Huntington Woods estate-and-probate firm practicing in the Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Monroe, Washtenaw and St. Clair County probate courts. Handles contested and uncontested probate and trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and litigation over wills, trusts and breach of fiduciary duty. Offers a free phone consultation.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Monroe County, Michigan
How probate works in Monroe County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Monroe County Probate Court
Monroe County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Office
125 East Second Street, Monroe, MI 48161
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
Self-represented filing
AllowedAn attorney is not required for probate proceedings, though the court recommends one because estate proceedings can be complex. Clerks cannot give legal advice, and the court's estates page has a packet for petitioning to assign a small estate.
Departments
- Mental Health1-734-240-7353Help with filing a petition for hospitalization. Mental health petitions are filed 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
About the court
- The court is in the Monroe County Courthouse in downtown Monroe.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Monroe 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 Monroe, probate runs through the Probate Court at 125 East Second Street, Monroe.
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 Monroe County
What probate costs in Monroe 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 125 East Second Street, Monroe.
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 Monroe County are filed at the Probate Court. File in person during business hours or by mail.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Mental Health.
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 Monroe 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 Monroe County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Monroe County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk / Register of Deeds, Monroe 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
Monroe County · County Clerk / Register of Deeds
Phone
Hours
8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-4:45 PM
Office
106 East First Street, Monroe, MI 48161
Website
Certified copies
Issued the same day
Order online
Fax
1-734-240-7045
Local rule
- Records date from 1867 for deaths in Monroe County, and a valid driver's license or state ID is shown to release a copy. The office takes cash, credit cards and money orders, and no personal checks.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $12 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $5 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Monroe County · Monroe County Medical Examiner
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Monroe 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 Monroe County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 51 South Macomb Street, Monroe, MI 48161. Phone: 1-734-240-7390. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM (open through lunch).
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Monroe County accepts electronic recording through CSC.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Monroe County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM (open through lunch)
Office
51 South Macomb Street, Monroe, MI 48161
Website
E-recording
available via CSC
Fax
1-734-240-7395
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 Monroe County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Monroe 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 Monroe 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.
Downtown Monroe firm one block from the Monroe County Courthouse, with a by-appointment Lansing office. Handles probate and estate administration and guides trustees through inventories, appraisals, fiduciary tax returns and notices to creditors. Its trial attorneys represent personal representatives and executors in will contests and other probate litigation.
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.
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.
Grand Rapids and Livonia estate firm started in 1994 by former Navy JAG attorney John Tamboer. For executors it obtains letters of authority and handles the notices and court filings to the end of the case; for successor trustees it handles private trust settlement, retitling and beneficiary notices, and it files small-estate petitions. The first administration consultation is free.
Kalamazoo firm with offices in Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Traverse City. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship petitions, alongside wills, living trusts, and Medicaid planning. Publishes flat fees, including a set price for an uncontested probate case.
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
- Monroe Probate Court, official page
- Monroe County Register of Deeds, official page
- Monroe 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.
