Newaygo County Domestic Violence Courts: 78th District, 27th Circuit and PPO Filing

Newaygo County's district and circuit courts share one address: 1092 Newell Street in White Cloud.^[1][2] A misdemeanor domestic assault case is handled by the District Court from arraignment through sentencing, and a felony goes to the Circuit Court after the District Court's preliminary examination.^[1][7] Personal protection order (PPO) petitions are filed with the Circuit Court.^[5]

If you are in danger, call 911. WISE advocates are available 24/7 at (231) 796-6600 or 800-374-WISE.^[6] Michigan's own hotline, VOICES4, takes calls and texts at 855-864-2374; the National Domestic Violence Hotline's number is 1-800-799-7233.^[8][9]

Court office hours and filing cutoffs can change. Call to confirm with the court clerk before driving to White Cloud.

The courts at 1092 Newell Street

Court	Address	Phone	Hours
District Court (78th District)	1092 Newell Street, PO Box 129, White Cloud, MI 49349	(231) 689-7257	M-F 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm[1][4]
Circuit Court (27th Judicial Circuit)	1092 Newell Street, PO Box 885, White Cloud, MI 49349	(231) 689-7252; criminal case questions (231) 689-7236	M-F 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm[2][3]
Circuit Court Clerk's Office (PPO questions)	Same building	(231) 689-7269	PPO petitions processed 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.[5]

Both courts close for an hour at midday, so plan around the 12pm to 1pm gap.^[1][2]

Newaygo and Lake, not Newaygo and Oceana

Many directories and older legal websites describe Newaygo County's courts as shared with Oceana County. That was true until June 30, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2022, the 78th District consists of the counties of Newaygo and Lake and has 1 judge, and the 27th Judicial Circuit consists of the same two counties and has 1 judge.^[4][3]

The county's Circuit Court page describes the practical effect: in a circuit with more than one county, judges travel from one county seat to another, and its judges conduct court in both Newaygo County and Lake County.^[2] Check the date on your notice and call ahead before going in to ask about a file.

The county's District Court page still dates the Newaygo and Lake pairing to April 1, 2003.^[1] The statute's date for the current 78th District is July 1, 2022.^[4]

What each court does in a domestic violence case

In the criminal field, the District Court handles all misdemeanors where punishment does not exceed one year, including arraignment, the setting and acceptance of bail, trial and sentencing. It also conducts preliminary examinations in felony cases.^[1] First-offense domestic assault, with a maximum of 93 days in jail, is within that range.^[10]

The Circuit Court takes a felony once the District Court binds the defendant over.^[7] Questions about a pending felony file go to the Circuit Court's criminal case line, (231) 689-7236.^[2] The charge levels are explained in Misdemeanor vs. felony domestic violence.

Filing a PPO in Newaygo County

The Circuit Court publishes its own instructions:

• Petitions are processed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.^[5]
• There is no charge to file, and a petition has to be submitted before 4:00 PM to be processed that day and given to the judge for review.^[5]
• The court has one business day to review the PPO and related materials and let the petitioner know the outcome.^[5]
• Serving the order is the petitioner's job. The court does not provide that service, and a petitioner who has no adult available to serve the respondent may contact the Newaygo County Sheriff's Department at (231) 689-7380.^[5]
• Questions go to the Circuit Court Clerk's Office at (231) 689-7269.^[5]

The one-business-day review matches the statewide court rule on ex parte requests.^[11] Under the same rules the petitioner cannot be the person who hands the order to the respondent; service is made by a legally competent adult who is not a party.^[12] The county's page names no free PPO assistance office, so ask WISE whether an advocate can help. See How to get a PPO in Michigan, Ex parte PPOs and, for respondents, Served with a PPO.

Local help for Newaygo County residents

WISE is based in Big Rapids and serves Mecosta, Osceola and Newaygo counties.^[6] Michigan's VOICES4 hotline is free, confidential, anonymous and staffed 24/7, and it is open to anyone in Michigan who has experienced domestic violence, is supporting a survivor, or is looking for information about local services.^[13][8] More agencies are in Where to get help in West Michigan.

Newaygo County falls under Legal Aid of Western Michigan's 616-774-0672 intake line for civil matters.^[14] The organization does not defend criminal charges, though it does handle record expungements.^[15] Someone charged with an offense that could mean jail is entitled to a lawyer, appointed if he or she cannot afford one.^[16]

Newaygo County domestic violence numbers

The Michigan State Police recorded 129 domestic violence victims in Newaygo County in 2025, 175 in 2024, 119 in 2023, 147 in 2022 and 164 in 2021.^[17] In 2025, 91 were recorded as non-aggravated assault victims and 25 as aggravated or felonious assault victims.^[17] These are incidents an investigating officer marked as domestic violence, and the count includes family relationships as well as partners.^[18][19] With numbers this small, a change from one year to the next should be read with caution.

What the first weeks of a case look like

A person arrested without a warrant for domestic assault is held until arraignment or until a judge or district court magistrate sets an interim bond.^[20] In a felony case the preliminary examination is where both sides may call and cross-examine witnesses, and the defendant may waive it only with the prosecutor's consent.^[21] Each step is covered in The arraignment, the misdemeanor case timeline and the felony case timeline.