St. Clair County DUI Records Lookup

St. Clair County DUI records are distributed across two court levels. The 31st Circuit Court in Port Huron handles felony OWI cases, while the 72nd District Court, with locations in Port Huron and Marine City, handles first and second offense OWI charges as misdemeanors. Michigan law calls drunk driving OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) under MCL 257.625, and St. Clair County court records use that same terminology throughout. This page explains which courts hold which records and what tools are available to search them.

31st Circuit Court - St. Clair County Felony OWI

The 31st Circuit Court sits at 201 N. 4th Street, Port Huron, MI 48060, and its main number is (810) 985-2200. This court handles all felony-level OWI cases in St. Clair County. Felony OWI charges arise in three situations: a third or subsequent drunk driving conviction, OWI causing serious impairment, and OWI causing death. Michigan eliminated the 10-year lookback rule for prior OWI convictions in 2007. That change means a third OWI is always a felony, regardless of how many years passed between the earlier convictions. Circuit court records in these cases typically include the charging information, arraignment record, motions filed by both sides, plea transcripts or trial proceedings, and the full sentencing order with any supervision conditions.

Case lookups at the 31st Circuit Court are available through the free MiCOURT statewide case search. In MiCOURT, felony drunk driving cases from St. Clair County carry the case type code FD (Felony Drunk Driving). You can search by name or case number. MiCOURT shows charge details, hearing schedules, party names, and case status. Actual documents are not online. To get copies of court filings, contact the 31st Circuit clerk's office at (810) 985-2200 or visit 201 N. 4th Street in Port Huron.

72nd District Court - Two Locations

The 72nd District Court in St. Clair County operates from two courthouses. The Port Huron location is at 201 N. 4th Street, Port Huron, MI 48060, phone (810) 985-2066. The Marine City location is at 300 Broadway Street, Marine City, MI 48039, phone (810) 765-4444. First and second offense OWI cases are assigned to whichever location covers the part of the county where the offense occurred. Both handle misdemeanor OWI under MCL 257.625, including standard OWI at 0.08% BAC or above, High BAC (Super Drunk) at 0.17% or more, OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired), and OWPD (Operating With Presence of Drugs).

Both 72nd District Court locations are covered by the MiCOURT case search. Misdemeanor OWI cases from either location show up under codes OD (Ordinance Drunk Driving) and SD (Statute Drunk Driving). MiCOURT is free. For a full criminal history rather than a case-by-case lookup, ICHAT costs $10 per search and returns all Michigan OWI conviction data from the Michigan State Police criminal history database.

If you are not sure which district court location handled a case, start with the Port Huron location, which serves the county seat and processes the majority of district court filings in St. Clair County.

Statewide Tools That Cover St. Clair County OWI Records

Michigan maintains several statewide databases that include St. Clair County DUI records. Using the right tool depends on what type of information you need.

MiCOURT is the free statewide case search provided by the Michigan Supreme Court. It covers both the 31st Circuit Court and all locations of the 72nd District Court. You can look up cases by party name, case number, or date and see charges, dispositions, and hearing information. No documents are available through MiCOURT, but it is the fastest way to confirm a case exists and check its status at no cost.

ICHAT is the Michigan State Police's criminal history search tool. It costs $10 per search and returns a person's full Michigan criminal history, including all OWI convictions from St. Clair County and any other county. Courts across the state report into the MSP database after each conviction. ICHAT draws from that same data, making it the most complete source for conviction history. The MSP Criminal History Records unit at (517) 241-0606 manages this database and handles requests for official criminal history documents.

The OTIS offender search is free and covers felony OWI cases from the 31st Circuit Court where the person received a state prison sentence. It shows current and past MDOC supervision, offense details, and release information.

FOIA and Arrest Records in St. Clair County

Arrest records for OWI cases in St. Clair County are held by the arresting agency, not the court. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office handles arrests in unincorporated areas of the county. Port Huron city, Marine City, and other municipalities each have their own police departments that process arrests and handle their own public records requests. Knowing which agency made the arrest tells you where to send a FOIA request.

Michigan's FOIA law, MCL 15.231, applies to all public agencies. An agency must respond within five business days of receiving a request. Copy fees run $0.10 to $1.00 per page in most St. Clair County agencies. An OWI arrest record may include the officer's written narrative, field sobriety test observations, breath or blood test data, and booking details. Some information may be withheld if charges are still pending or if release would interfere with an ongoing investigation.

Court records at the 31st Circuit and 72nd District courts are separate from law enforcement arrest records. The clerk's office at each court handles requests for case file documents. Court records are governed by Michigan Court Rules rather than FOIA, but the process is similar: you contact the clerk, pay any applicable copy fees, and receive the documents you need. Certified copies are available for an additional fee and may be required for legal proceedings.

Michigan OWI Law and St. Clair County DUI Cases

St. Clair County DUI records reflect charges brought under MCL 257.625. This statute defines the full range of Michigan drunk and drugged driving offenses. The 0.08% BAC threshold governs standard OWI. At 0.17%, the High BAC (Super Drunk) charge applies and brings significantly heavier penalties on a first offense, including mandatory jail time and a much longer license suspension. OWVI is a visible impairment charge used when there is not enough BAC evidence for a full OWI prosecution or as a plea disposition. OWPD covers cases where a Schedule 1 drug is found in the driver's system, regardless of whether impairment was visible.

Michigan's implied consent law, MCL 257.625c, requires any driver under lawful arrest for OWI to submit to a chemical test. First refusal means a one-year license suspension. A second refusal within seven years doubles that to two years. Refusal proceedings are handled by the Secretary of State as an administrative matter but may also appear as a court case if the driver contests the refusal. The MSP Impaired Driving page provides a full summary of how Michigan handles OWI enforcement, including BAC thresholds and penalty tiers.

All OWI convictions in Michigan, including those from St. Clair County, are permanent on both the criminal record and the driving record. Michigan does not allow OWI expungement under current law. People looking to restore a revoked license after a series of OWI convictions can seek guidance through the Road to Restoration program, which addresses the license privilege but does not remove anything from the criminal record.

Nearby Counties

St. Clair County borders these counties, each with separate courts handling OWI cases.