Access Lenawee County DUI Records
Lenawee County DUI records are maintained by the 39th Circuit Court and the 2A District Court, both at 425 N. Main Street in Adrian. The District Court handles misdemeanor OWI charges and the Circuit Court takes felony cases. You can search both courts through the free MiCOURT system or pay $10 to access statewide criminal conviction history through ICHAT. This page explains each search method and what Michigan's OWI laws mean for the records you will find.
Lenawee County Overview
Lenawee County Courts Handling OWI Cases
Lenawee County OWI cases split between two courts. The 2A District Court handles first and second offense OWI, both misdemeanors under MCL 257.625. The 39th Circuit Court handles felony OWI charges: third offense, OWI causing death, and OWI causing serious injury. Both courts are at 425 N. Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221. The main courthouse number is (517) 264-4600. The District Court clerk can be reached at (517) 264-4608.
The 2A District Court processes most Lenawee County OWI cases. District Court records document arraignment, bond conditions, pretrial hearings, and the final outcome. All case activity is accessible through MiCOURT. First-offense OWI at the district court level is a misdemeanor with up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. Second offense carries up to a year in jail and higher fines. These penalties apply on top of mandatory license consequences and fees through the Secretary of State.
When a third OWI is charged, it becomes a felony and goes to the 39th Circuit Court. There is no lookback limit in Michigan since 2007, so prior convictions from decades back still count. OWI causing death carries up to 15 years in prison. OWI causing serious injury is up to 5 years. The Circuit Court record covers the entire felony case in detail. Those records are public and searchable through MiCOURT or directly from the clerk.
| 39th Circuit Court | 425 N. Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221 | (517) 264-4600 |
|---|---|
| 2A District Court | 425 N. Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221 | (517) 264-4608 |
| Felony OWI | 39th Circuit Court |
| Misdemeanor OWI | 2A District Court |
How to Search Lenawee County DUI Records
The free tool is MiCOURT. This is the Michigan court system's statewide case lookup and it covers all Lenawee County courts. Search by name or case number. When reviewing results for OWI cases, look for these case code labels: SD means Statute Drunk Driving, OD means Ordinance Drunk Driving, and FD stands for Felony Drunk Driving. Results show the charge, party name, court dates, and case status. You can see both open and closed cases.
ICHAT is the $10 background search option through the Michigan State Police at apps.michigan.gov/ICHAT. It gives you statewide criminal conviction history. If someone has prior OWI convictions from Jackson County or Washtenaw County, ICHAT will show those alongside any Lenawee County convictions. ICHAT does not show pending charges or dismissed cases. For a complete view, run MiCOURT for current activity and ICHAT for conviction history.
For arrest records before a case enters the court system, contact the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office or the relevant local police department. Adrian has its own police department for arrests within city limits. Submit a FOIA request under MCL 15.231. Agencies have 5 business days to respond. The Michigan State Police FOIA process is at michigan.gov/msp.
The Lenawee County Sheriff's Office handles OWI arrests in unincorporated parts of the county. The sheriff's website provides contact information for record requests.
The sheriff's website listed above is a starting point for locating contact details for FOIA requests on OWI arrest reports made in the unincorporated county.
OWI Law and What Lenawee County DUI Records Contain
Michigan uses OWI as the legal term, not DUI. The controlling statute is MCL 257.625. Standard OWI applies at 0.08% BAC. The Super Drunk provision at 0.17% brings doubled maximum penalties and mandatory ignition interlock. Drivers under 21 face a 0.02% Zero Tolerance limit. Commercial drivers have a 0.04% threshold. These appear as separate charge types in Lenawee County court records.
OWVI stands for Operating While Visibly Impaired. This does not require a specific BAC and is often offered as a plea reduction from a standard OWI charge. OWPD stands for Operating With Presence of Drugs. For Schedule 1 substances, this is a strict liability charge: the drug just has to be detectable, no impairment needs to be proven. Both OWVI and OWPD appear in Lenawee County court records alongside OWI charges, and each is distinct in how it is charged and penalized.
Implied consent applies in Lenawee County as it does statewide. Driving in Michigan is consent to a breath or blood test when lawfully requested. Refusing the test brings a 1-year license suspension on first refusal and 2 years on a second refusal within 7 years. These suspensions are civil matters tracked by the Secretary of State on the driving record. Check driving records through the SOS driving records page. Criminal records are separate.
Note: OWI convictions in Michigan are permanent. There is no expungement available under current law, and they remain on both criminal and driving records indefinitely.
Driving Records and OWI in Lenawee County
An OWI conviction in Lenawee County appears on two separate records. The Michigan State Police maintains the criminal history record. The Secretary of State holds the driving record. Requesting one does not get you the other. You must go to each agency separately with the appropriate request and any required fees.
License penalties scale with offense history. A first OWI brings a 30-day hard suspension followed by 150 days of restricted driving. A second OWI within 7 years results in a 1-year revocation. A third OWI means revocation with a 5-year mandatory wait before a reinstatement hearing. Getting driving privileges back after revocation requires the Road to Restoration program, including formal hearings and evidence of sobriety.
Driver Responsibility Fees apply after an OWI conviction: $1,000 per year for two years, totaling $2,000. These go to the state and are independent of court fines. Failure to pay causes additional license suspension. Lenawee County is in southeast Michigan bordering Ohio, so some residents may have driving records in both states. Michigan's ICHAT and Secretary of State records cover only Michigan. The MSP impaired driving page gives statewide context for how these penalties work.
Felony OWI at the 39th Circuit Court
Third-offense OWI and OWI causing death or injury go to the 39th Circuit Court in Adrian. The circuit court record is more extensive than a district court file. It includes the charging instrument, any preliminary examination, pretrial motions, and the full trial or plea record plus the sentencing. These are public records. Contact the clerk at (517) 264-4600 for copy requests, fee schedules, and access options.
People convicted of felony OWI in Lenawee County who receive a prison sentence will appear in OTIS at michigan.gov/corrections. OTIS tracks current incarceration and parole status. After supervision ends, the person leaves OTIS but stays in ICHAT and the circuit court record permanently.
The full text of MCL 257.625 and related OWI statutes is at legislature.mi.gov. This helps decode what a charge notation in a Lenawee County felony OWI case actually means in terms of offense level, sentencing range, and how prior convictions were counted to reach felony status.
Lenawee County Sheriff and Local Record Access
The Lenawee County Sheriff's Office handles OWI arrests in unincorporated county territory. City police departments handle arrests within city limits, including Adrian and Tecumseh. Each agency is the right contact for FOIA requests on that arrest. Once a case is filed with the court, the court record is accessible through MiCOURT regardless of which department made the arrest.
The sheriff's office resource page provides additional information on how local law enforcement processes OWI arrests and what records are available from the county.
Use the resource page shown above to find the right contact within the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office for submitting FOIA requests related to OWI incident reports and arrest records.
Lenawee County borders Ohio. Some residents commute across state lines and may have records in both states. Michigan's record systems, including ICHAT and MiCOURT, cover Michigan only. Ohio records require separate requests through Ohio's courts and law enforcement agencies. For a complete picture of someone's OWI history, check each state separately if there are ties to Ohio as well as Michigan.
Nearby Counties
Lenawee County is in southeast Michigan. OWI cases near county borders may involve courts in these neighboring counties.