Community Profile

Wayne County is located in southeastern Michigan, encompassing approximately 623 square miles. It is made up of 33 cities, including the City of Detroit, 10 townships, one village and 41 public school districts. Its population of approximately 2.0 million makes it the most populous county in the State of Michigan and the eighth most populous county in the Nation.

The County is a charter county incorporated under Act No. 293, Public Acts of Michigan, 1967, as amended. It is governed by a Chief Executive Officer (County Executive), who is elected on an at-large basis for a four-year term, and a County Commission comprised of 15 members elected on a partisan basis for two-year terms. The County Commission serves as the legislative branch of the County. It is responsible for establishing policy and approving the County’s budget. The County also elects the following officials on an at-large basis for four-year terms: County Clerk, Register of Deeds, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff and County Treasurer. The County Clerk and Register of Deeds are responsible for the general recording of official records. The Prosecuting Attorney and the Sheriff are responsible for providing quality law enforcement to all people of the County. The County Treasurer is responsible for the receipt, custody, and investment of all County funds and the collection of taxes.

The County has primary funding responsibility for Third Circuit Court and Probate Court, although both are legally separate entities. The Third Circuit Court includes a Civil, Criminal and a Family Court. The Civil Division handles general civil cases initiated within Wayne County which do not exceed $10,000. The Criminal Division has sole jurisdiction over felonies and high misdemeanors occurring within Wayne County. The Family Court Division is divided into Domestic and Juvenile sections. The Domestic section is responsible for hearing all domestic relations cases filed within the County. The Juvenile section exercises exclusive jurisdiction over juveniles under 17 years of age in delinquency proceedings. The Probate Court has jurisdiction in all matters related to settlement of estates, trusts, appointment of trustees, and other matters.

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