Search Grand Rapids Sex Offenders
Grand Rapids sex offenders are listed on the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry (PSOR), which you can search free at mspsor.com. Grand Rapids is Michigan's second-largest city with about 200,000 people in Kent County. The Grand Rapids Police Department and the Kent County Sheriff's Office both handle local sex offender registration. Search by name, address, or zip code to find registered offenders anywhere in the Grand Rapids area.
Grand Rapids Overview
Where Grand Rapids Sex Offenders Register
Sex offenders living or working in Grand Rapids register in person at either the Grand Rapids Police Department or the Kent County Sheriff's Office. The Michigan State Police maintains the master registry. Registration must happen before sentencing for listed offenses. After initial registration, offenders must report any changes to their address, employment, school enrollment, or vehicle within 3 business days. Failure to report is a felony under MCL 28.729, with penalties up to 4 years in prison for a first offense.
| Agency | Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) |
|---|---|
| Website | grandrapidsmi.gov/departments/police-department |
| Non-Emergency | 616-456-3400 |
| Records | 616-456-4177 |
| General Questions | GRPDinfo@grcity.us |
| District Court | 61st District Court, 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 |
| Court Phone | 616-632-5700 |
The Grand Rapids Police Department is CALEA accredited. The 61st District Court handles criminal cases in Grand Rapids and has a public access portal for online case searches. If an offender lives in a township outside the city limits, registration may go through the Kent County Sheriff's Office instead.
When registering, offenders must bring a Michigan driver's license or state ID, proof of address, vehicle information, and any employment or school details. Fingerprints and palm prints go on file if not already recorded. The registration fee is $50 at initial registration and $50 each year after that, up to a lifetime cap of $550 under MCL 28.725a.
How to Find Grand Rapids Sex Offenders
Start at the Michigan PSOR at mspsor.com/Home/Search. Type in a Grand Rapids address, a name, or a zip code. The radius search lets you set a distance from 0.25 to 5 miles. Results show the offender's photo, current address, tier level, offense, and vehicle details. You can also pull up a full list of all published offenders and filter for incarcerated or non-compliant status.
The registry profile for each offender includes their physical description, known aliases, tattoos or marks, employer name and address, and any campus where they are enrolled. All of this comes from what Michigan law requires the registry to show publicly under MCL 28.728. The data gets updated when offenders verify or when law enforcement makes changes after an inspection.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office also maintains its own sex offender page linked from the county site. The Kent County Sheriff's registry page shows county-level registrants and links to PSOR for full search functionality.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office works with GRPD to keep local registration records current and feeds updates into the statewide PSOR database.
Sign up for email alerts on the PSOR site if you want notices when an offender moves near your Grand Rapids home or business. Enter your address, pick a radius, and set up your email. You will get alerts for new registrations, address changes, and offenders who start or stop working near you. Notification emails come from notifications@icrimewatch.net.
Michigan SORA and the Tier System
Michigan's Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA) is found at MCL 28.721 et seq. Originally passed in 1994, SORA has been amended multiple times. The law covers anyone convicted of a listed sex offense in Michigan or anyone who moves to Michigan after a sex offense conviction elsewhere. Grand Rapids offenders fall under the same statewide rules as everyone else on the registry.
The three-tier system works like this. Tier I offenders register for 15 years and verify once a year during their birth month. Tier II offenders stay on the list for 25 years and verify twice a year. Tier III offenders face lifetime registration and must verify every three months. The tier level comes from the specific offense of conviction, not from any risk assessment. Tier I covers less serious offenses like CSC 4th Degree against an adult. Tier III covers the most serious crimes including CSC 1st Degree under MCL 750.520b and kidnapping of a minor under MCL 750.349.
Tier I offenders who have been on the registry for at least 10 years may petition for removal under MCL 28.728c. Petitions go to the circuit court where the original conviction happened. The court reviews a Michigan State Police report before making a decision. Tier II offenders may petition after 25 years. Most Tier III offenders have no path to removal.
Note: In 2024, a federal court ruled parts of SORA unconstitutional, and some registrants may see changes to their tier or registration period as the legislature responds.
Grand Rapids Resources
Questions about a specific Grand Rapids registrant go to the Michigan State Police SOR Unit at (517) 241-1806, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. You can also email psors@michigan.gov or use the contact form at mspsor.com/Home/Contact. If you think registry information is wrong, contact GRPD Records at 616-456-4177 or the Kent County Sheriff's Office.
For other background check tools, ICHAT at michigan.gov/ichat lets you run a criminal history search for $10. OTIS at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.aspx shows Michigan Department of Corrections prisoner records for up to three years after discharge. MiCOURT Case Search at courts.michigan.gov/case-search is the place to look up 61st District Court cases and Kent County Circuit Court records. The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov searches all state registries at once if you need to check records from outside Michigan.
Legal aid for Kent County residents is available through Lakeshore Legal Aid and the West Michigan Legal Aid programs. The State Bar of Michigan at michbar.org also has a referral service for private attorneys. Michigan Legal Help at michiganlegalhelp.org has free guides on registry requirements and petition processes.
Kent County Sex Offender Records
Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County. All sex offender registrations for Grand Rapids flow through the PSOR system that covers all of Kent County. The Kent County Sheriff's Office handles registration for areas outside city limits. For a full overview of the county registry, local law enforcement contacts, and links to the Kent County court system, see the Kent County page.
Nearby Qualifying Cities
These nearby cities also have sex offender registry pages you can search.