HB 5120 Michigan House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Civil procedure: service of process; cost for service of process for personal protection orders; eliminate. Amends secs. 2559 & 2950 of 1961 PA 236 (MCL 600.2559 & 600.2950). TIE BAR WITH: HB 5121'25, HB 6033'26

HB 5120 eliminates fees for serving documents in personal protection order (PPO) cases. It amends Michigan's civil procedure law to prohibit charging fees for serving process under the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act or for any order issued in a PPO case, including petitions, orders, and related documents. This directly affects PPO petitioners (who no longer pay service fees) and process servers (who cannot charge for these specific services). The bill also clarifies that law enforcement may charge a $50 flat fee from a dedicated fund for multiple PPO-related documents served at once, but not per document. The change aims to remove financial barriers for individuals seeking protection orders.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Oct 23, 2025 Last action Jun 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

House Introduced Bill → Substitute (H-1) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill completely replaces the original text, removing all provisions related to court service fees and replacing them with a new section establishing a Personal Protection Order (PPO) system. The new law defines specific acts of domestic violence, sets criteria for issuing protection orders, and outlines procedures for petitioners to seek legal relief from abusive partners or household members.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from regulating financial fees for court process servers to establishing a civil protection order mechanism for victims of domestic violence and stalking.

SCOPE

All text regarding fees for serving legal documents, such as summonses, subpoenas, and writs of garnishment, was removed.

ELIGIBILITY

New eligibility criteria were added, allowing individuals to petition for protection against spouses, former spouses, partners, dating relationships, or household members.

DEFINITION

Specific prohibited behaviors were defined, including entering premises, assault, threats, removing children, firearm possession, and interfering with employment or education.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were established for courts to issue orders based on reasonable cause and specific conditions regarding property interests in shared premises.

A new provision requires notification to the court if the respondent is a law enforcement officer or licensed carrier required to carry a weapon due to their job.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jun 24, 2026

Committee

referred to second reading

lower

Jun 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

reported with recommendation with substitute (H-1)

lower

Oct 23, 2025

Committee

referred to Committee on Judiciary

lower

Oct 23, 2025

Introduced

introduced by Representative Rep. Helena Scott

lower

1 primary · 47 co-sponsors