Miss a Payment, Go to Jail. Withhold a Child, Nothing Happens. Michigan's Two-Tier Family Court System.

Michigan law forces automatic enforcement when child support is one month late. But when a parent is denied court-ordered time with their child, the FOC can legally refuse to act.

KALAMAZOO, Mich., March 30, 2026 — In Michigan, if a parent falls one month behind on child support, the Friend of the Court is required by law to begin enforcement. No one has to file a complaint. No one has to ask. It is automatic. The tools include income withholding, tax intercepts, license suspensions, property liens, credit reporting, and criminal prosecution. If the debt exceeds $10,000, the Attorney General can file felony charges.

Now consider the other side. A parent is denied court-ordered time with their child. They go to the FOC for help. The FOC can schedule a meeting. Offer mediation. Suggest makeup time. Or it can do nothing. Michigan law gives the FOC the right to decline a parenting time complaint entirely if it is filed more than 56 days after the violation, if the parent has filed two prior complaints, or if the order lacks specific enough language.

Both are court orders. One is enforced automatically with the threat of prison. The other is enforced at the FOC's discretion, if at all.

The Michigan Legislature's own publication on the Friend of the Court says it plainly. Parenting time and support are separate parts of a court order. A parent denied time with their child cannot withhold support. But there is nothing stopping the FOC from declining to enforce parenting time while taking money from that same parent's paycheck.

This is not a failure of the system. This is how the system was built.

“Both are court orders. The law chose which one matters.,” stated Kalamazoo Transparency Act.