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Michigan County
Crawford County, Michigan
Au Sable River trout and Hartwick Pines old growth - from Grayling's Au Sable River fly fishing heritage (the stretch of the Au Sable River through Grayling is considered among the finest dry-fly trout fishing waters in the eastern United States - the river gave its name to the Michigan grayling, a fish now extinct in Michigan that once filled these cold clear waters, and the area's fishing heritage has made Grayling the spiritual home of Michigan fly fishing) to Hartwick Pines State Park (the park preserves the largest remaining stand of old-growth white pine in the Lower Peninsula - the towering cathedral pines that once covered most of Michigan were nearly all logged by 1900, making Hartwick Pines' remaining 49 acres an irreplaceable living remnant of the pre-settlement forest).
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Office: Crawford County Emergency Management Office – 200 W Michigan Ave, Grayling, MI 49738 | (989) 348-2841.
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center – 200 W. Michigan Ave, Grayling, MI 49738-1741 | Non-emergency (989) 348-6341 (24/7) | Fax: (989) 348-6351; responsible for 576 square miles; Smart911 profiles available.
Sheriff: Crawford County Sheriff’s Office – 200 W. Michigan Ave, Grayling, MI 49738 | (989) 348-4616; Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and M-72 serve Grayling, the county seat, on the Au Sable River in north-central Michigan.
Notes: Grayling was originally platted as “Crawford” but renamed for the once-plentiful Arctic grayling fish that inhabited the Au Sable River; overharvesting and habitat loss from the lumber era eventually drove the fish to extinction in Michigan. Grayling passed through several earlier names – Au Sable, Forest, Crawford Station, and “Milltown” during the logging boom.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Crawford County Courthouse – 200 W Michigan Ave, Grayling, MI 49738.
Notes: Crawford County is genuinely home to Camp Grayling, founded in 1913 on land donated by lumber baron Rasmus Hanson and now the largest U.S. National Guard training facility in the country, spanning roughly 147,000 acres across Crawford, Kalkaska, and Otsego Counties and hosting Guard units from Michigan, neighboring states, and Canada each summer, generating over $30 million annually for the local economy. Since 1947, Grayling has hosted the start of the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon – a grueling, non-stop 120-mile overnight race to Oscoda, considered the oldest and longest continuous canoe-only marathon in North America, with its iconic “run-and-carry” Le Mans-style start through downtown Grayling on the last weekend of July.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Crawford County Veterans Services / Veterans Service Council – confirm current contact via crawfordco.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Devereaux Memorial Library – confirm current address/phone via crawfordco.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hartwick Pines State Park, North and South Higgins Lake State Parks, the Au Sable and Manistee Rivers, and Camp Grayling are the county’s premier attractions. Annual events include the Winter Festival (February) and the Au Sable River Festival and Canoe Marathon (July).
Notes: The genuine “largest U.S. National Guard training facility in the country” distinction and the historic Au Sable River Canoe Marathon are among the most notable local facts covered here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Crawford County Equalization Office – confirm current contact via crawfordco.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
AuSable Valley Animal Shelter (operated by Crawford County Animal Shelter) – confirm current address/phone via crawfordco.org or graylingmichigan.org.
Grayling Hospital for Animals – a local veterinary resource; confirm current contact via graylingmichigan.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Crawford County – confirm current contact via crawfordco.org.
NOTES: Crawford County is the first county in the fourth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “largest U.S. National Guard training facility in the country” distinction at Camp Grayling and the historic Au Sable River Canoe Marathon are among the most notable 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 Crawford County
Crawford County is northern Michigan’s Au Sable River fly fishing and Hartwick Pines old-growth county – the legendary trout stream and the irreplaceable old-growth white pine forest define a county whose natural heritage draws anglers and nature enthusiasts to the forested heart of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.
Grayling (the county seat, population ~1,800) is Crawford County’s governmental and fishing heritage hub, a northern Michigan river town whose fly fishing shops, canoe liveries, and outdoor outfitters serve the Au Sable’s devoted angling community.
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Crawford County Assessor at 200 W. Michigan Avenue, Grayling, MI 49738, phone 989-348-2841.
Courts & Legal
Crawford County Probate Court at 200 W. Michigan Avenue, Grayling, MI 49738, phone 989-348-2841, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 W. Michigan Ave., Grayling, MI 49738
(989) 344-3204
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Crawford County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Crawford 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
Crawford County Probate Court Crawford County Courthouse, 200 W. Michigan Avenue, Grayling, MI 49738 Crawford County is in north-central Michigan, seated in Grayling.
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 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
200 W. Michigan Ave., Grayling, MI 49738
(989) 348-2841
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
200 W. Michigan Ave., Grayling, MI 49738
(989) 344-3204
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Northeast Region
(989) 348-7800
Munson Healthcare Grayling
munsonhealthcare.org (Grayling — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Crawford County Health Department – confirm current phone via crawfordco.org. Munson Healthcare/Grayling Hospital serves the county.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Grayling
Population: 14,000
Area: 558 sq mi
Established: 1879
Tier: 4
Public Records
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