Montcalm County Domestic Violence Courts: 64B District, 8th Circuit and PPO Filing

Montcalm County's courts are all in Stanton, on the same street, at three different building numbers. A domestic violence charge starts at the 64B District Court, 617 N State Street.^[2][3] Felonies are handled by the 8th Judicial Circuit Court at 631 N State Street, and personal protection order (PPO) petitions are filed with the County Clerk at 639 N. State Street.^[4][5]

If you are in danger, call 911. RAVE (Relief After Violent Encounter – Ionia/Montcalm) answers a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-720-7233.^[6] The statewide alternative is the VOICES4 hotline, 855-864-2374 by phone or text, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.^[7][8]

Building numbers and hours here are taken from Montcalm County's own pages as of October 4, 2026. Confirm with the court clerk before going.

Three addresses on N. State Street

Office	Address	Phone	Go here for
64B District Court	617 N State Street, Stanton, MI 48888	989-831-7450	Misdemeanor cases; the first stages of every adult criminal case[2][3]
8th Judicial Circuit Court	631 N State Street, Stanton, MI 48888	Court administrator: 989-831-3526	Felony matters, divorce, custody and support[4][9]
County Clerk (Circuit Court Clerk)	639 N. State Street, Stanton, MI 48888	989-831-3520	Filing a PPO petition[5]

The district court is open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.^[2] Read the address on your notice or bond paperwork carefully; the three building numbers are easy to mix up.

One more number is in circulation: Ionia County's circuit court page prints the Montcalm circuit court's address as 629 N. State St., while Montcalm County's own page gives 631 N State Street.^[10][4] This guide follows Montcalm County; confirm with the court clerk if your paperwork shows something else.

The 64B District Court

Montcalm County has one district court, the 64B District Court.^[1] By statute the 64-B District consists of the county of Montcalm and has 1 judge.^[11] There is no split by city or township.

The county describes the court's criminal role this way: a district court has jurisdiction over all adult misdemeanor cases where punishments do not exceed one year, and all adult criminal matters, regardless of the nature of the offense, start in the district court, including all felonies.^[3] Domestic assault as a first offense falls in the first group, with a maximum of 93 days in jail.^[12]

The 8th Judicial Circuit Court

The county calls the 8th Circuit Court its court of general jurisdiction, handling felony matters, divorce, custody, support and determination of paternity.^[4] The circuit covers Ionia County as well, and most of its judges and staff alternate from week to week between Ionia and Montcalm.^[10] The Ionia side is described in Ionia County courts.

A felony domestic violence case reaches the circuit court only after the district court stage. There, if the judge finds probable cause that a felony was committed and that the defendant committed it, the defendant is bound over for trial.^[13] See The preliminary examination.

Filing a PPO in Montcalm County

PPOs are filed with the County Clerk, at 639 N. State Street, Stanton, phone 989-831-3520.^[5] The county's instructions tell a petitioner to go to the county clerk's office and ask for a "do-it-yourself" personal protection order packet.^[14]

The county is direct about the limits of that office: while the first step is the County Clerk's Office, the employees there are forbidden from giving legal advice.^[14] The office is where the packet is picked up and the petition is filed; questions about what to write in it are not ones its staff may answer.

What the statewide rules add:

• There are no fees for filing a personal protection action.^[15]
• The court has to rule on a request for an ex parte order within one business day of the filing date.^[16]
• If the court refuses an ex parte order, it states its reasons in writing, and the petitioner has 21 days to request a hearing before the denial becomes final.^[17]
• A PPO is effective and enforceable anywhere in Michigan once a judge signs it.^[18]

The process is covered step by step in How to get a PPO in Michigan, and the hearing in The PPO hearing: what to expect. A person named as respondent should read Served with a PPO.

Local help in Montcalm County

RAVE's emergency shelter can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and RAVE states that it provides free, confidential services to every person affected by domestic or sexual violence.^[19] Do not confuse its crisis line, 1-800-720-7233, with the national hotline, 1-800-799-7233.^[6][8] Advocates answer the statewide VOICES4 hotline 24/7, free of charge and confidentially.^[20] See Where to get help in West Michigan.

Legal Aid of Western Michigan lists 616-774-0672 as its intake number for Montcalm County.^[21] Its work is civil; it takes no criminal cases except record expungements.^[22] In a criminal case that could bring jail time, the defendant is entitled to an attorney, and the local funding unit appoints one for a defendant who cannot afford one.^[23]

Montcalm County domestic violence numbers

The Michigan State Police recorded 392 domestic violence victims in Montcalm County in 2025, 438 in 2024, 362 in 2023, 400 in 2022 and 372 in 2021.^[24] In 2025, 328 were recorded as non-aggravated assault victims and 27 as aggravated or felonious assault victims.^[24] The figures count incidents an investigating officer marked as domestic violence, and they cover family and household relationships, not only partners.^[25][26]

After the charge is filed

In a misdemeanor case the district court may direct the prosecutor and the defendant to appear for a pretrial conference.^[27] If the case goes to trial there, the jury has 6 members.^[28] In a felony case, the court sets a probable cause conference 7 to 14 days after the arraignment.^[29] These stages are explained in The pretrial conference, the misdemeanor case timeline and the felony case timeline.