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Michigan · Great Lakes Bay Region · #403
Bay County, Michigan
Where the Saginaw River meets Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron, Bay County has navigated the slow decline of its industrial and timber economy with the specific resilience of a place that grew up doing hard things - and still produces more sugar beets per acre than almost anywhere in America.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Bay County Emergency Management Division – confirm current phone via baycountymi.gov.
Bay County Central Dispatch (non-emergency) – (989) 892-9551.
Sheriff: Bay County Sheriff’s Office & Law Enforcement Center – 503 Third Street, Bay City, MI 48708 | (989) 895-4050; Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham (a lifelong Bay County resident, with the department since 1993). The Bay County Sheriff’s Office, founded in 1877, is described as Michigan’s oldest law enforcement organization.
Bay City Department of Public Safety (consolidated police/fire/EMS, created 2013) – 1401 Center Avenue, Bay City, MI 48708 | (989) 892-8601.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-10 and M-25 serve Bay City, the county seat, divided by the Saginaw River near Saginaw Bay.
Notes: Bay City is home to a branch of University Center, Michigan and to Saginaw Valley State University-affiliated programs.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bay City Building and Code Enforcement – (989) 894-8162.
Notes: Bay City is genuinely known for the annual Bay City Fireworks Festival, held around the Fourth of July since 1962 – one of the largest fireworks displays in the country, drawing more than 300,000 people over a multi-day weekend on the Saginaw River. Bay City has three historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places, showcasing Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque architecture; the Center Avenue Historic District alone contains more than 250 listed structures, including numerous 19th-century mansions built by lumber barons during Michigan’s timber boom. Bay City Hall is rated among the top 10 buildings in the state for historic restoration and is listed in the Smithsonian Institution Archives. The Bay City Players, housed in the historic State Theatre, are Michigan’s oldest continuously operating community theater.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bay County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via baycountymi.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bay County Library System – two public library branches located in Bay City; confirm current addresses/phone via baycountymi.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wenonah Park and Veterans Memorial Park (both on the Saginaw River, hosting summer festivals), the Bay County Historical Museum (Washington Avenue), and the Center Avenue Historic District are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “one of the largest fireworks displays in the country” distinction and the extensive lumber-baron mansion architecture are among the most distinctive local facts covered here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bay County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via baycountymi.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Bay County Animal Services & Adoption Center (Animal Control) – 800 Livingston Street, Bay City, MI 48708 | (989) 894-0679.
Humane Society of Bay County – 1607 Marquette Ave, Bay City, MI 48706 | (989) 893-0451; founded November 1984, a separate, donor-funded nonprofit distinct from the county’s Animal Services (which handles impounds/adoptions); focuses on advocacy, TNR, and spay/neuter support. Hours: Tue-Fri 10 AM-6 PM, Sat 10 AM-2 PM, closed Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bay County – confirm current contact via baycountymi.gov.
NOTES: Bay County is the second county in the second batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “one of the largest fireworks displays in the country” distinction and Bay City’s extensive lumber-baron mansion architecture are among the most 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 Bay County
Bay County is the Great Lakes Bay Region’s western anchor, a county that reached its peak of commercial importance in the late nineteenth century when Bay City was one of the busiest lumber ports on the Great Lakes and the surrounding agricultural land was being broken for farming. The lumber is long gone, but Bay County’s agricultural identity persists in a specific and economically meaningful form: sugar beets. The Thumb region of Michigan – of which Bay County is the western gateway – is one of the most productive sugar beet growing areas in the United States, and Michigan Sugar Company, a grower-owned cooperative headquartered in Bay City, processes beets into sugar that goes into national food products. The beet harvest in fall is a real agricultural event that residents take seriously.
Bay City’s downtown along the Saginaw River has experienced genuine revitalization – the Wenonah Park area, the City Hall landing, and the restoration of the Bay City State Recreation Area have made the waterfront an asset rather than an industrial margin. The county’s manufacturing base has diversified from its timber-era origins into automotive supply, food processing, and healthcare (McLaren Bay Region). Bay County has faced population decline common to mid-Michigan industrial communities, but the Great Lakes Bay Region collaborative development approach – linking Bay, Saginaw, and Midland counties – has produced some shared economic development infrastructure.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Michigan’s Proposal A limits annual taxable value increases to 5% or CPI (whichever is lower), 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. Assessment disputes go to the March Board of Review, then to the Michigan Tax Tribunal within 35 days. Bay County tax rates vary by municipality and school district, typically $28–$42 mills. Michigan has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Bay County Council on Aging
708 Paxton Street, Bay City, MI 48706
Phone: (989) 895-4083
Senior centers, Meals on Wheels, transportation, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care referrals for Bay County residents.
Senior Services
Bay County Council on Aging
708 Paxton Street, Bay City, MI 48706
Phone: (989) 895-4083
Senior centers, Meals on Wheels, transportation, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care referrals for Bay County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
515 Center Ave., Bay City, MI 48708
(989) 895-4280
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bay County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Bay County Library System, headquartered at the Alice & Jack Wirt Public Library in Bay City, holds local historical materials, including the historic Sage Library collection.
The Bay County Building (1897) and Bay City Downtown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Local societies
No dedicated Bay 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
Bay County Probate Court Bay County Building, 515 Center Avenue, Bay City, MI 48708 Bay County was founded February 17, 1857, named for Saginaw Bay, seated in Bay City.
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 $50,000-$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 (Bay County charges $175) 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. Bay County requires a redacted death certificate plus an unredacted copy with the initial filing, along with forms MC97 and MC97a.
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
503 Center Ave., Bay City, MI 48708
(989) 895-4050
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
515 Center Ave., Bay City, MI 48708
(989) 895-4280
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Bay Region
(989) 895-4600
MyMichigan Medical Center Bay City
mymichigan.org (Bay City — quality regional hospital; major Bay County anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bay County Health Department – confirm current phone via baycountymi.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bay City
Population: 103,000
Area: 444 sq mi
Established: 1857
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Bay County facilities via Amazon.
