Downtown Bay City firm serving the Tri-Cities of Bay City, Saginaw and Midland since 1945. Probates decedents' estates, handles conservatorships and guardianships, and represents trustees and beneficiaries in trust administration, alongside wills, trusts and estate tax planning. Its attorneys belong to the Bay County Bar Association and the Northeastern Michigan Estate Planning Council.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Saginaw County, Michigan
How probate works in Saginaw County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Saginaw County Probate Court
Saginaw County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-4:45 PM
Office
111 South Michigan Avenue, Room 204, Saginaw, MI 48602
Website
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe court's forms page carries its own instruction sheets and local forms beside a link to the SCAO forms.
Accepted payment
- At the counterThe court takes no payments after 4:30 p.m. and does not accept out-of-state checks.
Self-help center
- Saginaw County Governmental Center, 111 S. Michigan Ave.The Saginaw Court Legal Self-Help Center is a Michigan Legal Help center in the same building as the probate court. Its staff help visitors find legal information and forms but do not give legal advice.
County forms
- Request and Order for Extension of TimeAsks the court for more time to file a required document.
- Change of AddressUpdates a party's address on a probate file.
Fax
1-989-790-5328
Departments
- Inventory Fees1-989-790-5320Confirms the inventory fee where a small estate, reopened estate or partial payment came first.
- Judicial Secretary1-989-790-5325
- Court Reporter1-989-790-5289
About the court
- The probate office closes for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Saginaw 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 Saginaw, probate runs through the Probate Court at 111 South Michigan Avenue, Room 204, Saginaw.
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 Saginaw County
What probate costs in Saginaw 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 111 South Michigan Avenue, Room 204, Saginaw.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: The court runs its own inventory fee calculator.
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 Saginaw County are filed at the Probate Court. File in person during business hours or by mail.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Inventory Fees, Judicial Secretary, and Court Reporter.
The Saginaw Court Legal Self-Help Center is a Michigan Legal Help center in the same building as the probate court. 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 Saginaw 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 Saginaw County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Saginaw County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Vital Records Division, County Clerk, Saginaw 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
Saginaw County · Vital Records Division, County Clerk
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
111 South Michigan Avenue, 1st Floor, Room 101, Saginaw, MI 48602
Website
Certified copies
At the counter, issued while you wait
Local rule
- The Clerk holds certificates for deaths in Saginaw County, and anyone may request a certified copy. A mailed request costs one dollar more for the first copy.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $15 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $7 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Saginaw County · Saginaw County Medical Examiner
Phone
Office
1600 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 503, Saginaw, MI 48602
Website
Mail and offices
Fax
1-989-790-5466
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Saginaw 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 Saginaw County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 111 South Michigan Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48602. Phone: 1-989-790-5270. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:45 PM.
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Saginaw County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC and ePN.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Saginaw County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:45 PM
Office
111 South Michigan Avenue, Saginaw, MI 48602
Website
E-recording
Fax
1-989-790-5278
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 Saginaw County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Saginaw 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 Saginaw 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.
Saginaw firm on Court Street serving Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and Flint along with Saginaw, Bay, Isabella, Tuscola, Huron, Genesee and Shiawassee counties. Manages the distribution of assets in Michigan probate estates, with fees based on probatable assets. Its probate litigation attorneys handle will contests, power-of-attorney abuse and disputes among beneficiaries or heirs.
Saginaw firm in the Great Lakes Bay Region, established by Jake Shinners in 1975. Appoints and assists personal representatives, notifies heirs and interested parties, files with the probate court and the local newspaper and distributes assets, and helps trustees administer a trust from a single distribution to years of care for minor children. Also drafts wills, trusts and long-term-care plans.
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.
Flint firm on East Court Street, near the Genesee County Probate Court, with a Grand Blanc office. Guides personal representatives through creditor notice, inventory and distribution, uses the small-estate affidavit where it applies, administers trusts, and litigates will and trust contests over undue influence or lack of capacity. Craig Fiederlein has practiced there for 30+ years.
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.
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
- Saginaw Probate Court, official page
- Saginaw County Register of Deeds, official page
- Saginaw 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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