Title 600, REVISED JUDICATURE ACT OF 1961

Sec. 837. (1) The county board of commissioners in each county shall annually appropriate, by line-item or lump-sum budget, funds for the operation of the probate court in that county. However, before a county board of commissioners may appropriate a lump-sum budget, the chief ju…

Sec. 8371. (1) In the district court, the fees prescribed in this section shall be paid to the clerk of the court. (2) Before a civil action is commenced in the district court, the party commencing the action shall pay to the clerk the sum of $150.00 if the amount in controversy …

Sec. 8375. The district court may assess the same costs as are permitted in the circuit court. In civil infraction actions, the district court may assess costs as provided in section 907 of the Michigan vehicle code, Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of 1949, being section 257.907 o…

Sec. 8379. (1) Fines and costs assessed in the district court must be paid to the clerk of the court who shall appropriate them as follows: (a) Except as provided in subsections (3) and (4), a fine imposed for the violation of a penal law of this state and a civil fine ordered in…

Sec. 838. (1) A probate judge shall not sit in any proceeding: (a) In which he is a party, or is financially interested. (b) In which he would be excluded from being a juror by reason of consanguinity or affinity to any of the parties. (c) In which he is related within the third …

Sec. 8381. (1) Until October 1, 2003, when fines and costs are assessed by a magistrate, a traffic bureau, or a judge of the district court, not less than $9.00 shall be assessed as costs and collected for each conviction or civil infraction determination and each guilty plea or …

Sec. 839. (1) A probate judge, probate register, or employee of the probate court shall not be: (a) A fiduciary or appraiser of an estate under the jurisdiction of the probate court in the county or probate court district in which he is a probate judge, probate register, or emplo…

Sec. 8391. With the approval of the governing body of a district control unit, the district court may establish within the court a traffic bureau which may be administered by clerks or other personnel of the district court to accept, as authorized by the judges of the district, a…

Sec. 8392. (1) Upon the approval of the governing body of a district control unit, the district court may establish within the court a state civil infraction bureau. The state civil infraction bureau may utilize clerks or other personnel of the district court to accept, as author…

Sec. 8395. (1) A city, village, or township may establish a parking violations bureau to accept civil infraction admissions in parking violation cases and to collect and retain civil fines and costs as prescribed by ordinance. Beginning August 1, 1979, a parking violations bureau…

Sec. 8396. A county, city, village, or township may by ordinance establish a municipal ordinance violations bureau to accept admissions of responsibility for municipal civil infractions and to collect and retain civil fines and costs pursuant to a schedule as prescribed by ordina…

Sec. 8401. A small claims division is created in each district as a division of the district court. A judge of the district court shall sit as judge of the small claims division. The jurisdiction of the small claims division shall be confined to cases for the recovery of money in…

Sec. 8401a. (1) The state court administrator shall prepare instruction sheets clearly explaining in plain English how the small claims division functions and how to commence and defend an action in the small claims division. A copy of the instruction sheet must be given to the c…

Sec. 8402. (1) An action shall be commenced in the small claims division by filing with the clerk or a deputy clerk of the district court an affidavit and 1 copy of the affidavit for each defendant to be served. The form and contents of the affidavit shall be as prescribed by sta…

Sec. 8403. Printed affidavit forms for the commencement of actions in the small claims division shall be available at the office of each clerk and deputy clerk of the district court who shall prepare such affidavit for a claimant upon request.

Sec. 8404. (1) Upon the filing of the affidavit, the clerk or deputy clerk shall cause a copy of the affidavit to be served upon each defendant with a notice directing the defendant to appear and answer before a judge of the small claims division. The notice shall be in a form pr…

Sec. 8405. Except as otherwise provided in this section, service of the affidavit and notice to appear and answer shall be made upon the defendant by certified mail, return receipt requested and deliverable to the addressee only, by personal service, or upon a showing that servic…

Sec. 8406. (1) The date for the appearance of the defendant provided in the notice shall not be less than 15 days nor more than 45 days after the date of the notice. The person filing the claim shall receive from the clerk a copy of the affidavit and notice of hearing. The plaint…

Sec. 8407. (1) A claim shall not be filed or prosecuted in the small claims division by an assignee of a claim or by a third party beneficiary under a third party beneficiary contract. (2) Within a district court district a person shall not file more than the following number of …

Sec. 8408. (1) An attorney at law, except on the attorney's own behalf, a collection agency or agent or employee of a collection agency, or a person other than the plaintiff and defendant, except as is otherwise provided in this chapter, shall not take part in the filing, prosecu…

Sec. 8409. (1) Attachment or garnishment shall not issue from the small claims division prior to judgment but execution may issue in the manner prescribed by law and the judgment may be enforced in any other manner provided by law and not prohibited under the provisions of this c…

Sec. 841. (1) The probate court has jurisdiction and power as follows: (a) As conferred upon it under the estates and protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.1101 to 700.8206. (b) As conferred upon it under the mental health code, 1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1001 to 330.2106. (…

Sec. 8410. (1) Before or at the hearing the parties may make a settlement upon those terms as they may agree. The settlement shall be in writing and signed by both parties. Upon filing of the settlement with the court, the judge shall review the settlement and may enter it as the…

Sec. 8410a. A writ of garnishment issued by the small claims division of the district court remains in effect as to periodic payments as provided in section 4012.

Sec. 8411. (1) Before the commencement of a trial in the small claims division, the district court judge or magistrate shall inform both parties, orally or in writing, of the right to removal before trial to the general civil division and of all rights waived if they choose to re…

Sec. 8412. Unless a party removes a small claims action to the district court pursuant to section 8408(4), all parties to an action in the small claims division shall be considered to have waived the right to counsel, the right to trial by jury, the right to recover more than the…

Sec. 8413. All judgments of the small claims division shall be conclusive upon the plaintiff and the defendant and shall be in a form prescribed by the supreme court.

Sec. 8415. (1) Except as provided in subsections (3) and (4), in districts of the first class actions in the small claims division shall be filed in the county in which the cause of action arose or in the county in which the defendant is established or resides or is employed. If …

Sec. 8416. (1) The small claims division of the district court shall sit at least once each 30 days at the locations at which the district court is required to sit pursuant to section 8251. (2) A clerk or deputy clerk of the district may be available for filing of claims with the…

Sec. 8418. If the defendant fails to pay the judgment according to the terms and conditions thereof, the clerk or deputy clerk of the court, on application of the plaintiff, shall certify such judgment on a form prescribed by the supreme court.

Sec. 8419. Every clerk and deputy clerk of the district court shall be furnished a reasonable supply of all forms and stationery necessary for the expeditious and efficient operation of the small claims division by the governing legislative body of each district control unit.

Sec. 8420. (1) A fee of the following amount, as applicable, shall be charged and collected for the filing of the affidavit for the commencement of any action: (a) $25.00, if the amount in controversy does not exceed $600.00. (b) $45.00, if the amount in controversy exceeds $600.…

Sec. 8421. The prevailing party in any action in the small claims division is entitled to costs of the action and also the costs of execution upon a judgment rendered therein. The costs shall include cost of service of the notice for the appearance of the defendant.

Sec. 8422. If the defendant files a verified answer stating any new matter which constitutes a counterclaim, the court may grant a continuance upon request of either party.

Sec. 8423. (1) If a defendant in a small claims action has a claim against the plaintiff, which claim is for an amount over the jurisdiction of the small claims division but of a nature which would be subject to counterclaim in accordance with rules of the supreme court, he may c…

Sec. 8424. (1) Actions of fraud and actions of libel, slander, assault, battery, or other intentional torts shall not be instituted in the small claims division. This subsection does not apply to either of the following: (a) An action for fraud under section 2952 or under the Mic…

Sec. 8425. (1) A person having a claim in excess of the applicable jurisdictional amount as prescribed by section 8401 may institute an action in the small claims division but may not claim or recover more than the jurisdictional amount. (2) If an action properly commenced in the…

Sec. 8426. An individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation may be sued in the small claims division in any name used in any advertisement, sign, invoice, sales slip, register tape, business card, contract, or other communication or document, published, displayed o…

Sec. 8427. A small claims hearing may be conducted either by a district court judge or by a district court magistrate who is an attorney licensed to practice in this state and who is authorized to do so by the chief judge of the district court district as provided in section 8514…

Sec. 843. Jurisdiction assumed in any case by a judge of probate, so far as it depends on the place of residence of a person, or the location of the person's property, shall not be contested in any other action or proceeding, except in an appeal from the probate court in the orig…

Sec. 845. The jurisdiction conferred by this chapter shall not be construed to deprive the circuit court in the proper county of concurrent jurisdiction as originally exercised over the same matter.

Sec. 846. In an action or proceeding pending in any other court of this state of which the probate court and the other court have concurrent jurisdiction, the judge of the other court, upon motion of a party and after a finding and order on the jurisdictional issue, may by order …

Sec. 847. In the exercise of jurisdiction vested in the probate court by law, the probate court shall have the same powers as the circuit court to hear and determine any matter and make any proper orders to fully effectuate the probate court's jurisdiction and decisions.

Sec. 848. (1) Upon petition, where justice requires, and after due notice is given to all parties in interest, the probate court may grant rehearings and modify and set aside orders, sentences, or judgments rendered in the court. (2) The probate court shall make and enter an orde…

Sec. 849. When the validity of any order or sentence of the probate court is in question in any other action or proceeding, everything necessary to have been done or proved to render the order or decree valid, and which might have been proved by parol at the time of making the or…

Sec. 8501. (1) In a county that elects by itself fewer than 2 district judges, the county board of commissioners shall provide for 1 district court magistrate. In all other counties in districts of the first and second class, the county board of commissioners shall provide for no…