Michigan OWI Help and Resources Directory

This directory lists organizations connected to Michigan drunk-driving cases: legal help, alcohol and drug treatment, services for people hurt in crashes, and the state agencies that run hearings, tests and statistics. Each phone number and link below was taken from the organization's own website or from Michigan law. Listing an organization here is not a recommendation of it.

Legal help

Resource	Contact	What it does
Appointed counsel in the criminal case	Ask the court at arraignment; see the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission FAQ	A person charged with a crime who faces possible jail or prison and cannot afford a lawyer is entitled to one, requested on a financial form the court provides.[1]
State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service	(800) 968-0738, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday	Matches callers with a participating lawyer for a $25 administrative fee that covers a first consultation of up to 25 minutes.[7]
Michigan Legal Help	michiganlegalhelp.org	A free self-help website whose "Crime and Traffic" section covers criminal law basics, clearing a record and getting or restoring a driver's license.[8]
Road to Restoration clinics	Michigan Department of State	Free clinics where volunteer attorneys help people with suspended or restricted licenses review their records; they do not hold hearings or expunge convictions.[9]

Under MIDC standards, an appointed lawyer should meet a jailed client within three business days of appointment, and appointed lawyers are ethically prohibited from taking money from the client.^[1] There is no right to an appointed lawyer at a Secretary of State license hearing, and OHAO staff cannot give legal advice.^[2] See Court-appointed lawyers in OWI cases and Questions to ask an OWI lawyer.

Alcohol and drug treatment

Resource	Contact	What it does
SAMHSA National Helpline	1-800-662-4357; TTY 1-800-487-4889	Free, confidential treatment referral and information, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish.[3]
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline	Call or text 988	Responds 24/7 to suicidal, mental health or substance use crises; calls from Michigan are answered primarily by MiCAL, except in seven counties served by regional call centers.[10]
Network180 (Kent County)	(616) 336-3909 or (800) 749-7720	Kent County's public access point for mental health and substance use services, available 24/7.[11]
Alcoholics Anonymous	aa.org/find-aa	The site has no meeting finder and points people to local AA resources and the Meeting Guide app.[12]

More on how treatment connects to the court case and the license is in Getting help for alcohol or drug use.

For people hurt in a drunk-driving crash

Resource	Contact	What it does
Crime Victim Compensation (MDHHS)	Victim helpline 877-251-7373; email MDHHS-MichiganCrimeVictim@Michigan.gov; fax 517-335-2439[13]	Can pay people injured by a crime that causes bodily harm or death, including an OWI, and eligible relatives.[4]
Kent County Prosecutor's Victim/Witness Division	616-632-5400; Prosecutor's Office 616-632-6710	Numbers as listed on the 63rd District Court's page.[14]
MADD Victim Services	1-877-623-3435	Free victim advocacy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including help with compensation applications and impact statements.[6]

Key compensation rules:

• A claim must be filed within 5 years after the crime, and the commission may extend that for good cause.^[5]
• An award requires an out-of-pocket loss of at least $200 or at least 5 days of lost earnings or support.^[15]
• The total award is capped at $45,000 per claimant, with funeral expenses up to $8,000 and lost earnings up to $1,000 a week.^[16]
• The person criminally responsible for the crime is not eligible.^[17]
• Police records must show the crime was reported, although a claim is decided whether or not anyone is convicted.^[18][19]
• Compensation pays only after insurance and other public funds.^[20]

In a misdemeanor OWI, victims have rights under the Crime Victim's Rights Act only if the case involved a crash that damaged another's property or injured or killed another person; felony OWI cases are covered by the Act's felony article.^[21][22] See Crime victim compensation and Crime victim rights in OWI cases.

In a misdemeanor OWI that qualifies as a serious misdemeanor, the Act's misdemeanor article sets these duties on the agencies a victim deals with (the restitution rule also applies to felonies):^[21][23]

• Within 24 hours of first contact, the investigating police agency must give the victim written information about medical services, crime victim compensation and the prosecutor to contact about victims' rights.^[24]
• The prosecutor must send a plain-English notice of the case steps and rights within 48 hours of being notified by the court, and, if the defendant did not plead guilty at arraignment, must offer the victim a chance to consult before finalizing a dismissal, plea or sentence agreement.^[25]
• The victim may give a written impact statement and an oral statement at sentencing, in person or remotely, and the court must consider it.^[26]
• At sentencing for a misdemeanor or felony, the court must order full restitution to any victim of the conduct underlying the conviction.^[23]

Applications for compensation can also go by mail to Grand Tower, Suite 1113, 235 South Grand Avenue, PO Box 30037, Lansing, MI 48909, and county prosecutors' victim advocates can help with them.^[13] MDHHS says review can take from one day to six months, and a decision may be appealed in writing to the Crime Victim Services Commission within 30 days.^[27]

State agencies

Agency	Contact	Role
Office of Hearings and Administrative Oversight (Secretary of State)	P.O. Box 30196, Lansing, MI 48909; fax 517-335-2190; SOS-AHS@Michigan.gov[2]	Holds license appeal hearings and monitors ignition interlock compliance.[28]
Secretary of State information line	888-767-6424[29]	General Department of State questions.
Michigan State Police Lansing Forensic Laboratory	7320 N. Canal Road, Lansing, MI 48913; 517-284-3491[30]	Its Toxicology Unit serves the whole state and receives blood and urine specimens from agencies in every county.[31]
Office of Highway Safety Planning	7150 Harris Drive, Dimondale, MI 48821; 517-284-3332[32]	Distributes federal traffic-safety grant money to reduce crashes, injuries and deaths.[32]
Drunk Driving Audit data questions	MSP Traffic Crash Reporting Unit 517-241-1699; Department of State 517-322-1598[33]	Crash and arrest data questions go to MSP; conviction data questions go to the Department of State.[33]
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts	michigantrafficcrashfacts.org	Prepared by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute; its query tool covers crash years 2004 to 2025.[34]

The hearings office is described in The Secretary of State's hearings office, and local courts are listed in West Michigan courts that hear OWI cases and Sobriety courts in West Michigan.