Local resources: courts, jail, police, and the Department of State
The offices an OWI case in Lansing and Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties passes through, with the address and number from each office's own website or an official source. Confirm hours by phone before you go.
How an OWI case moves here
- Arrest and booking. Lansing Police make arrests in the city; the Ingham County Sheriff, East Lansing and other local police, MSU police and the Michigan State Police cover the rest of the county. The county jail is in Mason.
- Your license. The officer takes your plastic license and gives you a paper temporary license. If you refused the chemical test, you have 14 days to request a hearing with the Department of State (implied consent hearing guide).
- Arraignment in district court. A first or second OWI is a misdemeanor: 54-A District Court for the City of Lansing, 54-B for East Lansing, and the 55th District Court in Mason for the rest of Ingham County.
- Pretrial and resolution. Dismissal, a plea, or trial in district court.
- Felony cases. A third offense, or an OWI causing serious injury or death, is a felony and goes to the 30th Circuit Court in Lansing after the district court's preliminary steps.
- After a conviction. Sentencing, then license sanctions from the Department of State: a suspension, a restricted license, and an ignition interlock in some cases.
What this site covers
What this site covers. This site covers Lansing and the three counties around it: Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton. Part of the City of Lansing lies in Eaton County, but the 54-A District Court handles misdemeanor cases from the whole city, and the 54-B District Court handles cases from the City of East Lansing, part of which lies in Clinton County. Outside those cities, an arrest in Eaton County (for example Delta Township, Grand Ledge, or Charlotte) goes to the 56-A District Court in Charlotte, and an arrest in Clinton County (for example DeWitt, Bath, or St. Johns) goes to the 65-A District Court in St. Johns. Your paperwork names the court. Michigan's state rules on this site apply to all of them.
Courts
Which court hears your case depends on where you were stopped. Your paperwork names the court; when in doubt, call it.
54-A District Court (Lansing City Hall)
124 W. Michigan Avenue, 6th Floor, Lansing, MI 48933
Misdemeanor and traffic cases from the City of Lansing, including the part of the city in Eaton County. Criminal and traffic: (517) 483-4445.
54-B District Court (East Lansing)
Misdemeanor and traffic cases from the City of East Lansing, including much of the Michigan State University campus. Call the number on your paperwork.
55th District Court (Mason)
700 Buhl Street, Mason, MI 48854
Ingham County outside Lansing and East Lansing. Criminal: (517) 676-8405.
30th Circuit Court (Veterans Memorial Courthouse)
Felony cases from Ingham County, including a third OWI offense. The courthouse is in downtown Lansing.
Law enforcement and the jail
Ingham County Sheriff's Office and Jail
630 N. Cedar Street, Mason, MI 48854
County jail for Ingham County arrests. Choose option 3 for inmate information.
Prosecutor, public defender, and the Department of State
Ingham County Prosecutor's Office
303 W. Kalamazoo Street, Floor 4R, Lansing, MI 48933
Prosecutes criminal cases in Ingham County.
Ingham County Public Defender
2025 S. Washington Avenue, Lansing, MI 48910
Represents people the court finds unable to afford a lawyer in Ingham County cases.
Michigan Department of State: Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight (OHAO)
P.O. Box 30196, Lansing, MI 48909
Implied consent (refusal) hearings. A hearing request must be made within 14 days of the officer's notice, online or by mail to this address. The phone number is the Department of State's main line printed on the request form.
Eaton County (Delta Township, Grand Ledge, Charlotte)
OWI arrests in Eaton County outside the City of Lansing are handled by Eaton County's courts in Charlotte. Felonies, such as a third offense, go to the 56th Circuit Court.
56-A District Court (Eaton County)
1045 Independence Boulevard, Charlotte, MI 48813
Misdemeanor and traffic cases, including OWI, and preliminary examinations in felony cases, from Eaton County outside the City of Lansing.
56th Circuit Court and Circuit Court Clerk (Eaton County)
1045 Independence Boulevard, Charlotte, MI 48813
Felony cases from Eaton County. The phone is the Circuit Court Clerk's office, which can answer filing questions but cannot give legal advice.
Eaton County Sheriff's Office and Jail
1025 Independence Boulevard, Charlotte, MI 48813
County jail and the sheriff's office, which also polices Delta Township. Delta line: 517-323-8480.
Secretary of State: Lansing Executive Court office
8158 Executive Court, Suite 30, Lansing, MI 48917
Branch office on Lansing's west side. Most license transactions can be done online; the phone is the Department of State's statewide line.
Clinton County (DeWitt, Bath, St. Johns)
OWI arrests in Clinton County outside the City of East Lansing are handled by Clinton County's courts in St. Johns. Felonies go to the 29th Circuit Court.
65-A District Court (Clinton County)
100 E. State Street, Suite 3400, St. Johns, MI 48879
Misdemeanor and traffic cases, including OWI, arraignments, bond, and preliminary examinations in felony cases. Traffic division: 989-224-5151.
29th Circuit Court (Clinton County)
100 E. State Street, Suite 4500, St. Johns, MI 48879
Felony cases from Clinton County.
Clinton County Clerk
100 E. State Street, Suite 2600, St. Johns, MI 48879
County clerk's office in the county courthouse.
Clinton County Sheriff's Office and Jail
1347 E. Townsend Road, St. Johns, MI 48879
Administrative office. Jail and inmate information: 989-227-6580.
Secretary of State: St. Johns office
1087 S. U.S. Highway 27, Suite A-19, St. Johns, MI 48879
Branch office in the Southpoint Mall. The phone is the Department of State's statewide line.
The Department of State and your license
License sanctions in Michigan come from the Michigan Department of State, not the court. If you refused the chemical test, the request for an implied consent hearing goes to its Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight within 14 days of the officer's notice, online or by mail to P.O. Box 30196, Lansing, MI 48909. Step by step: the 14-day hearing guide.
After a conviction, the department suspends, restricts, or revokes the license depending on the offense and your record, and an ignition interlock is required for some restricted licenses. See the license sanctions guide. Interlock providers serving Lansing are listed in the directory as they are added.