what happened during the stop and booking but does not include how the case was resolved.

FOIA requests to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office are processed under MCL 15.231, Michigan's Freedom of Information Act. The law requires a response within five business days. Copy fees generally run from $0.10 to $1.00 per page. An incident report from a drunk driving arrest may include the officer's description of the stop, field sobriety test results, breath or blood test readings, and any evidence collected. Once charges have been filed and the case is in the court record, the incident report is typically releasable.

The image below is from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's website, which provides information on county law enforcement services and public records access.

The Sheriff's website provides contact information and guidance on submitting public records requests for arrest and incident reports in Kalamazoo County.

Statewide Tools That Cover Kalamazoo County

Several Michigan-wide databases include Kalamazoo County DUI records. The best approach depends on what type of information you need.

MiCOURT is free and covers all Michigan courts, including both Kalamazoo County courts. It shows case status, party names, and charge details. It does not include case documents. Use it to confirm whether a case exists and see how it was disposed.

ICHAT costs $10 and returns a full criminal history from the Michigan State Police database. It is more thorough than MiCOURT for conviction history and shows all OWI convictions across the state, not just Kalamazoo County. For the most complete picture of someone's OWI history, ICHAT is the right tool.

The OTIS offender search from the Michigan Department of Corrections is free and covers felony OWI cases that resulted in state prison sentences. A Kalamazoo County third-offense OWI case from the 9th Circuit Court that led to incarceration would appear in OTIS. It shows current and past supervision status, offense information, and release details.

The MSP Criminal History Records unit at (517) 241-0606 is the authoritative source for official criminal history records. Courts and agencies use this database. If you need a certified criminal history for legal purposes, contact MSP directly.

OWI Law and Kalamazoo County Case Records

All Kalamazoo County DUI records reflect charges and outcomes under MCL 257.625. This statute defines OWI, High BAC, OWVI, OWPD, and under-21 Zero Tolerance offenses. The BAC thresholds are 0.08% for standard OWI, 0.17% for High BAC, 0.02% for drivers under 21, and 0.04% for commercial drivers. OWVI has no BAC threshold; it's charged based on observable impairment. All of these produce court records at the 8th District Court for misdemeanor charges or the 9th Circuit Court for felony charges.

Michigan's implied consent law requires drivers under lawful arrest to submit to a chemical test. A first refusal costs a one-year license suspension. Refusing a second time within seven years means a two-year suspension. These refusals are administrative actions recorded on the driving record and may also result in a court proceeding separate from the underlying OWI charge. The MSP Impaired Driving page explains how Michigan enforces OWI law statewide.

OWI convictions in Michigan do not expire or disappear. They stay on both the criminal record and the driving record permanently. There is no provision under current Michigan law for expunging an OWI conviction. The Road to Restoration program helps people navigate the license reinstatement process after OWI-related revocations but does not remove the conviction from the criminal record.

Cities in Kalamazoo County

The city of Kalamazoo has its own DUI records page with local court and records information.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Kalamazoo County and have their own OWI court records.