64B District Court

Civil Department

The Civil Department of the Court is made up of General Civil, Small Claims, and Landlord Tenant cases. General Civil cases involve money amounts of up to $25,000. Small Claims handles money amounts up to $6,500, which will increase to $7,000 in 2024. Landlord Tenant involves disputes between landlord and tenants for possession of land/real property and/or unpaid rent.

Venue

Venue is simply the location of the trial. Venue is controlled by statute (MCL 600.1621) in Michigan. Determining proper venue ensures the selection of a fair and convenient location where the merits of a dispute can be adjudicated. 

In most cases, venue is proper where the defendant (1) resides, (2) has a place of business or conducts business, or (3) if the defendant is a corporation, where the registered office is located. MCL 600.1621(a). If no defendant meets any of these criteria, venue may be proper where the plaintiff (1) resides, (2) has a place of business or conducts business, or (3) has a registered office, if the plaintiff is a corporation. MCL 600.1621(b). Actions against court-appointed fiduciaries should be brought in the county where the fiduciary was appointed. MCL 600.1621(c). Specific statutes govern proper venue in actions involving: replevin (an action to recover personal property also called Claim and Delivery) and real property; probate bonds; governmental units; and multiple causes of action involving a tort or involving another legal theory seeking damages for personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death. See MCL 600.1605, MCL 600.1611, MCL 600.1615, MCL 600.1629, and MCL 600.1641, respectively. 

As the plaintiff, you are responsible for filing in the proper venue. You must select the venue based either on where the defendant lives, or where the claim that you are suing over occurred.

Motions

Civil motions are now generally held on Thursdays and Fridays, please call the court to obtain a date and time for your motions. Multiple motions are scheduled before the judge on the same date and time. The judge will choose the order in which the motions will be heard.

There is a $20 filing fee for all motions. If two motions are filed together on the same case, there is just one $20 fee.

Hearings and Trials

All Civil hearings and trials are generally held on Thursdays and Fridays.