5th District Court (Niles)
District CourtPayments online
Contact
- Address
- 1205 North Front St., Niles, MI 49120
- Phone
- (269) 684-5274
- Website
- berriencounty.org/Courts
Judges (6)
- Honorable Arthur J. CotterDistrict Judge
- Honorable Gary J. BruceDistrict Judge
- Honorable Gordon Gary HosbeinDistrict Judge
- Honorable Mabel Johnson MayfieldChief Judge
- Honorable Paul S. Jancha, Jr.District Judge
- Honorable Sherri C. FrameDistrict Judge
Court contacts
ADA Coordinator
Ms. Brein Dyer(269) 684-5274
Court Administrator
Ms. Carrie Smietanka-Haney(269) 684-5274
Filing and payment
- E-filing (MiFILE)
- Not on SCAO's statewide MiFILE court list (checked 8/27/2026, list dated 7/23/2025) — either not yet on MiFILE, or on a system this particular list doesn't track. Verify directly with the court.
- Payments
- Online: trial court fines/fees and Friend of the Court payments both payable online (www.berriencounty.org/983/Payments); traffic tickets filed at Niles or St. Joseph locations
- Forms
- www.berriencounty.org/1069/Berrien-County-Forms (see also the Family Division Form Center)
- Local administrative orders
- www.berriencounty.org/1070/Administrative-Orders — full indexed list back to ~2010
Jurisdiction
- Special dockets
- Sobriety Court / OWI-Impaired Driving (LAO 2025-07); Specialized Business Court (LAO 2025-03); Mental Health Court (LAO 2019-05)
Also worth knowing
- Family court plan
- Berrien County MCR 8.117 plan
- Notes
- Berrien County Trial Court = 2nd Circuit + Probate Court operate as one administration; regular hours are set by LAO 2023-01 (not independently confirmed this pass).
SCAO court code D05. Compiled from the Michigan SCAO trial court directory and this court's own website, last checked 2026-08-27. Confirm anything time-sensitive with the court directly.