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Michigan public records: who holds what

In Michigan, deeds are recorded by the Register of Deeds; birth and death certificates come from the State Registrar, MDHHS Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; and requests for other government records fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Act 442 of 1976. Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Michigan
  2. Public records law in Michigan
  3. How Michigan organizes its records
  4. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  5. Counties in Michigan
  6. Warnings from official sources
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Official directories
  9. Sources

Who holds what in Michigan

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty Register of Deeds (elected in each county); a county board may combine the office with the county clerk1$1.00 per page2
Property recordsAnnual assessment by the assessing officer of the township or city (villages use the township's assessment)3—
Court recordsOne court of justice: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit court, probate court, and courts of limited jurisdiction4$10.00 plus $1.00 per page (circuit, district, probate) unless another fee applies5
Marriage recordsCounty clerk issues the license; state copies at MDHHS Vital Records from 18676State: $34.00 search including one certified copy7
Divorce recordsCircuit court clerk (county clerk) keeps the case file; MDHHS holds the state record from 18978State: $34.00 search including one certified copy7
Birth certificatesMDHHS Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics (from 1867); local registrars may also issue8$34.00 search including one certified copy7
Death certificatesMDHHS Vital Records from 1867; local registrars may issue8$34.00 search including one certified copy7
Probate and willsCounty probate court (probate register); some counties share a probate district9$10.00 certification plus $1.00 per page5

Public records law in Michigan

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Act 442 of 1976 (MCL 15.231 to 15.246) Read the law10

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any 'person' (individuals and entities, including governmental entities); excludes individuals serving a sentence of imprisonment. No Michigan residency requirement appears in the definition.11
Response time
5 business days after receipt; one extension of up to 10 more business days12
Copy fees
Fee limited to actual mailing costs and the actual incremental cost of duplication or publication including labor, the cost of search, examination, review, and deletion/separation of exempt information (components itemized in MCL 15.234(1)); paper copies capped at 10 cents per sheet (8.5x11 and 8.5x14); first $20.00 of the fee waived for qualifying indigent individuals and designated nonprofit advocacy organizations13
If a request is refused
Written appeal to the head of the public body stating the word 'appeal', or civil action in circuit court (court of claims for state bodies) within 180 days of final determination14
What is exempt
MCL 15.243 lists permissive exemptions, including clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy, certain law enforcement investigating records, and records exempted by other statute15
Official guide
Attorney General's Freedom of Information Act Handbook, updated January 202316
More on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Act 442 of 1976
Courts
Courts are not FOIA public bodies; nor is the county clerk acting as clerk of the circuit court. Use MCR 8.119 for court records.16
Clerk as court clerk
County clerk acting as circuit court clerk is outside FOIA16
Governor not covered
Governor, Lieutenant Governor and their executive offices are not public bodies16
Response time extension
One notice of extension, not more than 10 business days12
Fees indigent
First $20.00 of the fee waived per request for (a) an individual who submits an affidavit of indigency, or (b) a nonprofit organization formally designated by the state under the federal developmental disabilities / mental illness protection and advocacy acts (with conditions)13
Request form
Written request to the public body's FOIA coordinator with complete name, address and contact information17
Appeal deadline for agency
Head of public body answers a written appeal within 10 business days (one extension up to 10 more under unusual circumstances)14
Exemptions statute
Records or information exempted by another statute may be withheld15
Certified copy
Custodian must furnish a certified copy on written request17
Policy
All persons, except those incarcerated in state or local correctional facilities, are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government18

How to write a public records request

How Michigan organizes its records

  • Clerk and Register may be combined. A county board may merge county clerk and register of deeds1
  • Township and city property tax administration. Assessment is township or city, not county3
  • Charter county fee differences (deeds). Charter county may set a different deed fee schedule, capped at cost2
  • Charter county fee differences (vital records). Charter county over 1,500,000 may charge more for vital records, capped at cost7
  • Probate court districts. Some counties share a probate district9
  • Confidential marriage. Probate court issued; limited to spouses8

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center19
Fee
$10.00 name-based search20
Fee statute
Authorized at $10.00 until October 1, 2027; no fee for government or nonprofit charitable agencies doing employment or volunteer checks21
Fingerprint check fee
Personal check by fingerprints: $30.00 processing fee20
More about criminal history checks
Exclusions
Excludes suppressed records, warrants, federal, tribal, traffic, juvenile, local misdemeanor and out-of-state records19

Sex offender registry

Official registry
mspsor.com22
Operator
Michigan State Police under the Sex Offenders Registration Act23
Not shown
Victim identity, SSN, arrests without conviction, travel or immigration document numbers, tier classification and license numbers are excluded from the site24
Juveniles
Adjudicated juveniles do not appear22
Misuse warning
Must not be used to harass or injure23
More about sex offender registry
National
nsopw.gov22
Not listed
Public website excludes individuals registered solely for juvenile dispositions (not tried as adults), out-of-state juvenile adjudications, and most single tier I offenses24

Inmate and jail lookups

State prison
MDOC OTIS. MDOC links mdocweb.state.mi.us/OTIS2/otis2.html, which redirected to mdoc-offendersearch.michigan.gov on Nov. 4, 202625
What it covers
Prisoners, parolees, probationers under supervision or within 3 years of discharge25
County jails
County jails are not in OTIS; contact the county25
Older offenders
Beyond 3 years, OTIS points to ICHAT25

Voter records

Public or restricted
Qualified Voter File is available on request under FOIA, with listed fields withheld26
How to request
Form by email to [email protected] or mail to Michigan Bureau of Elections, PO Box 20126, Lansing, MI 48901-072626
Fields released
Name, residential and mailing address, year of birth, registration date, status, voter ID, voter history26
Fields withheld
Declined registration record, receiving office, DL/ID number, month and day of birth, telephone, digitized signature, last 4 SSN; form also lists email10
Format
Form states both CSV and Fixed Length ASCII26
More about voter records
Preregistrants
Records of preregistered voters are confidential until age 17-1/210

Business names (DBA)

DBA at the county
Sole proprietors and partnerships file with the county clerk in each county of business27
DBA filing fee
$6.00 (a charter county over 2,000,000 may set a different fee)27
Entity state
Corporations file a certificate of assumed name under the Business Corporation Act, at LARA28
Entity form
LARA form CSCL/CD-54129
Entity fee
$10.00 Certificate of Assumed Name (form 541) for domestic profit and professional corporations; renewal (542) and termination (543) also $10.0030
More about business names (dba)
Entity expiry
Expires December 31 of the fifth full calendar year after filing28
Statewide case search
Business Entity Search michigan.gov/corpentitysearch30
Search contents
Daily-updated entity data, document images, assumed names, resident agent, status29
Penalty
Failure to file: misdemeanor, and cannot sue on related contracts until compliant31
County exclusion
County filing 'person' excludes corporations and limited partnerships27
Sole proprietor
Sole proprietor files in every county of business29
LLC assumed name fee
LLC Certificate of Assumed Name (CSCL/CD-541) $25.0029

Liens and UCC filings

UCC holder
Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State)32
UCC portal
ucc.michigan.gov (Free Debtor Name Quick Search at /ucc-search)32
Filing fee
$15.00 per filing33
Search fee
$6.00 per debtor name; expedite +$25.00; copies +$2.00 per page; seal +$6.0033
Federal lien real
Real property: county register of deeds34
More about liens and ucc filings
Federal lien personal
Personal property: Secretary of State if the person is a corporation or partnership whose principal executive office is in Michigan; in all other cases, the register of deeds of the county where the person resides34
Construction lien
Claim of lien recorded with the register of deeds within 90 days of last furnishing labor or material35
UCC page fees
Department of State page: $15 per filing; $6 per debtor name32

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
Michigan GIS Open Data gis-michigan.opendata.arcgis.com36
Official link
DTMB (michigan.gov/dtmb/services/maps) links the GIS Open Data Portal at gis-michigan.opendata.arcgis.com as the single point of entry for State of Michigan open geospatial data37

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Archives of Michigan, 517-335-2576, [email protected]38
Holdings
Includes naturalization, military, land survey, circuit and probate court records39
Naturalization
Naturalization records for most counties39
Digital portal
Michiganology michiganology.org, over 12 million records39
Death online
Death records online through 1943 per Michiganology40
More about historical and genealogy records
Library guide
Library of Michigan: certificates 1897-1939, indexing through 195241
Birth historical
Birth records: timeline shows 1919 as latest researcher access year40
Birth genealogy time
MDHHS birth genealogy orders: regular 12 - 16 weeks8

Counties in Michigan

24 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 83 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.43

Warnings from official sources

  • Government Records - Get Them from the Government Not a Third Party. Mailers offer certified records including deeds for usually $50 to $100; the county charges a nominal fee (Michigan Attorney General)44
  • Forged Quit Claim Deeds. Sign up for register of deeds notification services (Michigan Attorney General)45
  • VitalChek only authorized online vendor (authorization statement, not a scam alert). MDHHS names VitalChek as the only authorized online provider (MDHHS)8

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Michigan office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 47 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. § 4 County officers; terms, combination.Michigan Legislature
  2. 600.2567 Register of deeds; fees.Michigan Legislature
  3. 211.10 Annual assessment of property.Michigan Legislature
  4. § 1 Judicial power in court of justice; divisions.Michigan Legislature
  5. 600.2546 Certified copies, exemplifications of records, pleadings, and proceedings; fee.Michigan Legislature
  6. 551.101 Marriage license; requirements; place to obtain, delivery to person officiating.Michigan Legislature
  7. 333.2891 Search for vital record; request; fee; official statement if record not locatedMichigan Legislature
  8. Order Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce RecordsMDHHS
  9. 600.803 Probate court district.Michigan Legislature
  10. 168.509gg Information exempt from freedom of information act.Michigan Legislature
  11. 15.232 Definitions.Michigan Legislature
  12. 15.235 Request to inspect or receive copy of public record; response to request; failure toMichigan Legislature
  13. 15.234 Fee; limitation on total fee; labor costs; establishment of procedures and guidelines; creation ofMichigan Legislature
  14. 15.240 Options by requesting person; appeal; actions by public body; receipt of writtenMichigan Legislature
  15. 15.243 Exemptions from disclosure; public body as school district, intermediate school district, or publicMichigan Legislature
  16. Freedom of Information Act HandbookMichigan Attorney General
  17. 15.233 Public records; request requirements; right to inspect, copy, or receive; subscriptions; forwardingMichigan Legislature
  18. MCL 15.231 Short title; public policy (FOIA)Michigan Legislature
  19. Criminal History RecordsMichigan State Police
  20. Find out what remains on your recordMichigan State Police
  21. 28.273 Fingerprinting and criminal record check; fee.Michigan Legislature
  22. Sex Offender RegistryMichigan State Police
  23. Home - Michigan Sex Offender RegistryMichigan State Police
  24. 28.728 Law enforcement database; information to be contained for each registeredMichigan Legislature
  25. Offender SearchMDOC
  26. Qualified Voter File Data Request Form and InstructionsMichigan Department of State
  27. 445.1 Certificate required to carry on business under assumed name; filing; form; contentsMichigan Legislature
  28. 450.1217 Transacting business under assumed name; certificate.Michigan Legislature
  29. Entrepreneur's GuideLARA
  30. Domestic Profit and Professional CorporationsLARA
  31. 445.5 Violation of act; penalty; violation of contracts, effect.Michigan Legislature
  32. Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)Michigan Department of State
  33. 440.9525 Fee for filing and indexing record; other fees.Michigan Legislature
  34. 211.663 Notices of liens, certificates, and other notices affecting federal liens; filingMichigan Legislature
  35. 570.1111 Claim of lien; recording; validity; form; assignment; statement; proof of service ofMichigan Legislature
  36. Michigan GIS Open DataState of Michigan
  37. Maps / GIS (DTMB Center for Shared Solutions)Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget
  38. Archives of Michigan
  39. CollectionsArchives of Michigan
  40. Vital Records: History of Michigan's Vital Records (Michiganology)Archives of Michigan
  41. Michigan Vital Records GuideLibrary of Michigan
  42. Genealogical Death Indexing SystemMDHHS
  43. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  44. Government Records - Get Them from the Government Not a Third PartyMichigan Attorney General
  45. Home Lending and Foreclosure Rescue ScamsMichigan Attorney General
  46. Trial Court DirectoryMichigan Courts
  47. Get to Know Your Election Officials (Rev. 09/23)Michigan Department of State