Michigan Name Change Laws: Criminal-History Disclosure, Fees, and the MCL 711.1 Process

Michigan handles adult petitions, minor name changes, publication, and criminal-history disclosure all in one statute, MCL 711.1. Every petitioner must disclose their own criminal record in the petition itself, or state under penalty of perjury that they have none; the court then has the discretion, but not the obligation, to independently verify that disclosure through the state's LEIN and ICHAT criminal-history databases, at the court's own expense, not the petitioner's.

This page covers that disclosure-and-verification mechanism, what a Michigan name change costs once every fee is added up, how minors are handled including a domestic-violence override, and the older, separate statute governing a name restored after divorce.

Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How to Legally Change Your Name in Michigan

An adult petitions the family division of the Circuit Court in the county where they have resided for at least one year, using form PC 51 (Petition to Change Name). MCL 711.1 sets the standard as "sufficient reason for the proposed change exists and that the change is not sought with a fraudulent intent." The petitioner must disclose their criminal history in the petition, or affirmatively state that there is none; a false statement here constitutes perjury.

Criminal-History Disclosure and the Court's Verification Option

MCL 711.1 does not require fingerprinting, and its current text does not reference the FBI or any age-22 threshold anywhere. What it actually requires is disclosure: every petitioner must include their criminal record in the petition, or state in the petition that they do not have one. A false statement here is perjury under the statute. This disclosure duty covers any criminal record; no sex-offender-registry-specific eligibility bar, distinct from that general disclosure duty, could be confirmed in the statute's current text.

The court may independently verify that disclosure by checking the state's Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) or Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT), but it is not required to. Michigan law puts the cost of that check on the court itself, not the petitioner: the statute specifies that the court shall bear any cost associated with its use of L.E.I.N. or ICHAT. If the court grants an order for a petitioner who does have a criminal record, it must forward that order to the Michigan State Police central records division and, where applicable, the Department of Corrections, the county sheriff, or the family division of the court.

MCL 711.1 was most recently amended by 2024 PA 229, effective April 2, 2025; this article did not independently confirm what that amendment changed. The description above reflects the statute's current text as published by the Michigan Legislature. Confirm current requirements with your Circuit Court's family division or the Michigan court self-help resources before filing.

Fees and Forms

Costs stack up from several sources rather than one flat fee. Expect a base filing fee of roughly $150, though some counties report higher totals, for example around $187 in Kent County; an additional $25 e-filing system fee if you file electronically; roughly $60 in newspaper publication costs if the court orders publication; and about $30 for certified copies of the final order. Michigan does not charge petitioners a separate fingerprinting or background-check fee, since the statute does not require fingerprinting; when the court exercises its discretion to run a LEIN or ICHAT check, the cost falls on the court, not the petitioner. A standard indigency fee-waiver process is available. The relevant forms are PC 51 (Petition to Change Name), PC 51b (Minor's Consent to Name Change), and PC 51c (Petition for Name Change and Ex Parte Request for Nonpublication and Confidential Record).

Changing a Minor's Name in Michigan

Both parents sign the petition jointly, or a surviving parent, guardian, or sole-custody parent signs alone. If the minor is 14 or older, the minor's own written consent, on form PC 51b, must be signed and filed before the court enters the order. For a minor under 14, the court should consult the child about their preference if the court deems the child mature enough to have one.

Michigan also builds in a domestic-violence and victim-of-crime override: a custodial parent may petition using only their own consent, bypassing the usual both-parents requirement, after a hearing, if the other, non-consenting parent was convicted of specified criminal sexual conduct offenses under the Michigan Penal Code where the minor is the victim.

Publication

MCL 711.1 requires the court to order publication as provided by Michigan Supreme Court rule, subject to statutory exceptions not detailed in the text reviewed for this article. A petitioner concerned about privacy or safety can file form PC 51c, an ex parte request that combines nonpublication with a sealed, confidential record, in one filing, a materially stronger tool than a simple publication waiver.

Restoring Your Name After Divorce

MCL 552.391 lets the circuit court, "at the instance of the woman, whether complainant or defendant," restore a birth name, the surname legally held before the marriage in question, or allow adoption of another surname if it is not sought with fraudulent or evil intent, as part of the divorce decree. This is discretionary, decree-based, and the statute's gendered text should be read as applying to whichever spouse is requesting restoration.

Changing Your Name After Marriage

Michigan has no codified general marriage-based name-change statute. Marriage-certificate-based updates are handled administratively through the Social Security Administration and the Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State), not a court filing.

Related Michigan Records

For related Michigan record searches, see Michigan marriage and divorce records, Michigan court records, and Michigan divorce laws for how the MCL 552.391 restoration path fits into a divorce case.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Michigan name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and court procedures change; verify current details with your Circuit Court family division or a licensed Michigan attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.