How to Serve a Garnishment in Michigan: MiFile, Process Servers, and Court Officers

Getting Your Writ Into the Right Hands

Filing your writ of garnishment with the court is only half the job. The garnishee — the employer or bank holding the debtor's money — doesn't know about it until someone serves them. And Michigan has specific rules about who can serve, what they must deliver, and how much time you have.

Who Can Serve a Garnishment Writ

In Michigan, a writ of garnishment (Form MC 12 or MC 13) must be served by an authorized person:

• Court officers appointed by the District Court under MCR 3.106
• Sheriffs or deputy sheriffs in the county where the garnishee is located
• Any legally competent adult who is not a party (including a licensed process server)

You cannot serve the writ yourself. Even though small claims court is designed for people without lawyers, garnishment service requires a neutral third party.

Court Officer vs. Sheriff

Both can serve garnishment writs, and the fees are similar. The main differences:

Court officers are private contractors appointed by the court. They often have more flexible schedules and can prioritize your service. Many specialize in civil process and handle garnishments routinely.

Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are county employees. They handle criminal warrants alongside civil service, so turnaround can be slower — particularly in busy counties like Wayne, Oakland, or Kent.

If you use a court officer or sheriff, the statutory personal service fee is $38 under MCL 600.2559, plus civil-process mileage at $1.0875 per mile. A private server may charge a different amount. Ask the court clerk for a list of appointed court officers in your district — they typically know who turns service around fastest.

What to Include When You Serve

When the process server delivers the writ to the garnishee, the package must include:

1. Two copies of the issued writ (MC 12 for wages, MC 13 for bank accounts)
2. Blank copies of Form MC 14 (Garnishee Disclosure) — the garnishee uses this to report what they're holding or withholding
3. The statutory disclosure fee — a check or money order for $35 payable to the garnishee (or $6 if the garnishee is the State of Michigan Department of Treasury)

Missing any of these creates problems. If the garnishee doesn't receive the disclosure fee, they have grounds to delay. If the MC 14 blanks aren't included, the garnishee may not know how to respond.

Service Methods

Michigan allows two methods for serving garnishment writs:

Personal service — A legally competent adult who is not a party (such as a court officer or process server) physically delivers the documents to an authorized agent of the garnishee (a manager, HR representative, or registered agent for a business). This is the most reliable method because you get a dated proof of service.

Certified mail with return receipt requested — A legally competent adult who is not a party may send the documents to the garnishee via USPS certified mail with delivery restricted to the addressee. The signed return receipt serves as proof of service. This is cheaper but riskier — if nobody signs for it, or if the wrong person signs, service may be challenged.

For employer garnishments, personal service is usually worth the extra cost. For bank garnishments, either method works because banks have established processes for receiving legal documents.

The MiFile Option for Court Filing

Michigan's MiFile system (the statewide electronic filing platform) allows you to file your garnishment request with the court electronically in many districts. However, MiFile handles the court filing side — submitting your MC 12 or MC 13 to the clerk for issuance.

It does not handle service on the garnishee. Once the clerk issues the writ (you'll get a stamped copy back electronically), you still need to arrange service on the employer or bank by a legally competent adult who is not a party, using personal service or certified mail with delivery restricted to the addressee.

Not every district court is on MiFile yet. Check whether your specific district court accepts electronic filings at the MiFile portal. If your court isn't available, you'll file in person at the clerk's window and pay the $15 filing fee there.

The 182-Day Deadline

Once the court issues your writ, you have 182 calendar days to complete service on the garnishee. If you miss this window, the writ expires and you'll need to file a new one — another $15 filing fee, another $35 disclosure fee, another round of service costs.

Mark the expiration date on your calendar the day you get the writ back from the clerk. Don't let it sit.

Staying on Track

Between filing fees, disclosure fees, service costs, and the 182-day deadline, each garnishment writ represents a real investment of time and money. The Michigan Judgment Collection Guide includes a garnishee compliance log that tracks each writ's service date, disclosure deadline, and 28-day holding period — so nothing falls through the cracks.

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