Downtown Hancock general practice firm, opened in 2010, serving the Copper Country and clients throughout the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin. Its probate work covers estate and trust administration, guardianships, conservatorships and probate and fiduciary litigation, beside wills, trusts and special needs planning. Initial 30-minute consultations are free.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Houghton County, Michigan
How probate works in Houghton County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Houghton County Probate Court
Houghton County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton, MI 49931
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
Required for attorneysThe probate court takes filings through MiFILE, the statewide e-filing system, and attorneys must e-file. Self-represented filers may still file on paper. On paper: Self-represented filers may file on paper; e-filing is required of attorneys only (MCR 1.109(G)(3)(f)).
Self-represented filing
AllowedSelf-represented filers may file on paper; only attorneys are required to e-file here.
Self-help center
- Self-help serviceHoughton County has a Michigan Legal Help self-help center, listed with its hours on Michigan Legal Help. Its staff help visitors find legal information and forms but do not give legal advice.
Fax
1-906-487-5964
Departments
- Court Administrator1-906-482-0252
About the court
- The probate court is on the second floor of the Houghton County Courthouse and shares its office with the family court. Transcripts are requested in writing from the court reporter with the case name, hearing date and file number.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Houghton 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 Houghton, probate runs through the Probate Court at 401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton. Electronic probate filing sets Houghton County apart — only 16 Michigan counties accept it, with the rest filing on paper.
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 Houghton County
What probate costs in Houghton 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 401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton.
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 Houghton County, Michigan are filed at the Probate Court.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Court Administrator.
Houghton County has a Michigan Legal Help self-help center, listed with its hours on Michigan Legal Help. 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 Houghton 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 Houghton County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Houghton County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk's Office, Houghton 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
Houghton County · County Clerk's Office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton, MI 49931
Website
Order online
Fax
1-906-483-0364
Local rule
- Money transactions stop at 4:00 p.m.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $15 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $5 |
Verified November 4, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Houghton County
Published contact
None published by the county. The office is created by MCL 52.201(1).
Verified November 4, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Houghton 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 Houghton County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton, MI 49931. Phone: 1-906-482-1311. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (recording cutoff 3:30pm).
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Houghton County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Simplifile and Indecomm.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Houghton County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (recording cutoff 3:30pm)
Office
401 East Houghton Avenue, 2nd Floor, Houghton, MI 49931
Website
E-recording
available via CSC, ePN, Simplifile and Indecomm
Fax
1-906-483-0364
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 Houghton County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.
Hancock solo practice on Quincy Street serving Houghton County clients with estate planning matters since 1994. Attorney and counselor Roger S. Helman also holds the Certified Financial Planner designation.
Upper Peninsula firm with offices in Houghton and Marquette serving Houghton, Keweenaw and Marquette Counties, including Calumet, Hancock, Negaunee and Ishpeming. Advises executors on their duties and represents the estate in court when a will or other probate document is challenged, alongside wills, trusts, living wills and special needs trusts.
Marquette firm with a by-appointment office in Hancock, serving clients across the Upper Peninsula for more than 100 years. Administers and settles estates through probate and trust administration, and plans long-term care Medicaid eligibility and special needs trusts. Estate plans include wills, trusts, and planning for family camps and cottages.
Ishpeming firm near the Marquette County Probate Court whose attorneys practice in all 15 Upper Peninsula counties. Handles probate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and will and trust disputes, and plans for nursing home care, Medicaid applications and special needs trusts. James Steward was the first Certified Elder Law Attorney in the Upper Peninsula.
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.
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
- Houghton Probate Court, official page
- Houghton County Register of Deeds, official page
- Houghton 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
Hire a Michigan Probate Attorney
Browse vetted Michigan attorneys handling probate matters.
Browse firms
Notify Banks & Financial Institutions
Each institution has a separate death claim process. Find yours below.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
