Rule 2.518.Receipt and Return or Disposal of Exhibits
Current through May 1, 2026 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2.518 keeps trial exhibits out of the court file, requiring them instead to be submitted to the judge and maintained under the state's own records-management standards, sets a 56-day window for parties to reclaim their exhibits after trial before the court can dispose of them, and preserves the confidentiality of any exhibit that was already confidential.
(A)Receipt of Exhibits. Except as otherwise required by statute or court rule, materials that are intended to be used as evidence at or during a trial shall not be filed with the clerk of the court, but shall be submitted to the judge for introduction into evidence as exhibits. Exhibits introduced into evidence at or during court proceedings shall be received and maintained as
provided by Michigan Supreme Court trial court records management standards. As defined in MCR 1.109, exhibits received and accepted into evidence under this rule are not court records.
(B)Return or Disposal of Exhibits. At the conclusion of a trial or hearing, the court shall direct the parties to retrieve the exhibits submitted by them except that any weapons and drugs shall be returned to the confiscating agency for proper disposition. If the exhibits are not retrieved by the parties as directed within 56 days after conclusion of the trial or hearing, the court may properly dispose of the exhibits without notice to the parties.
(C)Confidentiality. If the court retains discovery materials filed pursuant to MCR 1.109(D) or an exhibit submitted pursuant to this rule after a hearing or trial and the material is confidential as provided by law, court rule, or court order pursuant to MCR 8.119(I), the court must continue to maintain the material in a confidential manner.
Amendment History
Michigan tracks the orders that adopt and amend its Court Rules in a separate administrative record rather than printing a history note beneath each rule in the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own May 1, 2026 update; for the full order-by-order history of this rule, see the Michigan Supreme Court’s rules and orders page.
Plain-English Summary
Evidence meant to be used at trial doesn't get filed with the court clerk the way pleadings and motions do. Instead, a party submits it directly to the judge for introduction as an exhibit, and once admitted, it's received and kept according to the Michigan Supreme Court's own trial-court records-management standards rather than the ordinary court-file rules; an exhibit handled this way isn't itself a court record.
Once the trial or hearing wraps up, the court directs the parties to come get their own exhibits back, with one exception: weapons and drugs go back to whichever agency confiscated them, not to the parties. Anyone who doesn't retrieve an exhibit within 56 days after the trial or hearing ends risks losing it for good, since the court can dispose of unclaimed exhibits without any further notice. And if the court holds onto discovery materials or an exhibit that was already confidential under some other law, rule, or order, that confidentiality doesn't lapse just because the case is over; the court has to keep treating the material as confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do trial exhibits get filed with the court clerk in Michigan?
No. Exhibits meant for use at trial are submitted directly to the judge for introduction into evidence rather than filed with the clerk, and once admitted they aren't treated as court records.
How long do I have to pick up my exhibits after trial?
Generally 56 days after the trial or hearing concludes; if you don't retrieve them by then, the court may dispose of them without further notice to you.
What happens to confiscated weapons or drugs used as trial exhibits?
They go back to the agency that confiscated them, not to the parties, when exhibits are returned or disposed of after trial.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Michigan Court Rules (MCR 2.518). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Michigan (Mich. Const. 1963, art. VI, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:trial exhibits Michiganreturn of exhibits after trialdisposal of trial exhibits Michigan