Charge Descriptions

Felony

Felonies are criminal offenses in which the maximum penalty exceeds one year in the county jail. These offenses are authorized by the county prosecutor and filed at the Court Services Office located at the Washtenaw County Service Center. Preliminary examinations in felony cases are conducted at the Service Center, and felony cases that continue to trial or sentence are heard in the downtown Ann Arbor courthouse. Inquiries regarding felonies may be directed to either of the Court Services offices.

Misdemeanor

Misdemeanors are criminal offenses that carry a maximum penalty that does not exceed one year in the county jail. The penalty for a misdemeanor can be any combination of jail time, fines, court costs, and community service. The county prosecutor prosecutes if the offense is charged under state statute. If the offense is charged under local ordinance, then a local city, village, or township prosecutor will prosecute.

In Washtenaw County, misdemeanor cases continue to be filed in the district court locations based on where the offense occurred. Please refer to the district court locations page for contact information.

Civil Infraction

Civil infractions are offenses that are not criminal in nature. The penalties for these violations are typically financial and do not include any jail time. Civil infractions may be classified as traffic and non-traffic. Traffic civil infractions are most common and include such offenses as speeding, parking violations, disregarding traffic signals, etc. 

Non-traffic civil infractions may be charged for such offenses as code violations, noise ordinances, etc. Civil infractions are also filed in the district court locations and may be charged under state statute or local ordinance, similar to misdemeanor offenses. Please refer to the district court locations page for contact information.