About the Sanilac County Clerk of Court
Leslie Hilgendorf is the elected County Clerk of Sanilac County. In Michigan the County Clerk also serves as the clerk of the circuit court, so the same officer holds two titles at once. That means the Sanilac County Clerk of Court runs elections, guards vital statistics, and manages the court division of the 24th Judicial Circuit Court, including its Family Division. The office sits inside the courthouse in Sandusky and serves walk-in visitors, mail requests, and online orders.
The clerk also acts as secretary to several county boards. Those roles keep the office at the center of county government, elections, and the circuit court docket. A visitor can file a court paper, buy a marriage license, get fingerprinted, and order a certified death certificate under one roof.
The county maintains a public page for the office with the clerk's full duty list and contact details. The Sanilac County Clerk page lays out the election, vital-records, and circuit-clerk roles in one place.
The office page is the quickest way to confirm current hours, payment codes, and the services offered before a visit to Room 203.
Sanilac County Clerk of Court
Clerk: Leslie Hilgendorf
Courthouse, Room 203
60 West Sanilac
Sandusky, MI 48471
(810) 648-3212
Fax: (810) 648-5466
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (open through the noon to 1:00 p.m. lunch hour)
What the Sanilac County Clerk of Court Does
The clerk's duties reach across three broad areas: elections, vital records, and the courts. As Chief Election Official, the clerk runs national, state, and county elections and certifies results. As clerk of the 24th Circuit Court, the office files pleadings, keeps the court record, issues process, and collects fees for circuit cases. As keeper of vital statistics, the office sells certified birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.
The office also serves as clerk to several county boards and commissions. Those seats tie the clerk to the daily work of county government and to the jury and canvassing systems.
- Chief Election Official for national, state, and county elections
- Clerk of the 24th Judicial Circuit Court, including the Family Division
- Keeper of county vital statistic records
- Clerk of the Board of Commissioners, Jury Board, and Board of Canvassers
- Clerk of the Concealed Weapons Board, Election Commission, and Plat Board
Because the circuit clerk function lives inside the County Clerk's office, a single counter answers questions that other counties split across two offices. Circuit court filings and county vital records share the same staff and the same window in Room 203.
Which Records the Sanilac Clerk Handles
Not every court record starts with the County Clerk. Michigan runs three trial courts in the county, and each keeps its own files. The clerk holds circuit court records and county vital records. District cases and probate cases begin at their own offices in the same building. Matching the record to the right office is the first step in any request.
Felony, higher-value civil, divorce, paternity, adoption, name-change, and juvenile files run through the circuit court side of the clerk's office. Misdemeanor, traffic, small-claims, and landlord-tenant files belong to the 73A District Court. Estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and will deposits belong to the 76th Probate Court. The table below shows where each type of record begins.
| Record type | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Circuit civil, felony, family, divorce, paternity, adoption, name change, juvenile | 24th Circuit Court / County Clerk court division |
| Misdemeanor, traffic, civil infraction, landlord-tenant, small claims | 73A District Court, Room 302 |
| Estates, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, will deposits | 76th Probate Court, Room 213 |
| Certified marriage, death, divorce, and birth records | County Clerk Vital Records counter |
A certified vital record is not the same thing as the full court case file. The vital-record divorce copy is a judgment copy, while the pleadings and docket entries stay with the circuit court. Anyone chasing motions or hearing records for a divorce should look to the Sanilac County Circuit Court case files rather than the vital-records window.
Sanilac County Vital Records at the Clerk's Counter
The clerk's vital-records counter sells certified copies of marriage, death, divorce, and birth records. Anyone may purchase a death or marriage certificate as long as the requester has the person's name and, for a death record, the date of death. Marriage certificates are treated as publicly purchasable. Birth records from recent periods carry tighter access rules and are limited to the mother, father, legal guardian, or the named person.
Requests can be made in person at Room 203, by mail using the office forms, or online with a credit card. The county vital-records page hosts both the online order links and the printable mail-in forms. The Sanilac County Vital Records page spells out the birth, death, marriage, and divorce rules and fees.
Marriage licenses are also issued here. A license is ready three days after applying and stays valid for 30 days. The full marriage and divorce workflow, including certified copies and Family Division divorce files, appears on the Sanilac County marriage and divorce records guide.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and proves that a record is a true copy of the original. Courts, banks, employers, and government agencies often require the certified version rather than a plain printout. The steps below apply to both court records and vital records held by the office.
- Identify the record and gather its details. Court files need the case number and party names; vital records need the name on the record and the date of the event.
- Choose a request method. Pick up the form in Room 203, use the online credit-card request, or download the mail-in form from the Vital Records page.
- Complete the required fields and confirm eligibility for any restricted record, such as a recent birth certificate.
- Submit the request with payment. The first vital copy is $20.00, each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $10.00, and a divorce judgment copy is $10.00.
- Collect the copy in person during office hours or wait for the certified copy to arrive by mail.
Note: Michigan Court Rule 8.119 keeps document images off the Internet, so a certified court copy must be ordered from the clerk rather than downloaded.
Vital Record Request Form Fields
The vital-record request form captures the details the office needs to find the right certificate and to confirm the requester is allowed to buy it. Whether a request comes in by mail or online, the same core fields apply. The table lists each field, whether it is required, and what the office expects.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Yes | Birth, death, marriage, or divorce; birth is separately restricted. |
| Name on record | Yes | Use the name at the time of the event. |
| Date of event | Yes | Date of death, date of marriage, or the divorce judgment information. |
| Requester name and contact | Yes | The mail or online form captures the purchaser's information. |
| Relationship or eligibility | For restricted records | Recent birth records are limited to mother, father, legal guardian, or the named person. |
| Delivery and payment | Yes | Online credit-card order or mail-in form; fees apply. |
An heir requesting a death record may need to show a relationship and supporting proof. When in doubt, calling the office before mailing a form avoids a rejected request and a lost fee.
Sanilac County Clerk of Court Fees
The office charges set fees for certified records, marriage licenses, passport photos, and circuit court filings. Vital-record fees are fixed by the state, while many circuit motion and petition fees are set by court rule. The schedule below gathers the figures published on the county clerk and circuit e-filing pages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vital record, first certified copy | $20.00 |
| Additional copy of same record at same time | $10.00 |
| Record or judgment of divorce copy | $10.00 |
| Sanilac resident marriage license | $20.00 |
| Out-of-state applicants marrying in Sanilac County | $30.00 |
| Passport verified photo | $10.00 |
| Standard Circuit Court motion | $20.00 |
| Child support motion | $60.00 |
| Parenting time or custody motion | $100.00 |
| Petition for driver's license restoration | $175.00 |
| Restoration of gun rights | $175.00 |
| Appeal from Circuit Court | $25.00 |
| Bar admission | $25.00 |
| Subpoena or writs | $15.00 |
Payments are posted to numbered payment codes, called PLCs, that route money to the right county account. Knowing the code helps the counter apply a payment correctly, especially for court fines and vital-record orders.
- 1017 Juvenile Fines
- 1565 Vital Records and Filing Fees
- 1656 Search
- 1935 Circuit Fines
- 1936 Records and Divorce
The federal government sets the passport application fees separately, so the $10.00 charge above covers only the verified photo taken at the clerk's counter, not the passport itself.
Michigan law also caps what a public body may charge for records. The Michigan FOIA fee statute, MCL 15.234 limits charges for search, review, copying, and mailing on agency records, which sit apart from the court fees above.
Sanilac Circuit Court E-Filing and Fees
The clerk's office supports online filing and payment for circuit cases. The county's circuit e-filing page lets a filer submit documents and pay fees electronically. Not every filing type is accepted through that county path, and the rules changed in 2025. Filers should confirm the current limits before uploading.
Beginning April 1, 2025, summons and complaints and summary-disposition motions are no longer accepted through the county e-filing path, and the county path applies a 50-page limit on submissions. Those documents move through the statewide court system or the counter instead. The county page hosts the full fee schedule alongside the notice.
The Sanilac County Circuit Court e-file and fees page lists the motion, support, custody, restoration, appeal, bar-admission, and subpoena fees in one place.
Checking the page first prevents a rejected upload and clarifies which filings still require an in-person or statewide submission.
Fingerprinting and Other Sanilac Clerk Services
Beyond records and filings, the clerk's counter offers several public services. Fingerprinting is available for school-employment and concealed-pistol-license applicants. The office also processes name changes, takes passport photos, files veteran's cards and DD-214 discharge papers, and handles notary license work. These services share the same Room 203 window and the same office hours.
Fingerprinting has its own cutoff. The office fingerprints applicants between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and staff ask applicants to arrive before 4:00 p.m. so there is time to finish the print card.
- Fingerprinting for school employment and CPL applicants, until 4:00 p.m.
- Name change processing
- Passport verified photographs at $10.00
- Veteran's cards and DD-214 discharge records
- Notary license work
Note: Fingerprinting closes half an hour before the office does, so arrive by 4:00 p.m. even though the counter stays open until 4:30 p.m.
Sanilac Court Records Versus Sheriff FOIA
Two different legal paths govern records in the county, and choosing the wrong one wastes time. Court records run through the clerk and the court under Michigan Court Rule 8.119. Law-enforcement records run through the Sheriff's Records Bureau under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. A certified court judgment or docket copy comes from the clerk, not from a sheriff FOIA request.
Incident reports, arrest records, jail booking information, warrants, and crash reports are agency records. Those requests go to the sheriff under FOIA. The Michigan FOIA framework sets who must respond, what may be charged, and how quickly a public body must answer.
The Michigan FOIA response statute, MCL 15.235 sets the timing and duties for agency requests, while the Michigan FOIA law, MCL 15.231 establishes the general right of access to public records.
The practical rule is simple. For a court file, a certified judgment, or a docket copy, ask the Sanilac County Clerk of Court. For a police report, an arrest record, or a jail booking, file a FOIA request with the sheriff. Matching the record to the right channel is the difference between a fast answer and a rejected request.