Family Court

For Alpena and Montmorency Counties

The Family Division of the 26th Circuit Court is multi-county as well, including both Alpena County and Montmorency County. In Alpena, there are six Juvenile Motion Days each month which take place on Wednesday afternoons and Thursdays. In Montmorency, Juvenile Motion Days are held twice monthly, which take place on Tuesdays. There may be exceptions due to holidays or vacation schedules.

The Family Division, a division of the Circuit Court, has jurisdiction over all family matters such as divorce, custody, parenting time, support, paternity, adoptions, name changes, juvenile proceedings, neglect/abuse proceedings, emancipation of minors, parental consent, and personal protection proceedings. The Family Division also has ancillary jurisdiction over cases involving guardianship, conservator, and proceedings involving the mentally ill or developmentally disabled.

Civil Family Division Actions

The Michigan Legislature mandated that all Circuit Courts develop a plan for a Family Division. The law moved the Juvenile Division of the Probate Court to the Family Division of the Circuit Court and required the assignment of the Probate Judge to function in that Division. The idea was to assure that a family involved in both Probate and Circuit litigation, such as a divorce or a neglect and abuse petition, had a single judge handling all matters.

Alpena County has an Attorney Referee that serves in the Family Division.

Montmorency County has a presiding judge that serves in the Family Division.

The Family Division handles divorces, paternity, non-support actions, child custody and parenting time disputes, neglect and abuse petitions, adoptions and juvenile delinquency matters, and personal protection orders (PPOs).

Court Holidays

The Circuit Court is closed on the following designated holidays:

  • New Year's Day 
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 
  • President's Day 
  • Good Friday 
  • Memorial Day 
  • Juneteenth 
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day
  • Veteran's Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Friday After Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day
  • New Year’s Eve

Court Filings

All original filings must be sent to the appropriate County Clerk.

Alpena County Clerk
720 W Chisholm Street, Suite 2 
Alpena, MI 49707 

Montmorency County Clerk
P.O. Box 789
Atlanta, MI 49709

All judge's copies must be sent to the 26th Circuit Court in Alpena County.