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Michigan County
Hillsdale County, Michigan
Hillsdale College and south Michigan agricultural heritage - from Hillsdale College (one of America's most distinctive small liberal arts colleges, Hillsdale College accepts no federal or state funding, allowing it to operate outside federal education regulations - the college's classical curriculum, constitutional emphasis, and national reputation for academic independence have made it a destination for conservative and libertarian scholars and a nationally prominent institution that punches far above its enrollment size) to Hillsdale County's productive south Michigan agricultural landscape (the county's rolling glacial terrain supports grain, soybean, and livestock farming in a classic southern Michigan agricultural county near the Indiana and Ohio borders).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Hillsdale County Emergency Management – 204 Development Dr, Hillsdale, MI 49242 | (517) 437-7384 or (517) 437-7758; Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM.
Hillsdale County Central Dispatch (911) – (517) 439-9913 (from outside the county); Rave Alerts and Smart911 available for residents.
Sheriff: Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office – 165 W Fayette Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242 | (517) 437-7317; maintains a Law Enforcement & Communications Division (Dispatch, Victim’s Services, Dive Team, Marine Patrol) under Captain John Reed, plus a K-9 unit and youth cadet program.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-12 and M-99 serve Hillsdale, the county seat, in south-central Michigan.
Notes: The area’s rail lines historically ran under names including the Erie and Kalamazoo, Michigan Southern, and Lake Shore and Michigan Southern (later New York Central). Long-time residents have nicknamed Hillsdale County “the cradle.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hillsdale County Courthouse – 29 North Howell Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242; a listed Michigan State Historic Site.
Notes: Hillsdale County is genuinely home to Hillsdale College, founded in 1844 as Michigan Central College by Free Will Baptists in Spring Arbor and relocated to Hillsdale in 1853; the college holds a notable historical legacy of educational equality, having admitted women and Black students from its earliest years, well ahead of most American colleges of its era. The Hillsdale County Fair, organized by the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society and first held October 15-16, 1851, is among the oldest continuously running county fairs in the United States, celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2025; it is affectionately nicknamed the “Most Popular Fair on Earth” and today features a professional rodeo, demolition derbies, and 4-H livestock exhibits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hillsdale County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via hillsdalecounty.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Hillsdale-area public library address/phone via hillsdalecounty.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hillsdale College, the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds, and the historic Jonesville and Hillsdale downtown districts (including several Michigan State Historic Sites) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, 175-years-running Hillsdale County Fair and Hillsdale College’s pioneering educational-equality history are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hillsdale County Equalization Office – confirm current contact via hillsdalecounty.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Greater Hillsdale Humane Society – 3881 S. Tripp Road, Osseo, MI 49266 | (517) 523-2308; founded 1974, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; roughly 99% of its animals come from Hillsdale County; picks up stray cats but accepts owner-surrendered dogs only, due to a 10-year Branch County Animal Control contract.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hillsdale County – confirm current contact via hillsdalecounty.gov.
NOTES: Hillsdale County is the fourth county in the fifth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, 175-years-running Hillsdale County Fair and Hillsdale College’s pioneering educational-equality history are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project. 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 Hillsdale County
Hillsdale County is south-central Michigan’s Hillsdale College and agricultural heritage county – the nationally prominent independent liberal arts college and the county’s productive south Michigan farmland define a community whose academic identity and rural agricultural character give it a distinctive profile among Michigan’s southern tier counties near Indiana and Ohio.
Hillsdale (the county seat, population ~8,200) is Hillsdale County’s governmental and academic hub, a south Michigan city whose Hillsdale College presence shapes the community’s cultural and intellectual identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hillsdale County Assessor at 29 N. Howell Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242, phone 517-437-3391. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Hillsdale County Probate Court at 29 N. Howell Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242, phone 517-437-4643, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
29 N. Howell St., Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 437-3391
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hillsdale County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above); the Hillsdale County Courthouse was also designed by architect Claire Allen, who designed several other Michigan county courthouses.
Local societies
No dedicated Hillsdale 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
Hillsdale County Probate Court Hillsdale County Courthouse, 29 N. Howell Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242 Hillsdale County is in south-central Michigan, seated in Hillsdale.
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
165 Fayette St., Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 437-7317
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
29 N. Howell St., Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 437-3391
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — South Central Region
(517) 437-3360
Hills and Dales General Hospital
hillsanddaleshospital.org (Cass City — accessible; ProMedica Hillsdale Hospital closer)
ProMedica Hillsdale Hospital
promedica.org (Hillsdale — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hillsdale County Health Department – confirm current phone via hillsdalecounty.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hillsdale
Population: 46,000
Area: 599 sq mi
Established: 1829
Tier: 3
Public Records
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