What to Do When Someone Dies in Lapeer County, Michigan

How probate works in Lapeer County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.

Probate Court Record

Lapeer County Probate Court

Lapeer County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

255 Clay Street, Lapeer, MI 48446

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

Self-represented filing

AllowedThe court lists the forms and papers that open an informal or a formal estate. Staff cannot say which forms to use or help complete them.

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

How Probate Works in Lapeer 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 Lapeer, probate runs through the Probate Court at 255 Clay Street, Lapeer.

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 Lapeer County

What probate costs in Lapeer 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 255 Clay Street, Lapeer.

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 Lapeer 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 Lapeer 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 Lapeer County

In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Lapeer County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk's Office, Lapeer 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

Lapeer County · County Clerk's Office

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

255 Clay Street, Lapeer, MI 48446

Order online

Local rule

  • The Clerk holds records of each death in Lapeer County from 1867, and no identification is required for a death record.

Verified November 2, 2026 · Source

Coroner or Medical Examiner Record

Medical Examiner

Lapeer County · Medical Examiner

Serves this county

Oakland County Medical Examiner

Verified November 2, 2026 · Source

Transferring Property in Lapeer 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 Lapeer County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 287 West Nepessing Street, Suite 1, Lapeer, MI 48446. Phone: 1-810-667-0211. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM.

The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.

Lapeer County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile and CSC.

Recording Office Record

Register of Deeds

Lapeer County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

287 West Nepessing Street, Suite 1, Lapeer, MI 48446

E-recording

available via Simplifile and CSC

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

Probate Attorneys Serving Lapeer County

Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Lapeer 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 Lapeer 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.

FirmLapeer, MI

Hable & Frew, PLC

Serves 5 counties

Lapeer firm in the Secretary of State Building, serving Lapeer, Genesee, Oakland, Tuscola, and Sanilac counties. Attorneys Martin W. Hable and Kristina L. Frew handle probate matters and draft wills, trusts, and financial and medical powers of attorney. The firm also prepares Medicaid spend-down plans and applications for families facing nursing home costs.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawMedicaid PlanningWills Trusts

Office
301 W Genesee Street, Suite 101Lapeer, MI 48446

FirmSaginaw, MI

Smith Bovill, P.C.

Since 1939 · Serves 17 counties

Saginaw firm founded by Albert A. Smith in 1939, with offices in Saginaw, Frankenmuth and Alma serving Mid-Michigan and the Thumb. Handles probate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and probate litigation, and drafts wills, living trusts, special needs trusts and Medicaid and long-term-care plans for aging clients.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more

Office
200 St. Andrews RoadSaginaw, MI 48638

FirmLansing, MI

Foster Swift Collins & Smith, P.C.

Since 1902 · Serves the whole state

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 5 more

Office
313 S Washington SquareLansing, MI 48933

FirmLansing, MI

Fraser Trebilcock Davis Dunlap & Cavanaugh, P.C.

Since 1883 · Serves the whole state

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 8 more

Office
124 W Allegan Street, Suite 1000Lansing, MI 48933

FirmKalamazoo, MI

Keilen Law, PLC

Serves the whole state

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 4 more

Office
141 E Michigan Avenue, Suite 602Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Free consultation

FirmGrand Rapids, MI

Neumann Law Group

Serves the whole state

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 4 more

Office
250 Monroe Ave NW, Suite 400Grand Rapids, MI 49503
See all 9 firms serving Lapeer County →

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.

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Legal Sources

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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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