Title 600, REVISED JUDICATURE ACT OF 1961

Sec. 1809. All returns made by any sheriff or other officer, or by any court or subordinate tribunal, to any court, may be amended in matter of form by the court to which such returns are made, in their discretion, both before and after judgment.

Sec. 181. (1) The justice system fund is created in the state treasury. The money in the fund must be used as provided in this section. (2) The state treasurer shall credit to the justice system fund deposits of proceeds from the collection of revenue from court assessments and c…

Sec. 1811. (1) The judge of any circuit court of this state may in any suit or proceeding commenced or pending therein, on the application of any party thereto, appoint some disinterested person to serve any process or other papers, or to do any act therein which the sheriff by l…

Sec. 1815. The writ of capias ad respondendum is abolished and no civil actions shall be started by arrest.

Sec. 1821. (1) No officer of the senate or house of representatives is liable to arrest on civil process while in actual attendance upon the duties of his office. (2) No female shall be imprisoned on any process in any civil action. (3) No minor under 16 years of age shall be imp…

Sec. 1825. (1) Every elector is privileged from arrest while going to, attending, and returning from elections in all cases except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. (2) Senators and representatives are privileged from arrest during sessions of the legislature and for 1…

Sec. 1831. (1) Civil process shall not be served on an elector entitled to vote at an election during the day that election is held. However, if sufficient cause is shown by affidavit to the satisfaction of a judge, that judge may issue a restraining order or authorize the issuan…

Sec. 1835. (1) All persons going to, attending, or returning from, any court proceedings in any action in which their presence is needed are privileged from service of process if service could not have been made on them had they not gone to, attended, or returned from the proceed…

Sec. 1841. Civil process which may be served by law anywhere in the state may be served upon any of the waters of the Great Lakes on border waters lying within the state. Any civil process which is required to be served within any county may also be served upon any of the waters …

Sec. 1845. (1) All prisoners committed to any jail upon process for contempt or committed for misconduct in the cases prescribed by law, shall be actually confined and detained within the jail until they are discharged from the jail by due course of law or are removed to some oth…

Sec. 185. (1) The drug treatment court fund is created in the state treasury. The money in the fund shall be used as provided in this section. (2) The state treasurer shall credit to the drug treatment court fund deposits of proceeds from the collection of revenue from court asse…

Sec. 1852. Any court of record of this state in a county in which a person resides, is employed, transacts his or her business in person, or is found may order service upon the person of any document issued in connection with a proceeding in a tribunal outside this state. The ord…

Sec. 1855. Service of process on municipal and public corporations and other public bodies shall be made as prescribed by rule of the supreme court. The officer upon whom such service is made shall inform the public body of such service at or before its next meeting. The council,…

Sec. 1861. When service is made on a non-governmental defendant by service on a public officer, the officer or his deputy shall forthwith forward by registered mail, postage prepaid, a copy of the summons and complaint, directed to the secretary or corresponding officer of the de…

Sec. 1865. This chapter and the privilege from civil process provided by section 11 of article IV of the state constitution of 1963 shall not apply to the issuance or service of a citation pursuant to section 742 of Act No. 300 of the Public Acts of 1949, as amended, being sectio…

Sec. 1901. A civil action is commenced by filing a complaint with the court.

Sec. 1902. (1) As used in this section, "victim" means any 1 of the following: (a) The person alleging to have been subjected to a crime described in subsection (2). (b) The parent, guardian, or custodian of the person described in subdivision (a), if the person is less than 18 y…

Sec. 1905. (1) Upon the filing of the complaint the clerk of the court in which the complaint is filed shall forthwith issue summons. Separate summons may issue against any defendant. Duplicate summons may be issued from time to time with like effect as the original summons. (2) …

Sec. 1908. (1) Process in civil actions may be served by any person of suitable age and discretion who is not a party nor an officer of a corporate party. (2) If service of process is to be made in the manner prescribed by section 1912 on a person in a governmental institution, h…

Sec. 1910. (1) Proof of service of process must be made by 1 of the following methods: (a) Written acknowledgment of the receipt of a summons and a copy of the complaint, dated and signed by the person authorized under this act to receive them. (b) A certificate, stating the fact…

Sec. 1912. Service of process may be made upon an individual by leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with the defendant personally.

Sec. 1913. (1) Service of process may be made, (a) upon an individual nonresident defendant having any of the contacts, ties or relations with this state as specified in chapter 7 of this act, by service of a summons and a copy of the complaint upon such agent, employee, represen…

Sec. 1917. Service of process upon a partnership or limited partnership may be made by (1) leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with any general partner personally, or (2) leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with a person in charge of a partnership office or bu…

Sec. 1918. Process issued from any court of record against an individual doing business under an assumed name may be served upon the individual, or by leaving the process during regular office or business hours at the office or place of business of the individual with any person …

Sec. 1920. Service of process upon a corporation, whether domestic or foreign, may be made by (1) leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with any officer or the resident agent, or (2) leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with any director, trustee, or person in ch…

Sec. 1923. Service of process upon a partnership association or unincorporated voluntary association may be made by leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with any officer, director, trustee, agent, or person in charge of an office or business establishment, and sending a …

Sec. 1925. Service of process upon public, municipal, quasi-municipal, or governmental corporations, unincorporated boards, or public bodies, may be made by leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with (1) the chairman of the board of supervisors or the county clerk, in the…

Sec. 1930. Service of process upon any defendant may be made by leaving a summons and a copy of the complaint with an agent authorized by written appointment or by law to receive service of process. Whenever, pursuant to statute, service of process is to be made on a nongovernmen…

Sec. 1940. In all civil actions in which personal jurisdiction over a defendant is not required, the court may order the defendant to answer or take such other action as may be permitted by law. The order shall be made after the plaintiff, his attorney, or an agent having knowled…

Sec. 1945. The order shall contain the name of the court, the names of the parties, directions as to where and when to answer or take such other action as may be permitted by law, a statement describing the nature of the proceedings, and a statement as to the effect of failure to…

Sec. 1947. The defendant may be notified of the pendency of the action and his obligation thereto by: (1) publishing a copy of the order in a newspaper at least once each week for 4 consecutive weeks or for such further time as the court may require, and (2) mailing on or before …

Sec. 1951. Mailing under section 1947 shall be accomplished by complying with the following: (1) Enclosing a copy of the order as above described in a sealed envelope with first class postage fully prepaid addressed to the defendant at the address hereinbefore required, on which …

Sec. 1955. Service of process made pursuant to sections 1940 to 1960 shall be proved as follows: (1) If made by publication, by an affidavit of the publisher or his agent (a) stating facts establishing the qualification of the newspaper in which the order was published, (b) setti…

Sec. 1960. Service of process pursuant to sections 1940 to 1960 does not give personal jurisdiction over the person of the defendant but is a reasonable means of notice to the defendant to subject the appropriate interest of the defendant in the matters described in chapter 7 of …

Sec. 1965. (1) Unless otherwise specifically provided by this act, any party who has filed a pleading or motion shall be served with every written paper subsequently filed in the action, including a default if one has been entered against him. (2) After a default has been served,…

Sec. 1968. (1) Except for the original service of the complaint and summons, service required or permitted to be made upon a party represented by an attorney shall be made upon the attorney, unless service upon the party is ordered by the court. (2) If 2 or more attorneys represe…

Sec. 1970. Service upon the attorney shall be made by delivering a copy to him or by mailing a copy to him at his last known business address or, if he has no business address, then to his last known residence address. Service upon a party shall be made by delivering a copy to hi…

Sec. 1971. Except as otherwise provided by sections 1912 to 1960, proof of service of all papers required or permitted to be served may be by written acknowledgment of service, by affidavit of the person making service, or by any other proof satisfactory to the court. Proof of su…

Sec. 1972. Whenever service of papers subsequent to the original complaint cannot reasonably be made because of lack of an attorney of record or the inability to find a party or for any other reason, the court in which the action is pending, for cause shown on ex parte applicatio…

Sec. 1973. In any action in which there are unusually large numbers of parties on the same side, the court upon motion or of its own initiative may order that service of their pleadings and replies thereto need not be made as between them, and that any cross claim, counterclaim, …

Sec. 1974. The filing of pleadings and other papers with the court shall be made by filing them with the office of the clerk of the court, except that the judge may permit the papers to be filed with him, in which event he shall note thereon the filing date and forthwith transmit…

Sec. 1985. As used in this chapter: (a) "Authorized court" means a court accepted by the state court administrative office under section 1991 for access to the electronic filing system. (b) "Automated payment" means an electronic payment method authorized by the state court admin…

Sec. 1986. (1) Beginning March 1, 2016, if a fee for commencing a civil action is authorized or required by law, in addition to that fee, the clerk shall also collect an electronic filing system fee, subject to section 1993, as follows: (a) For civil actions filed in the supreme …

Sec. 1987. (1) Except for an automated payment service fee collected under section 1986(5), and except as provided in subsection (2), the electronic filing system fee authorized under this chapter is the only fee that may be charged to or collected in a civil action specifically …

Sec. 1988. A court or court funding unit shall not charge a fee to retrieve and inspect a document on site, including a document that was filed electronically, but may charge a fee to copy a document.

Sec. 1989. An electronic filing system fee collected shall be remitted by the clerk to the state treasurer for deposit into the judicial electronic filing fund created under section 176 and shall be used to establish an electronic filing system and supporting technology as provid…