Bay County, Michigan public records

In Bay County, deeds are recorded by the Bay County Register of Deeds; property values come from the Bay County Equalization Department; court files are divided among the Bay County Clerk as Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court, the 74th District Court and the Bay County Probate Court.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

Where to get each record
Deeds and land records
Property values, owners and tax bills
Court records: which clerk keeps which case
Marriage records
Birth certificates
Death certificates
Probate records and wills
Business names (DBA)
Voter records
Historical records
Good to know about Bay County records
Office addresses, phones and hours
Records that are not online: public records requests
Questions people ask
Official copies vs look-alike sites
Sources

Where to get each record

Record	Office	Search online	Fee
Deeds and land records	Bay County Register of Deeds⁴	Search deeds²	$1.00 per page (statewide statute MCL 600.2567)³
Property values and owners	Bay County Equalization Department⁴	Property search⁵	—
Property tax bills	Bay County Treasurer⁴	—	—
Court cases	Bay County Clerk as Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court⁴ 74th District Court⁴ Bay County Probate Court⁴ 18th Circuit Court Family Division / Friend of the Court⁴	18th Judicial Circuit Court⁶ 74th District Court⁶ Bay County Probate Court⁶	Fees: adoption record copy: Probate/Juvenile adoption record copies $1.00 per page⁷
Marriage records	Bay County Clerk⁴	—	First Copy: $15.00; Each Additional Copy: $5.00⁸
Divorce records	Bay County Clerk as Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court⁴	—	—
Birth certificates	Bay County Clerk⁴	—	$15.00 first copy; $5.00 each additional; free in person for Bay County residents 60 and over⁹
Death certificates	Bay County Clerk⁴	—	$15.00 first copy; $5.00 each additional¹⁰
Probate and wills	Bay County Probate Court⁴	Search probate cases⁶	—
Business names (DBA)	Bay County Clerk⁴	—	DBA filing fee $10.00; valid 5 years¹¹

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Bay County are recorded by the Bay County Register of Deeds.⁴

Online search: doxpop.com/prod/mi²
About this search: Doxpop, 'Search Land Records', linked by the Register of Deeds²
Who runs it: Doxpop²

Copy fee: $1.00 per page (statewide statute MCL 600.2567)³
Certified copy fee: $5.00 to certify a recorded document (statewide statute MCL 600.2567)³
Recording fee: $30.00 flat fee per document (MCLA 600.2567, effective October 1, 2016)¹²
Transfer tax: State $7.50 and county $1.10 per $1,000 consideration¹²
Tax certificate: Treasurer tax certificate ($5.00, separate check to the Bay County Treasurer) required before recording warranty deeds and land contracts¹²
How to order: Search in person at the office or online via Doxpop; mailed recordings need a self-addressed stamped envelope²

How deeds work in Michigan

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Bay County Equalization Department sets property values⁴; the Bay County Treasurer bills and collects the tax⁴.

Property search: bsaonline.com (Property Tax Query, BS&A Online, linked by the county): land descriptions, assessment and tax information⁵
Tax bill search: BS&A Online Property Tax Query; current taxes are billed and collected by the city or township treasurer¹³
Parcel map (GIS): app.fetchgis.com (Interactive County Mapping System)¹⁴
Delinquent tax: Unpaid taxes pass to the County Treasurer after February 28¹³
Record cards: Appraisal record cards come from the city or township¹⁵

How property tax works in Michigan

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Court	Cases	Records kept by	Case search
18th Judicial Circuit Court	Civil over $25,000, felonies, domestic relations incl. PPOs, appeals¹⁶	Bay County Clerk as Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court	micourt.courts.michigan.gov/… MiCOURT Case Search, Michigan courts; linked by the Bay County Courts site⁶
74th District Court	Civil up to $25,000, small claims up to $7,000, landlord/tenant, misdemeanors, traffic, felony preliminary exams¹⁷	74th District Court	courtpmt.baycounty.net/c74/c74_cases.php District Court Case Look Up, linked by the Bay County Courts site⁶
Bay County Probate Court	Estates, guardianships, conservatorships, mental health; probate judge also sits as Family Court - Juvenile Division	Bay County Probate Court	micourt.courts.michigan.gov/… Probate Court Case Look Up⁶
18th Circuit Court Family Division (Juvenile)	Child protective proceedings and juvenile delinquency	18th Circuit Court Family Division / Friend of the Court	—

Fees: statewide: Michigan courts may not charge to view case history or inspect documents¹⁸
Fees: adoption record copy: Probate/Juvenile adoption record copies $1.00 per page⁷

Criminal records and background checks

Sheriff reports: Closed incident reports from the Sheriff Records Division: $22.00¹⁹

How Michigan courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Bay County Clerk (vital records, DBAs, elections).⁴

Marriage license: Marriage license fee $20.00; out-of-state residents $30.00; waiver of 3-day wait $100.00²⁰
Apply: Online application, then appear in person; 3-day waiting period; marry within 33 days²⁰
Certified copy: $15.00 first copy, $5.00 each additional; records from 1857; public⁸
Copy fee: First Copy: $15.00; Each Additional Copy: $5.00⁸

Michigan marriage records, statewide

Birth certificates

Births in Bay County from 1868⁹

Fee: $15.00 first copy; $5.00 each additional; free in person for Bay County residents 60 and over⁹
Who may order: Not public: the person named or parents; heirs, guardians, legal representatives with documentation⁹
Online: VitalChek is the county's authorized online partner (extra processing fee)⁹

Ordering a Michigan birth certificate

Death certificates

Deaths in Bay County from 1867¹⁰

Fee: $15.00 first copy; $5.00 each additional¹⁰
Who may order: Public; anyone may request a certified copy¹⁰

Ordering a Michigan death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Bay County Probate Court.⁴

Online search: micourt.courts.michigan.gov/…⁶

Finding a will or probate case in Michigan

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the Bay County Clerk (vital records, DBAs, elections).⁴

Fee: DBA filing fee $10.00; valid 5 years¹¹

Voter records

Kept by the Bay County Clerk - Elections.⁴

QVF: County Clerk is Chief Election Officer and, with local clerks, maintains the statewide Qualified Voter File²¹

Historical records

Vital: Clerk's vital records date back as far as 1867²¹

Good to know about Bay County records

Since January 1, 2018 the Register of Deeds numbers documents by Document Number instead of Liber/Page.²
Register of Deeds card index for 1958-1984 is online on a county host.²
Marriage records go back to 1857; births from 1868; deaths from 1867.⁸
Bay County residents aged 60 and over get birth certificates free in person.⁹
Free Doxpop Property Watch fraud alerts offered by the Register of Deeds.²
Bay County is in the Fox v. Saginaw County class settlement over 2013-2020 tax-foreclosure surplus proceeds; claims deadline November 23, 2026.²²

Office addresses, phones and hours

Bay County Register of Deeds

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Suite 102, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5122²
Phone: (989) 895-4228; fax (989) 895-4296²
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00am-5:00pm; in-house research 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., open during lunch²
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Clerk (vital records, DBAs, elections)

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Ste. 101, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941 (Bay County Building)²³
Mail: Bay County Clerk, 515 Center Avenue, Suite 101, Bay City, MI 48708⁹
Phone: (989) 895-4280; fax (989) 895-4284²³
Email: [email protected]²³
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; walk-in available until 4:30 PM²³
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Clerk as Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Ste. 101, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941 (Bay County Building)²³
Mail: Bay County Clerk, 515 Center Avenue, Suite 101, Bay City, MI 48708⁹
Phone: (989) 895-4280; fax (989) 895-4284²³
Email: [email protected]²³
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; walk-in available until 4:30 PM²³
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

74th District Court

Address: 1230 Washington Avenue, Suite 747, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5737¹⁷
Phone: (989) 895-4232; TDD (989) 895-4049¹⁷
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Probate Court

Address: 1230 Washington Ave., Suite 715, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5737⁷
Phone: (989) 895-4205⁷
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am to 5:00pm⁷
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

18th Circuit Court Family Division / Friend of the Court

Address: Friend of the Court: Bay County Court Facility, Suite 660, 1230 Washington Avenue, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5734¹⁶
Phone: Friend of the Court (989) 895-4295; Juvenile Court (989) 895-4206¹⁶
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Equalization Department

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Suite 212, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941¹⁵
Phone: (989) 895-4075; fax (989) 895-4078¹⁵
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 am to 4:00 pm¹⁵
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Treasurer

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Suite 602, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5122²²
Phone: (989) 895-4285; fax (989) 895-4082²²
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Sheriff's Office - Records Division

Phone: 989-895-4050¹⁹
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00am to 4:30pm¹⁹
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Bay County Clerk - Elections

Address: 515 Center Avenue, Ste. 101, Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941 (Bay County Building)²³
Mail: Bay County Clerk, 515 Center Avenue, Suite 101, Bay City, MI 48708⁹
Phone: (989) 895-4280; fax (989) 895-4284²³
Email: [email protected]²³
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; walk-in available until 4:30 PM²³
Website: baycountymi.gov/…⁴

Interactive County Mapping System (Bay Area GIS, FetchGIS)

Website: app.fetchgis.com¹⁴

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page: baycountymi.justfoia.com/… (FOIA Request Portal)²⁴
Where to send it: FOIA Coordinator, 515 Center Avenue, Suite 402, Bay City, MI 48708; [email protected]; (989) 895-4131²⁴
Fees: Cost based on actual time spent; no phone estimates²⁴

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Bay County?

The Bay County Register of Deeds keeps deed records. To order copies: Search in person at the office or online via Doxpop; mailed recordings need a self-addressed stamped envelope. Plain copies: $1.00 per page (statewide statute MCL 600.2567). Certified copies: $5.00 to certify a recorded document (statewide statute MCL 600.2567).⁴²³

How much is a birth certificate in Bay County?

$15.00 first copy; $5.00 each additional; free in person for Bay County residents 60 and over.⁹

How do I look up who owns a property in Bay County?

Use the property search of the Bay County Equalization Department: bsaonline.com⁵

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 Bay County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Michigan with a full guide: Allegan County, Calhoun County, Clinton County, Eaton County, Genesee County, Grand Traverse County, Ingham County, Jackson County, Kalamazoo County, Kent County, Lapeer County, Lenawee County, Livingston County, Macomb County, Midland County, Monroe County, Muskegon County, Oakland County, Ottawa County, Saginaw County, St. Clair County, Washtenaw County, Wayne County. Every county in the state: Michigan county list. Looking for another Bay County? Bay County, Florida.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 25 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
Register of DeedsBay County, Michigan
600.2567 Register of deeds; fees.Michigan Legislature
Bay County, MI home pageBay County, Michigan
Property Descriptions & MappingBay County Equalization
Bay County Courts Web SiteBay County Courts
Probate & Family CourtBay County, Michigan
Marriage License (copies)Bay County Clerk
Birth CertificatesBay County Clerk
Death CertificateBay County Clerk
Assumed Names/DBABay County Clerk
Recording FeesBay County Register of Deeds
Property TaxesBay County Treasurer
Online ServicesBay County, Michigan
EqualizationBay County, Michigan
18th Judicial Circuit CourtBay County, Michigan
74th District CourtBay County, Michigan
Michigan Court Rules Chap 8. Administrative Rules of CourtMichigan Courts
Records Division and Police ReportsBay County Sheriff's Office
Marriage InformationBay County Clerk
Duties of the County ClerkBay County, Michigan
TreasurerBay County, Michigan
ClerkBay County, Michigan
FOIA (Corporation Counsel)Bay County, Michigan
County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau