Antrim County Arrest Records Search
Antrim County arrest records are public documents that record law enforcement contacts in this northern Michigan county, best known for Torch Lake and its many inland waterways. The county seat is Bellaire. Records are kept by the Antrim County Sheriff's Office and are accessible through Michigan's statewide ICHAT system, the Michigan court case search portal, and FOIA requests to both local and state agencies. Use this guide to understand your options for finding arrest records in Antrim County.
Antrim County Overview
Searching Arrest Records in Antrim County
Antrim County sits in northern lower Michigan. It is bordered by Charlevoix County to the northwest, Grand Traverse County to the south, Kalkaska County to the east, and Otsego and Benzie counties nearby. Bellaire is the county seat and a small village. The county is rural with a mix of small towns and resort areas. Law enforcement is handled primarily by the Antrim County Sheriff, with the Michigan State Police covering state roads and larger incidents.
Arrest records here follow the same public record rules as the rest of Michigan. Under MCL 15.231, the public has the right to request records from the sheriff and other law enforcement agencies. Your main options are: calling the Antrim County Sheriff at 231-533-8627, using the ICHAT online system for a statewide background check, or searching the Michigan court case tool for case-level records.
Antrim County does not appear to maintain a live online inmate roster. For current custody information, call the sheriff's office directly.
Antrim County Sheriff's Office Records
The Antrim County Sheriff's Office is based in Bellaire and handles law enforcement and jail operations for the county. The sheriff's office phone is 231-533-8627 and more information is available at antrimcounty.org. The sheriff is responsible for booking, holding, and releasing people arrested in the county. Booking records from the Antrim County Jail are public records.
To get a booking record or arrest report from the Antrim County Sheriff, submit a written FOIA request to the office. Include the name of the person, the approximate date of arrest, and any other details that will help the office locate the record. The office has five business days to respond under MCL 15.231. Most basic arrest information is public. Some parts of open investigations or victim details may be withheld.
The Antrim County Sheriff also serves civil process and handles warrant arrests. If you believe someone has an active warrant in Antrim County, the sheriff can confirm that. Warrant information is generally public. You can ask about it by phone or in person at the sheriff's office in Bellaire.
ICHAT: Full Michigan Criminal History
ICHAT is Michigan's Internet Criminal History Access Tool, operated by the Michigan State Police. It is the most thorough way to get a complete picture of someone's Michigan criminal history. The legal authority is MCL 28.241. A search costs $10 and covers all 83 Michigan counties. Access it at apps.michigan.gov.
To search, you enter the person's name and date of birth. Results come back electronically and include convictions and charged offenses from courts across Michigan. ICHAT is especially useful when you want to know about someone's history across multiple counties, not just Antrim County. If the person lived elsewhere in Michigan at some point and had cases there, ICHAT captures all of it in one report.
Keep in mind that ICHAT has limits. It does not show arrests that did not lead to charges. Juvenile records are not included. Records that have been set aside under Clean Slate law are also removed. For those scenarios, you may need to check court records directly or contact the sheriff.
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry above is searchable by county and lets you find registered sex offenders living in Antrim County.
Michigan Court Case Search for Antrim County
Antrim County criminal cases are handled by the 13th Circuit Court, which also serves Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. Misdemeanors and civil infractions go through the Antrim County District Court in Bellaire. Both levels of court records appear in the Michigan public court case search at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/.
Search by name or case number for free. Results include case type, charge descriptions, court events, and disposition. This tool is updated as cases move through the system. If someone was arrested in Antrim County and charges were filed, you can track the case from filing to resolution. Court records are public unless sealed by court order.
For older records that may not be in the online system, you can contact the Antrim County court clerk directly. The clerk's office in Bellaire can pull physical case files and provide certified copies for a fee. This is useful for historical records or for obtaining official documentation of a case outcome.
FOIA Requests for Antrim County Law Enforcement Records
Michigan FOIA (MCL 15.231) applies to all public bodies, including the Antrim County Sheriff and local police. Any arrest report, booking record, or incident report is a public record unless a specific legal exemption applies. You can request these records from the sheriff's office by submitting a written request identifying what you want.
For state police records from the MSP post in the area, use the online MSP FOIA portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia. The MSP FOIA office phone number is 517-241-1934. Requests must be in writing. The agency has five business days to respond, though extensions are allowed for complex requests.
The MSP FOIA portal is where you request state police records for incidents that occurred on state roads or involved MSP activity in Antrim County.
OTIS: Michigan DOC Offender Tracking
The Michigan Department of Corrections runs OTIS, the Offender Tracking Information System. It tracks current and former state prisoners and is free to search at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html. If someone arrested in Antrim County was convicted of a felony and sent to state prison, their MDOC record will be in OTIS.
OTIS shows a photo, commitment offense, sentence information, MDOC facility, and current supervision status. It is public and does not require a fee. OTIS is not for county jail inmates -- those people are held locally before trial or for misdemeanor sentences. But for anyone who went through the state prison system after an Antrim County felony arrest, OTIS is the right place to look.
Sex Offender Registry in Antrim County
Michigan's Sex Offender Registry (MCL 28.721) is maintained by the Michigan State Police. The registry is searchable at mspsor.com. You can search by county, city, or zip code to find registered sex offenders in Antrim County. The registry shows names, photos, addresses, conviction offenses, and registration tier for each registrant.
Antrim County law enforcement works with MSP to keep the local registry current. All registered sex offenders in the county are required to check in with local law enforcement on a regular schedule. The official MSP registry is the most accurate source for this information. Do not rely on unofficial sites.
Michigan Clean Slate Law: Expungement in Antrim County
Michigan's Clean Slate law, MCL 780.621g, expanded who can apply for expungement. Many misdemeanors and some felonies are now eligible for a set-aside after a waiting period. Some lower-level convictions are automatically set aside after several years without a new offense. A set-aside removes the record from ICHAT and most public searches.
Antrim County residents seeking to set aside a conviction file their petition with the 13th Circuit Court, which serves Antrim among other northern Michigan counties. The court clerk in Bellaire has the forms and can explain the process. You may want to consult with a local attorney who handles expungements, since eligibility rules can be complex depending on the type of offense and the number of prior convictions.
The Michigan Legislature website at legislature.mi.gov has the complete text of MCL 780.621g. You can read the eligibility requirements there without cost to see whether your situation qualifies before you file a petition.
Additional Records Resources for Antrim County
The Michigan Legislature site at legislature.mi.gov covers all state laws related to records, FOIA, criminal history, and expungement. It is a free resource open to anyone. The third-party aggregator michigan.staterecords.org compiles public data from Michigan sources and can be useful for an initial search, though you should always verify through official channels for any matter of importance.
For Antrim County records, the combination of ICHAT, the local sheriff, OTIS, and the court case search covers the full spectrum of what is available publicly. Each serves a different purpose, and using them together gives the most complete view of arrest and criminal history for this northern Michigan county.