Downtown Adrian general practice serving Lenawee, Hillsdale and Monroe Counties in Southeast Michigan, opened by former Lenawee County assistant prosecutor Charles J. Noe. Lists probate and estates among the areas it regularly practices, and drafts trusts, wills, powers of attorney and living wills.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Hillsdale County, Michigan
How probate works in Hillsdale County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Hillsdale County Probate Court
Hillsdale County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
29 North Howell Street, Room 3, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
Self-help center
- Hillsdale County Courthouse, 29 N. Howell St.The Hillsdale County Legal Self-Help Center in the courthouse is a Michigan Legal Help center. Its staff help visitors find legal information and forms but do not give legal advice.
Fax
1-517-437-4148
About the court
- The probate office is in Room 3 of the Hillsdale County Courthouse and closes for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Transcripts are ordered through Modern Court Reporting & Video, and the court's docket is posted online.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Hillsdale County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Hillsdale, probate runs through the Probate Court at 29 North Howell Street, Room 3, Hillsdale.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Michigan intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Michigan estates take 7 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 4 monthsMCL 700.3801, 700.3803, 700.3804, 700.3805, 700.3806; MCR 5.208, MCR 5.106Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Hillsdale County
What probate costs in Hillsdale County, Michigan comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Probate Court at 29 North Howell Street, Room 3, Hillsdale.
Michigan charges $175MCL §§ 600.880(1), 600.1986(1)(a)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Michigan are negotiated, typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under MCR 5.313(A) (attorney entitled to reasonable compensation; MRPC 1.5(a) factors); MCL 700.3721 (court reviews reasonableness of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Michigan allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payMCL 700.3719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Michigan requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
Probate in Michigan typically runs 7 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Probate Court
Probate cases in Hillsdale County are filed at the Probate Court. File in person during business hours or by mail.
The Hillsdale County Legal Self-Help Center in the courthouse is a Michigan Legal Help center. Its staff help visitors find legal information and forms but do not give legal advice.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Michigan, informal probate is availableMCL 700.3302Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Hillsdale County Self-Filing Assessment.
What to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Probate Court: TWO copies of the death certificate (or of alternative documentation of death if no certificate), one of them redacted of protected personal identifying information (MCR 5.302(A)(1); MCL 700.3301, 700.3402); Original will and any codicils, if testate (MCL 700.3301(1)(b)(i), 700.3402(1)(c); MCR 5.302(A)(3)); Testimony to Identify Heirs (PC 565) — mandatory with the commencing application or petition (MCR 5.302(B))MCL 700.3301-700.3311 (informal); MCL 700.3401-700.3414 (formal); MCL 700.3103, 700.3601 (letters)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Hillsdale County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Hillsdale County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk's Office, Hillsdale County as well as by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services - Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics.
Vital Records Office Record
County Clerk
Hillsdale County · County Clerk's Office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
29 North Howell Street, Room 1, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Website
Order online
Fax
1-517-437-3392
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $20 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $5 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Hillsdale County · Lenawee/Hillsdale Medical Examiner
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Office
320 Springbrook Avenue, Adrian, MI 49221
Website
Serves this county
Lenawee/Hillsdale Medical Examiner
Mail and offices
Fax
1-517-266-2547
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Hillsdale County
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Register of Deeds.
Deeds and other real property documents for Hillsdale County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 33 McCollum Street, Room 212, Hillsdale, MI 49242. Phone: 1-517-437-2231. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Hillsdale County accepts electronic recording through Indecomm, ePN, Simplifile and CSC.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Hillsdale County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
33 McCollum Street, Room 212, Hillsdale, MI 49242
Website
Fees
Recording fees
| Flat fee (any length) | $30 |
MCL 600.2567(1)(a); MCL 600.2567a
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Forms that put a death on the title
- Free forms: Affidavit of Death Form · Affidavit of Heirship Form
Probate Attorneys Serving Hillsdale County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Hillsdale County without hiring an attorney. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Michigan are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Hillsdale County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Probate Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
East Lansing elder law and probate firm with offices in Battle Creek, Jackson, Saginaw, Southfield, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Helps fiduciaries with inventories, accountings and creditor claims, and its litigation team handles will and trust contests over undue influence, capacity and breach of fiduciary duty, guardianships and elder financial exploitation.
Lansing firm tracing its origins to 1902, with a Trusts and Estates group in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Southfield and Detroit serving families, family businesses and fiduciaries throughout Michigan. The group handles trust and estate administration and trust and estate litigation, alongside gift tax, business succession, and Medicaid and elder law planning.
Lansing firm in the Boji Tower, tracing its practice to 1883 and the Michigan member of SCG Legal. Its trusts and estates team works with personal representatives and trustees through probate and trust administration, represents beneficiaries and fiduciaries in estate and trust disputes, and handles guardianship and conservatorship petitions and Medicaid planning.
Kalamazoo firm with a Grand Rapids office, handling probate administration in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and across Michigan. Brings and defends will and trust contests and breach of fiduciary duty claims against trustees and personal representatives. Drafts wills, trusts, special needs trusts, and Medicaid plans, with a fixed price quote for estate plans.
Multi-practice firm with Michigan offices in Grand Rapids, Traverse City and Detroit, appearing in the Grand Traverse County Probate Court and the surrounding Northern Michigan courts. Represents personal representatives, heirs and beneficiaries through Michigan probate, guides trustees through trust administration, and handles will challenges and disputes over a personal representative.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(9)·
- MCL §§ 600.880(1), 600.1986(1)(a)
- MCL 700.3301-700.3311 (informal); MCL 700.3401-700.3414 (formal); MCL 700.3103, 700.3601 (letters)
- MCL 700.3302
- MCL 700.3719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)
- MCL 700.3801, 700.3803, 700.3804, 700.3805, 700.3806; MCR 5.208, MCR 5.106
- MCL 600.2567(1)(a); MCL 600.2567a
- Hillsdale Probate Court, official page
- Hillsdale County Register of Deeds, official page
- Hillsdale County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Michigan statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Michigan
Free tools for settling an estate in Michigan: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Michigan.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Michigan: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 91 daysMCL 700.3706, 700.3707, 700.3708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsMCL 700.3801, 700.3803, 700.3804, 700.3805, 700.3806; MCR 5.208, MCR 5.106Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 5 months to 7 months.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Michigan happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeMCL 700.7101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 63 daysMCL 700.7814, 700.7905; MCL 700.7109Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Michigan, informal probate is availableMCL 700.3302Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
Get the Answer
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