To collect a debt owed in Wayne County, you escalate as far as it takes: an attorney demand letter, a lawsuit and money judgment in district court (up to $25,000; small claims up to $7,000), then garnishment of wages or bank accounts. With full placement you pay a 25% contingency only if we collect.
Your options, cheapest first
Option
What it is
Price
Last-chance letter
A firm third-party demand to resolve directly — business debts only
$25.00
Attorney demand letter
On law-firm letterhead, FDCPA-compliant
$75.00
Letter + attorney call
Demand letter followed by an attorney phone call
$149.00
Full placement
We handle it end-to-end: letters, suit, judgment, garnishment
25% if we collect
Consumer (personal/household) debts start with the attorney letter — the $25.00 last-chance letter is for business/commercial debts only.
How a Wayne County debt gets collected, step by step
Demand letter. A formal, compliant demand often resolves the balance without suit.
File suit. Suits are filed in the district court that covers the debtor's address. Wayne County has more district courts than any other Michigan county — nearly every city has its own. We automatically file in the correct court for your property's address. Claims up to $25,000 go to the district court's civil division; up to $7,000 can go to small claims.
Judgment. If the debtor doesn't pay or appear, we move for a judgment for the balance plus allowable costs and interest.
Garnishment & enforcement. With a judgment we garnish wages (periodic), bank accounts (non-periodic), or state tax refunds, and use other post-judgment tools until the debt is satisfied.
Start collecting in Wayne County — letters from $75.00, or 25% only if we collect
Tell us who owes what. Pick a demand letter or hand us the whole file — you'll track everything in your portal.
Wayne County's district-court structure for civil money claims
Wayne County has more independent district courts than any other Michigan county, with each city generally operating its own court. Civil money claims must be filed in the district court covering the debtor's address — not a county-level court. Detroit's 36th District Court is the largest and handles claims against Detroit debtors up to $25,000; it also operates a dedicated small claims track. For mid-county communities, the 34th District Court in Romulus covers several townships beyond just the city, including Sumpter, Van Buren, and Huron, as well as the Detroit Metro Airport. MiFILE e-filing is mandatory for attorneys across Wayne County's district courts, and most courts process post-judgment garnishments — wages, bank accounts, state tax refunds — within the same case file where the judgment was entered.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to collect a debt in Wayne County, Michigan?
It depends how far you go. A last-chance letter (business debts) is $25.00, an attorney demand letter is $75.00, a letter plus an attorney call is $149.00, and full placement — letters through judgment and garnishment — is a 25% contingency, so you pay only if we collect.
Where do I sue to collect a debt owed in Wayne County?
Money claims are filed in the district court covering the debtor's address. Michigan district courts hear civil claims up to $25,000; the small claims division handles up to $7,000 with a simpler process.
How do I garnish wages or a bank account in Michigan?
Once you have a money judgment, you can file a periodic garnishment against the debtor's wages or a non-periodic garnishment against bank accounts, plus garnish state tax refunds. We handle the judgment and the garnishments as part of full placement.
Do I need a lawyer to collect a business debt in Wayne County?
For a demand letter, no — but an LLC or corporation generally must appear through an attorney to sue in Michigan. Full placement puts the lawsuit and the garnishments in the hands of the firm, on contingency.
Need to evict instead?
If this is a tenant who owes back rent, start with eviction in Wayne County — then convert any unpaid balance to a collection.