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.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Shiawassee County, Michigan
How probate works in Shiawassee County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Shiawassee County Probate Court
Shiawassee County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
110 East Mack Street, 2nd Floor, Corunna, MI 48817
Website
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedDocuments can be filed in person on weekdays, but the court cannot promise to complete a filing while you wait.
Self-represented filing
AllowedCourt staff cannot give legal advice. The court uses the statewide SCAO forms.
Fax
1-989-743-2223
About the court
- The probate court is on the second floor of the District Court Building in Corunna.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee County, probate runs through the Probate Court at 110 East Mack Street, 2nd Floor, Corunna.
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 Shiawassee County
What probate costs in Shiawassee 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 110 East Mack Street, 2nd Floor, Corunna.
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 Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee County
In Michigan a death is registered locally, and in Shiawassee County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk's Office, Shiawassee 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
Shiawassee County · County Clerk's Office
Phone
1-989-743-2242 (option 1)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office
208 North Shiawassee Street, 2nd Floor, Corunna, MI 48817
Website
Fax
1-989-743-2241
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $25 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $10 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Shiawassee County · Shiawassee County Medical Examiner
Phone
Office
1322 East Michigan Avenue, Suite 118, Lansing, MI 48912
Website
Serves this county
UM Health-Sparrow Forensic Pathology
Mail and offices
1215 East Michigan Avenue
Lansing, MI 48912
Fax
1-855-300-7312
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 208 North Shiawassee Street, 1st Floor, Corunna, MI 48817. Phone: 1-989-743-2216. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:05 PM-5:00 PM.
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count.
Shiawassee County accepts electronic recording through CSC.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Shiawassee County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:05 PM-5:00 PM
Office
208 North Shiawassee Street, 1st Floor, Corunna, MI 48817
Website
E-recording
available via CSC
Fax
1-989-743-2459
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 Shiawassee County
Michigan allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Shiawassee 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 Shiawassee 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.
Fowlerville office on East Grand River Avenue, led by John L. Gormley, serving Livingston, Ingham and Shiawassee counties. Handles probate and trust administration, probate litigation over will contests, disputes among heirs and an executor's handling of an estate, and conservatorship and guardianship petitions. Initial consultations are free.
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.
Okemos office of attorney Daniel Benson, working most often in the Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Livingston and Shiawassee probate courts. Takes personal representatives through probate, from inventory and creditor notice to distribution, and litigates will contests, trust disputes and fiduciary removal. Planning consultations are free; probate consultations carry a flat fee quoted in writing.
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.
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.
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
- Shiawassee County Probate Court, official page
- Shiawassee County Register of Deeds, official page
- Shiawassee 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
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