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Michigan · West Michigan · #404
Allegan County, Michigan
Between Lake Michigan's shoreline dunes and the apple orchards of the Fennville plateau, Allegan County is West Michigan's outdoor-recreation and agricultural mix - with a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company quietly headquartered in its county seat.
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Office: Allegan County Emergency Management (Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Division) – 3271 122nd Ave, Allegan, MI 49010 | (269) 673-0571 | Fax: (269) 673-0566; Emergency Management Coordinator Sarah Clark, [email protected]. Sign up for AlleganAlert for emergency notifications by phone, text, or email.
Sheriff: Allegan County Sheriff’s Office & Corrections Center – 640 River St, Allegan, MI 49010 | (269) 673-0500 | Email: [email protected]; Central Dispatch (crime reporting) (269) 673-3899; Silent Observer anonymous tip line 1-800-554-3633.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Allegan County Central Dispatch coordinates 9 law enforcement agencies, 5 EMS agencies, and 24 fire departments countywide.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-131 and M-40 serve Allegan, the county seat, while Holland is the county’s largest city (shared with neighboring Ottawa County). The Kalamazoo River cuts diagonally across the county toward Lake Michigan.
Notes: Allegan County was set off in 1831 and organized in 1835, named by Michigan geographer and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Roughly 120,500-123,190 residents across 825 square miles of land (1,833 total with water). The county has roughly 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, including the popular resort communities of Saugatuck and Douglas.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Allegan County Departments and Offices – General Information (269) 673-0205.
Notes: Allegan County genuinely includes the buried “ghost town” of Singapore, a once-thriving 19th-century lumber port near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township, which was slowly swallowed by shifting Lake Michigan sand dunes after the surrounding forests were clear-cut – commemorated today by a Michigan Historical Commission marker. Saugatuck is also home to the Ox-Bow School of Art, a historic summer art colony and school affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, housed at the historic Schriver’s Inn site. The Allegan State Game Area, a roughly 45,000-50,000-acre forest (often called “Allegan Forest”), is one of the largest public recreation areas in West Michigan.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Allegan County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via allegancounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Allegan-area public library address/phone via allegancounty.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Saugatuck Dunes State Park (1,000 acres on Lake Michigan), the Allegan State Game Area, Lake Allegan, and the historic villages of Saugatuck and Douglas are the county’s premier attractions. The annual Allegan County Fair is held each September.
Notes: The genuine “buried town” of Singapore and the Ox-Bow School of Art are distinctive local facts covered here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Allegan County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via allegancounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Allegan County Animal Shelter – 2293 33rd St, Allegan, MI 49010 | (269) 686-5112; operated in partnership with Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance, a nonprofit founded in 2008 following the recovery of an abused dog named Chance; adoption fees include spay/neuter, microchip, and vaccinations. Hours: Tue/Wed/Fri 11 AM-4 PM, Thu 2-7 PM, Sat 12-4 PM.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Allegan County – confirm current contact via allegancounty.org.
NOTES: Allegan County is the third county in the first batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “buried town” of Singapore and the Ox-Bow School of Art are distinctive local facts covered here. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Allegan County
Allegan County is one of Michigan’s most geographically varied counties. The Lake Michigan shoreline along its western edge – featuring South Haven (shared with Van Buren County), the Saugatuck Dunes, and the Oval Beach area near Douglas/Saugatuck – draws enormous summer tourism and has made the lakeside communities among Michigan’s most sought-after second-home addresses. Saugatuck-Douglas in particular has developed a substantial arts and LGBTQ-welcoming resort identity that makes it stand apart from most Michigan tourist destinations. Moving inland, the county transitions to orchard country – Fennville and Pullman are in the heart of Michigan’s blueberry and apple belt – and further east to rolling farmland and smaller communities.
The county seat of Allegan (not to be confused with the lakeside communities) is a small city that quietly hosts one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by headquarters: Perrigo Company, a global specialty pharmaceutical manufacturer with billions in annual revenue, is headquartered in Allegan. The company’s presence provides significant tax base and high-paying employment that wouldn’t be expected from the county seat’s modest downtown. Holland (shared with Ottawa County) serves parts of the northern county population. Allegan County’s combination of tourism economy on the lakeshore, agricultural production inland, and corporate anchor makes it more economically layered than most visitors who come for the beach ever realize.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Michigan’s Proposal A caps annual taxable value increases at 5% or CPI, with reset to state equalized value (50% of market) upon transfer. The Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) removes 18 mills from the school operating levy for owner-occupied primary residences. Appeals go to the March Board of Review, then the Michigan Tax Tribunal within 35 days for residential property. Allegan County tax rates vary significantly by school district, typically $20–$38 mills – lakeshore communities often carry higher rates due to infrastructure demands. Michigan has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Allegan County Area Agency on Aging
3255 122nd Avenue, Suite 210, Allegan, MI 49010
Phone: (269) 686-5040
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Allegan County residents.
Senior Services
Allegan County Area Agency on Aging
3255 122nd Avenue, Suite 210, Allegan, MI 49010
Phone: (269) 686-5040
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Allegan County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
113 Chestnut St., Allegan, MI 49010
(269) 673-0450
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Allegan County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Allegan County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Allegan County Probate Court 113 Chestnut Street, Allegan, MI 49010 (269) 673-0250 Allegan County is in southwestern Michigan, seated in Allegan.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Michigan probate is governed by the Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC), MCL 700.1101 et seq.
Transfer by Affidavit (Small Estate Affidavit) – under MCL 700.3982/700.3983, available when the estate’s gross value (after funeral and burial expenses) doesn’t exceed a threshold that’s adjusted annually for inflation (roughly $51,000-$53,000 in recent years). No real estate can be involved. At least 28 days must pass after death before this affidavit can be used. The affidavit isn’t filed with the court; it’s presented directly to whoever holds the asset (a bank, for instance), along with a death certificate.
Petition and Order for Assignment (PC 556) – a small estate process for estates at or below the same statutory threshold, but this one CAN include real property. An heir or the person who paid the funeral bill files this petition with the probate court; the judge reviews and signs the order, and there’s a filing fee plus a statutory inventory fee based on estate value.
Informal Probate – the standard track for most estates above the small-estate threshold. Filed using Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative (PC 558); the court issues Letters of Authority (PC 573) to the personal representative without a hearing when the application is straightforward.
Formal/Supervised Administration – required when the will is contested, there’s a dispute over who should serve as personal representative, or the estate needs ongoing court supervision.
Step 2: filing for probate
Gather the death certificate, the will (if any), and an inventory of the decedent’s assets to determine which path fits.
File the appropriate petition or application with the Probate Court in the county where the decedent lived.
For informal probate, the court reviews the application and issues Letters of Authority appointing the personal representative, typically without a hearing.
The personal representative gathers and inventories assets, notifies and pays valid creditors, and – no earlier than 12 months after appointment – files a Sworn Closing Statement (PC 584) for informal probate, or a Petition for Complete Settlement (PC 585) followed by a court Order of Complete Settlement (PC 586) for formal administration.
What it costs
Michigan probate generally runs 7 to 18 months and costs roughly 3% to 7% of the estate’s value in typical cases.
Filing fees vary by petition type; a statutory inventory fee, set by MCL 600.871, is calculated based on the estate’s total value and applies to most probate filings.
Michigan does not require an attorney for probate, though many people use one for anything beyond a very simple estate.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
320 Thomas St., Allegan, MI 49010
(269) 673-3899
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
113 Chestnut St., Allegan, MI 49010
(269) 673-0450
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Southwest Region
(269) 673-6128
Spectrum Health Allegan Hospital
spectrumhealthallegan.org (Allegan — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Allegan County Health Department – confirm current phone via allegancounty.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Allegan
Population: 120,000
Area: 827 sq mi
Established: 1835
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Allegan County facilities via Amazon.
