Grosse Pointe Communities and Their Municipal Courts

The Grosse Pointes, or “the Pointes”, is the common term used to describe five upscale neighboring communities situated along the shore of Lake St. Clair next to Detroit consisting of the following cities:

• Grosse Pointe Shores
• Grosse Pointe Woods
• Grosse Pointe Farms
• Grosse Pointe City
• Grosse Pointe Park

The total combined geographical area of the Grosse Pointes covers 10.4 square miles and has a total population of approximately 46,000. Lakeshore Drive, which runs along the shore of Lake St. Clair, is one of the most scenic drives in Michigan which you take all the way to Downtown Detroit. Downtown Detroit is only seven (7) miles from the border of Grosse Pointe Park.

The Grosse Pointes are predominately residential communities with no industrial base or major shopping centers. People are drawn to the Grosse Pointes as an area known for excellent schools, water frontage on Lake St. Clair, charming older real estate, beautiful private parks with pools and marinas on Lake St. Clair, and a major police presence. There are two (2) highly rated high schools in the Grosse Pointes:

• Grosse Pointe South, located in Grosse Pointe Farms
• Grosse Pointe North, located in Grosse Pointe Woods

Grosse Pointe Shores: Grosse Pointe Shores is located next to St. Clair Shores and has a total geographical area of 19 square miles; with approximately 1 square mile of land and the remaining 18 square miles of water (Lake St. Clair). The population of Grosse Pointe Shores is just under 3,000. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is a mansion, built in 1928, is located in Grosse Pointe Shores, on the site known as “Gaukler Point”, on Lake St. Clair.

Grosse Pointe Woods: Grosse Pointe Woods is 3.3 square miles and has a population of just under 20,000. Grosse Pointe Woods is the home to the Grosse Pointe Public Library and Grosse Pointe North High School.

Grosse Pointe Farms: Grosse Pointe Farms covers an area of 12.32 square miles and has a population of approximately 10,000.

Grosse Pointe City: The City of Grosse Pointe is a city just over two (2) square miles with a population of a little less than 6,000 people. Grosse Pointe is home of “the Village”, which is generally considered to be the heart of all five of the above-named municipalities.

Grosse Pointe Park: Grosse Pointe Park shares a border with the City of Detroit. It is also a smaller community with less than 12,500 people and a land area of less than 2.5 square miles.

The Grosse Pointe Courts

Each of the five (5) cities that comprise the Grosse Pointes has its own independent police department and municipal court system.

Grosse Pointe Shores Municipal Court
795 Lake Shore Road
Telephone: 313-881-5503.
Fax: 313-640-1661

Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court
20025 Mack Plaza
Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236
Phone: (313) 343-2455
Fax: (313) 886-6284
Probation: (313) 417-0473
Court email: court@gpwmi.us

Grosse Pointe Farms Municipal Court
90 Kerby Road,
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
Phone: (313) 885-2104

Grosse Pointe Municipal Court
17147 Maumee Avenue
Grosse Pointe, MI 48230
Phone: 313-343-5262
Email: gpccourt@grossepointecity.org

Grosse Pointe Park Municipal Court
15115 E. Jefferson
Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
Phone: 313-822-3535
Fax: 313-922-0016
Email: court@grossepointepark.org

Types of Cases Heard at the Grosse Pointe Municipal Courts

The Grosse Pointe Municipal Courts have jurisdiction to handle arraignments, misdemeanors, traffic tickets, civil cases up to $3,000, and the early stages of felony cases (probable cause conference and preliminary examinations). The most common matters that are handled in the Grosse Pointe Municipal Courts are as follows:

Arraignments: An arraignment is the first stage in a criminal case which occurs in the court system after a person is charged with a crime and brought before the Judge or Magistrate for the following business:

• The criminal charges are read to the accused party.
• Constitutional rights are read to the accused, or the accused party will be asked to sign an Advice of Rights form.
• The court will set a bond. Bond may or may not require a cash component. A bond that doesn’t require a cash component is called a “personal bond”. Bond may also include the following conditions: no contact order, alcohol/drug testing, travel restrictions, GPS monitoring.
• A future court date will be scheduled. For misdemeanor cases, a pretrial conference will be schedule. For felony cases, the case will be scheduled for a probable cause conference.

Misdemeanors: Misdemeanors are crimes that are punishable by one (1) year or less in jail. A felony is a crime that can be punished for more than one (1) – up to life imprisonment. Some of the most common misdemeanors heard at the Grosse Pointe Municipal Courts are as follows: leaving the scene of an accident, drunk driving, reckless driving, domestic violence, retail fraud, malicious destruction of property, assault & battery, stalking, various drug crimes, simple larceny,

Drunk Driving: Drunk driving is one of the most prevalent criminal offenses that is charged in the Grosse Pointe Municipal Courts. The five (5) police departments do not hesitate to stop a vehicle for any violation of the motor vehicle code including driving only five (5) mph over the speed limit. A person will be arrested for DUI if alcohol consumption is detected. A person will face OWI charges if he or she registers a BAC result .08 to .16. Charges will be upped to OWI with a High BAC if the BAC result is .17 or greater. Get an experienced drunk driving defense lawyer to find out if your drunk driving charge can be dismissed, reduced and how you can avoid any jail and keep your driver’s license.

Traffic Tickets: The Grosse Pointes have five (5) police departments that patrol the major roads and residential streets of the Pointes. The Grosse Pointes have low speed limits and the police do not give you a break just because you are driving five (5) over the speed limit. There are speed traps everywhere in the Grosse Pointes. Did you know that under 5% of traffic tickets are contested and that a traffic ticket that appears on your record can result in a 39% increase in your insurance premiums? Hiring a lawyer can be your best investment to avoid points and a bump in your insurance premiums. Contact a lawyer to find out why it is a wise investment to fight every traffic ticket.

The Court clerks and Judges are forbidden by law to give you legal advice. Hire a lawyer to find out how you can get a personal bond, keep a criminal case off your record, avoid getting points for a traffic ticket, avoid jail and get out of the Court system neatly and without drawing any attention.

Contact ABDO LAW for attorneys with over 40 years’ experience practicing in the Grosse Pointes to get the best results and to get you out of the court system!

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CALL: Metro Detroit: 586-412-5555