Published 2026-05-10 by Papers Delivered (Process Servers).
Why Skip Tracing Matters
Roughly one in four "evasive defendant" cases turns out to be a stale-address case in disguise. The defendant moved, the records weren't updated, and the process server is knocking on the wrong door. Before any motion under MCR 2.105(I), confirming current address is the highest-leverage move.
Public-Record Sources
- Michigan Secretary of State driver/vehicle records -- limited public access, but DPPA-permitted purposes (litigation) allow disclosure.
- County assessor / register of deeds -- ownership and tax-mailing addresses for real property.
- Voter rolls -- Michigan's qualified voter file is public record, available through county clerks.
- Court records -- prior litigation often discloses addresses, employment, family relationships.
- Business filings -- LARA Bureau of Commercial Services for officers, registered agents, and entity addresses.
Verified Database Aggregators
Professional skip tracers subscribe to commercial databases that aggregate licensed data from credit headers, utility connections, mail-forwarding records, telephone subscriptions, and consumer reports. Common services include LexisNexis Accurint, TLO, IRBsearch, IDI, and ClearVoice. Each costs $1-$10 per pull and returns:
- Current and historical addresses (typically 10+ year history)
- Phone numbers and connection dates
- Relatives and associates
- Employment records (where reported)
- Vehicle registrations
- Property ownership
Social and Open-Source Intelligence
Modern skip tracing increasingly relies on open-source intelligence: social media profiles, geotagged posts, LinkedIn employment, Instagram check-ins, Facebook events. A defendant who claims to have moved out of state often posts pictures from the same neighborhood the next weekend. The technique is called OSINT (open-source intelligence) and is admissible when properly documented.
Address-Confirmation Techniques
Once you have a candidate address, confirm before dispatching a server:
- USPS NCOALink / mail-forwarding databases
- Utility-connection databases (electric/gas hookups in defendant's name)
- Drive-by visual confirmation (vehicle plates, name on mailbox)
- Pretext call to a neighbor or local business (where ethically appropriate)
Cost and Turnaround
A standard skip trace is $50-$150 with 24-48 hour turnaround. Difficult cases (defendant deliberately covering tracks, identity theft history, multi-state moves) can run $250-$500 with longer turnaround. The investment pays for itself when one good address eliminates 3-4 wasted serve attempts at a stale address.
Legal and Ethical Boundaries
Skip tracing for litigation purposes is permitted under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). The "permissible purpose" of locating a defendant for service of process is well-established. However, skip tracers cannot use pretext to obtain financial-account information, cannot impersonate law enforcement, and cannot use social engineering that crosses into fraud.
Need to Locate a Michigan Defendant?
Professional skip tracing with verified databases. Combine with audio/video documented service.
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