Local resources: courts, jail, police, and the Department of State
The offices an OWI case in Detroit and Wayne County 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. Detroit Police, the Wayne County Sheriff, and the Michigan State Police make most arrests in the city. People held after an arrest are booked at a police facility or the county jail at the Criminal Justice Center.
- 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. A first or second OWI arrest in Detroit is a misdemeanor heard at the 36th District Court on Madison Street, where misdemeanor arraignments are held weekdays at 9 a.m. in Room 1067.
- 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. After the district court's preliminary steps it is bound over to the Third Circuit Court at the Criminal Justice Center on Russell Street.
- After a conviction. Sentencing, then license sanctions from the Department of State: a suspension, a restricted license, and an ignition interlock in some cases.
Courts
Arrests inside Detroit go to the 36th District Court. Arrests elsewhere in Wayne County go to that community's district court; your paperwork names it.
36th District Court
421 Madison Street, Detroit, MI 48226
Misdemeanor and traffic cases from the City of Detroit. Criminal Division: Room 120, (313) 965-5029. Misdemeanor arraignments are weekdays at 9 a.m. in Room 1067.
Third Judicial Circuit Court: Criminal Division (Wayne County Criminal Justice Center)
5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48207
Felony cases from anywhere in Wayne County, including a third OWI offense, are bound over here from the district court.
Law enforcement and the county jail
Detroit Police Department
City police. Call 911 in an emergency; use the city's website for precinct numbers.
Wayne County Sheriff: jail and inmate information
5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48207
The county jail is at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center. The number is the sheriff's inmate information line.
Prosecutor, defender services, and the Department of State
Wayne County Prosecutor's Office
5301 Russell Street, Suite 200, Detroit, MI 48207
Prosecutes felonies countywide and misdemeanors in many district courts. District courts division: (313) 224-8849; out-county office: (313) 203-7710.
Legal Aid and Defender Association
A nonprofit that provides court-appointed defense in Detroit and Wayne County cases. Ask the court how to request an appointed lawyer.
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.
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 Detroit are listed in the directory as they are added.