Civil procedure: service of process; cost for service of process for personal protection orders; eliminate. Amends sec. 2950a of 1961 PA 236 (MCL 600.2950a) & adds secs. 2950d & 2950p. TIE BAR WITH: HB 5120'25, HB 6033'26

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Noah Arbit and 45 co-sponsors

Eliminates the fee to serve personal protection order petitions, lowering barriers for victims and prompting procedural updates for sheriffs, clerks, and courts.

referred to second reading

#civilprocedure:personalprotectionorders #civilprocedure:serviceofprocess

Summary — HB 5121 (2025)

Title: Civil procedure: service of process; cost for service of process for personal protection orders; eliminate.
Bill No.: HB 5121
Introduced: March 13, 2025 (Rep. Sarah Lightner, primary)
Status: House introduced; bill electronically reproduced 10/23/2025; read and referred to Committee on Judiciary (10/23/2025).
Tie-bar: HB 5120 (2025)
Companion: SB 528

Purpose / Intent

HB 5121 would remove the statutory fee or cost associated with service of process for petitions seeking personal protection orders (PPOs). The stated policy aim is to eliminate financial barriers to obtaining court-ordered protection for victims of stalking, sexual assault, and related conduct by ensuring service of PPO documents is provided without charge.

Key provisions

Amends section 2950a of the Revised Judicature Act (MCL 600.2950a) and adds new sections 2950d and 2950p to that chapter.

Eliminates the cost charged for service of process related to personal protection order proceedings (as reflected in the bill title and statutory amendments).

Retains existing substantive provisions governing when a petitioner may seek a PPO (including grounds tied to stalking, sexual assault, and specified prohibited conduct) and the types of relief the court may issue (see MCL 600.2950a, as amended).

Tie-bar with HB 5120 indicates coordinated or dependent legislative action between the two bills (passage likely intended to be linked).

Note: The introduced bill text substantially reproduces and updates statutory language for PPOs while incorporating the fee-elimination change; detailed operative text for the fee elimination is in the amended/added statutory sections.

Who would be affected

Petitioners seeking personal protection orders (victims/survivors): would no longer have to pay fees for service of PPO-related documents, reducing out-of-pocket barriers to obtaining protection.

Local law enforcement agencies, sheriffs, and county clerks: may be responsible for providing service without collecting fees; potential administrative changes.

Counties/local governments: could experience reduced fee revenue and may see administrative or fiscal impacts depending on current fee collections and any offsetting state support.

Courts: administrative adjustments to process and forms to reflect fee elimination.

Potential impacts to note

Access: Improves access to court protection for victims by removing a monetary barrier to service.

Fiscal: Local governments (sheriff’s offices, county clerks) could lose a modest source of fee revenue; the bill does not (in the text provided) identify a mechanism to reimburse or offset that loss.

Implementation: Agencies that serve process would need to update procedures and public information to reflect no-fee service for PPOs.

For the precise operative language and the exact mechanism of fee elimination (who must provide service and any enforcement/implementation details), consult the bill text amending MCL 600.2950a and the newly added sections 2950d and 2950p.

Bill