Downtown Jackson firm founded in 1901 by former Jackson County Probate Court Judge George H. Curtis. Guides personal representatives and trustees through administration and litigates will and trust contests, power-of-attorney abuse, breach of fiduciary duty and joint-account disputes. Initial meetings are billed hourly, in person, by phone or by Zoom.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Jackson County, Michigan
How probate works in Jackson County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Jackson County Probate Court
Jackson County
Phone
Hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 AM-11:30 AM and noon-4:00 PM; Tuesday, Thursday 9:00 AM-11:30 AM and noon-2:00 PM
Office
312 South Jackson Street, 1st Floor, Jackson, MI 49201
Website
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedNew cases are not accepted after 3:30 p.m. For an emergency filing outside the counter hours, call the court to arrange it with on-duty staff between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe court posts form packets for informal estates, small-estate assignment and reopening an estate. Staff cannot provide copies of filings, so bring your own copies, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope to get stamped copies back by mail.
Fax
1-517-788-4291
About the court
- The probate office is on the first floor at 312 S. Jackson Street. Every pleading must be printed single-sided, cash payments must be in the exact amount, and name-change petitions go to the 4th Circuit Court Clerk's Office.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Jackson 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 Jackson, probate runs through the Probate Court at 312 South Jackson Street, 1st Floor, Jackson.
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 Jackson County
What probate costs in Jackson 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 312 South Jackson Street, 1st Floor, Jackson.
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 Jackson County are filed at the Probate Court. File in person during business hours or by mail.
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 Jackson 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 Jackson County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Jackson County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Vital Statistics, County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Jackson 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
Jackson County · Vital Statistics, County Clerk / Register of Deeds
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (open through lunch)
Office
120 West Michigan Avenue, 12th Floor, Jackson, MI 49201
Website
Order online
Fax
1-517-208-0880
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $15 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $5 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Jackson County · Office of the Medical Examiner
Phone
Office
1991 Chanter Road, Jackson, MI 49201
Website
Mail and offices
Fax
1-517-768-5823
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Jackson 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 Jackson County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 120 West Michigan Avenue, 12th Floor, Jackson, MI 49201. Phone: 1-517-788-4350. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (open through lunch).
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Jackson County accepts electronic recording through CSC, Simplifile, ePN and Indecomm.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Jackson County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (open through lunch)
Office
120 West Michigan Avenue, 12th Floor, Jackson, MI 49201
Website
Fax
1-517-788-4686
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 Jackson County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Jackson 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 Jackson 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.
Jackson solo practice opened by Trent Harris in 2010 on South Jackson Street. Takes uncontested probate administration of decedent estates, trust administration, guardianships, and conservatorships, and refers contested matters and litigation to other local attorneys. Estate plans include wills, trusts, durable financial powers of attorney, and patient advocate designations.
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.
Okemos estate planning and elder law office of attorney Tara Peterson, meeting clients from Ingham, Clinton, Eaton and six other mid-Michigan counties in person or by Zoom. Handles estate administration in and out of probate court, including formal and informal probate and trust administration. Also plans for Medicaid and VA benefits when a family faces long-term care costs.
East Lansing firm with a second office in Mt. Pleasant, practicing in the probate courts of Ingham, Clinton, Eaton, Isabella and other mid-Michigan counties. Represents personal representatives, trustees and beneficiaries in probate and trust administration, from marshalling assets to notice to creditors and estate taxes. Also litigates will contests, trust disputes and undue influence claims.
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
- Jackson Probate Court, official page
- Jackson County Register of Deeds, official page
- Jackson 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.
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