Michigan Legal Help Custody Forms

Where to Get Michigan Custody Forms

Many statewide custody forms used in Michigan courts are SCAO-approved (State Court Administrative Office) and available for free. Local courts may also require county-specific forms or filing materials, so check the requirements for your county. There are two main sources:

Michigan Courts website. The SCAO maintains a searchable forms library organized by form number and case type. You can download blank PDF versions of the required statewide forms. The forms are standardized statewide — the same form numbers work in every county — but a county may require additional local materials.

Michigan Legal Help (michiganlegalhelp.org). This free self-help platform offers a guided interview tool that walks you through questions about your situation and fills out the relevant forms for you. Instead of staring at a blank form trying to figure out which boxes apply, you answer questions in plain language and the system generates a completed form packet ready to file.

The statewide forms and Michigan Legal Help resources are free. There is no reason to pay a document preparation service for Michigan custody forms.

Forms for Starting a Custody Case

If you're filing custody as part of a divorce with minor children, you need:

• CC 415 — Complaint for Divorce. The document that starts the case. Lists grounds (Michigan is no-fault), identifies the children, and states what relief you're requesting — custody, parenting time, child support.
• Summons. Issued by the court clerk. Notifies the other parent that a case has been filed and that they must respond within 21 days (28 days if served by mail or out of state).
• MC 416 — UCCJEA Affidavit. Required in every case involving child custody. Lists every address where the child has lived for the past five years, plus the names of anyone else who has or claims custody rights. This form gives the court information it uses to assess jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.
• FOC 23 — Verified Statement. Basic case information for the Friend of the Court — names, addresses, employment, income, existing court orders.
• MC 21 — Case Inventory. A snapshot of assets, debts, and income. Required in all divorce cases.

If you're filing custody as an unmarried parent (not part of a divorce), you file a custody complaint instead of a divorce complaint. Some supporting forms, such as MC 416 and FOC 23, may still apply, but the divorce-specific MC 21 Case Inventory is not automatically part of a standalone custody filing; confirm the required packet with the court or Michigan Legal Help.

Forms for Temporary and Emergency Orders

• Motion Regarding Custody / Parenting Time / Support. There's no single form number for every type of motion — the specific form depends on what you're requesting. Michigan Legal Help's guided interview can help you identify the correct motion form for your situation.
• FOC 10 — Uniform Support Order. The standardized form for child support orders — temporary and permanent.
• MC 20 — Fee Waiver Request. If you can't afford the filing fees, this form asks the court to waive them based on your income and expenses.

Forms for Modifying Custody After the Judgment

• Motion to Change Custody. Filed when you want to change the primary custody arrangement. Must demonstrate proper cause or a change in circumstances under the Vodvarka standard.
• Motion to Change Parenting Time. Filed when you want to change the parenting time schedule without altering the underlying custody designation.
• Motion to Change Domicile (Relocation). Required when a parent wants to move the child's residence more than 100 miles from the address at the time of filing, or out of state.

Post-judgment motions typically carry a $100 filing fee.

The Gap Between Forms and Strategy

Michigan custody forms are well-designed and free. The problem isn't access — it's that forms are blank templates. They tell you what information to fill in, but they don't tell you what to ask for or why.

A Complaint for Divorce asks you to check boxes for the custody arrangement you're requesting. It doesn't explain that the arrangement you request in your complaint often becomes the temporary order, and that the temporary order frequently becomes the permanent arrangement because it creates an Established Custodial Environment. It doesn't explain how different parenting time schedules affect child support calculations. It doesn't walk you through the 12 best-interest factors that the court will use to evaluate your proposal.

The FOC's Verified Statement form asks for income and employment information, but it doesn't explain how the Michigan Child Support Formula uses that information — or how the number of overnights in your proposed schedule interacts with the income figures to produce a specific support amount.

Using Forms Effectively

The most common mistake self-represented parents make is treating the forms as the strategy. They fill out the forms, file them, and assume the court process will produce a fair result. But the forms only capture the outcome of decisions you've already made — which custody arrangement to request, which schedule to propose, which temporary orders to seek.

Making those decisions well requires understanding Michigan custody law — the best-interest factors, the ECE concept, the child support formula, the relocation rules. The Michigan Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide works alongside the free SCAO forms as a preparation tool, helping you understand the strategic implications of each choice before you fill in the blanks.

See more Michigan guides →