Rule 2.222.Change of Venue; Venue Proper

Current through May 1, 2026 · Last verified July 6, 2026

In one sentenceRule 2.222 lets a court move a case that is already sitting in a proper county to a different county for the convenience of the parties and witnesses or because an impartial trial cannot be had there, but only on a party's motion, and it spells out how the case, its fees, and any jury costs move to the new court.

Full Text of Rule 2.222

Text sizeJump to: (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

(A) Grounds. The court may order a change of venue of a civil action, or of an appeal from an order or decision of a state board, commission, or agency authorized to promulgate rules or regulations, for the convenience of parties and witnesses or when an impartial trial cannot be had where the action is pending. In the case of appellate review of administrative proceedings, venue may also be changed for the convenience of the attorneys.

(B) Motion Required. If the venue of the action is proper, the court may not change the venue on its own initiative, but may do so only on motion of a party.

(C) Multiple Claims. If multiple claims are joined in an action, and the venue of one or more of them would have been improper if the claims had been brought in separate actions, the defendant may move to separate the claims and to transfer those as to which venue would have been improper. The court has discretion to

(1) order the transfer of all claims,

(2) order the separation and transfer moved for, or

(3) retain the entire action for trial.

(D) Order for Change of Venue; Case Records.

(1) The transferring court must enter all necessary orders pertaining to the certification and transfer of the action to the receiving court. The court must order the party that moved for change of venue to pay the applicable statutory filing fee to the receiving court, unless fees have been waived in accordance with MCR 2.002.

(2) The transferring court must serve the order on the parties and send a copy to the receiving court. The clerk of the transferring court must prepare the case records for transfer in accordance with the orders entered under subrule (1) and the Michigan Trial Court Records Management Standards and send them to the receiving court by a secure method.

(3) The receiving court must temporarily suspend payment of the filing fee and open a case pending payment of the filing fee as ordered by the transferring court. The receiving court must notify the party that moved for change of venue of the new case number in the receiving court, the amount due, and the due date.

(E) Payment of Filing and Jury Fees.

(1) The party that moved for change of venue must pay to the receiving court within 28 days of the date of the transfer order the applicable filing fee as ordered by the transferring court. No further action may be had in the case until payment is made. If the fee is not paid to the receiving court within 28 days of the date of the order, the receiving court must order the case transferred back to the transferring court.

(2) If a jury fee has been paid, the clerk of the transferring court must forward it to the clerk of the receiving court as soon as possible after the case records have been transferred.

End

Amendment History

Michigan tracks the orders that adopt and amend its Court Rules in a separate administrative record rather than printing a history note beneath each rule in the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own May 1, 2026 update; for the full order-by-order history of this rule, see the Michigan Supreme Court’s rules and orders page.

Plain-English Summary

Even when venue is already proper, a court can order a change of venue for the convenience of parties and witnesses, or because an impartial trial can't be had where the case is pending; in appeals from administrative agencies, the convenience of the attorneys counts too. The court can't make this move on its own — only on a party's motion. When multiple claims are joined and venue would have been improper for some of them standing alone, a defendant can move to separate out those claims and transfer just them, and the court can choose to transfer everything, transfer only the separated claims, or keep the whole case where it is.

Once a transfer is ordered, the transferring court enters the certification and transfer orders on a state-approved form, serves the parties, and sends the case records to the receiving court, which temporarily suspends the filing-fee requirement while it opens the case and notifies the moving party of the new case number, amount due, and deadline. The moving party generally has 28 days from the transfer order to pay the receiving court's filing fee, or the receiving court sends the case back; any jury fee already paid gets forwarded along with the case records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a court move my case to a different county even if I filed in the right place?

Yes, for the convenience of the parties and witnesses, or if an impartial trial can't be had there, but only if a party asks for it by motion; the court can't do this on its own.

What if my case has several claims and venue was only proper for some of them?

The defendant can move to separate out the claims that wouldn't have had proper venue standing alone, and the court can transfer just those, transfer everything, or keep the whole case.

Who pays the filing fee at the new court?

The party who asked for the change of venue, generally within 28 days of the transfer order, or the receiving court sends the case back.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Michigan Court Rules (MCR 2.222). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Michigan (Mich. Const. 1963, art. VI, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: change of venue for convenience Michiganmotion to transfer venue Michigan