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Michigan · Southeast Michigan · #596 Most Populous County in the US
Lenawee County, Michigan
Southeast Michigan's agricultural and small-city county - from Adrian's Siena Heights University campus and the Lenawee County Fair to Tecumseh's downtown and automotive supplier heritage, the Irish Hills resort lakes, and a county that sits at the Michigan-Ohio border junction of two distinct Midwest cultures. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Lenawee County residents.
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.
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.
Lenawee County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Lenawee County Office of Emergency Management – confirm current phone via lenawee.mi.us; mandated under Michigan Public Act 390 of 1976; coordinates the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during major incidents.
Lenawee County Central Dispatch – non-emergency (517) 263-0524 ext. 0 | Fax (517) 263-3312; dispatches the Sheriff’s Office, seven municipal police departments, 18 fire departments, and Michigan State Police countywide.
Roads: US-223 and M-52 serve Adrian, the county seat, founded June 18, 1826 by Addison Comstock (originally named “Logan,” soon renamed, possibly after the Roman emperor Hadrian).
Notes: Adrian was home to Michigan’s first operating railroad, a horse-drawn line. Lenawee County was created in 1822 from land partitioned off Monroe County and formally organized in 1826; the area’s indigenous history includes the Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa, Iroquois, Miami, Sauk, Fox, Mascoutens, and Huron peoples.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lenawee County Courthouse – Adrian, MI 49221.
Notes: Adrian is genuinely a documented and significant Underground Railroad site. Quaker abolitionist Laura Smith Haviland, who settled in nearby Raisin Township in 1829, helped organize Michigan’s first anti-slavery society in 1832, founded the state’s first racially integrated school in 1837, and established its first Underground Railroad station – her statue stands today outside the Lenawee County Historical Museum in Adrian. In 1853, a group of 28 formerly enslaved people from Kentucky reportedly traveled through Adrian along the escape route now roughly followed by US-12, an episode separately documented by both Haviland and fellow Adrian abolitionist Fitch Reed. Adrian is also home to the Croswell Opera House (opened 1866), Michigan’s oldest continuously operating theater, and the Adrian City Band (founded 1838), one of the oldest community bands in the country.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lenawee County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via lenawee.mi.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Adrian-area public library address/phone via lenawee.mi.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Croswell Opera House, the Lenawee County Historical Museum (with the Laura Haviland statue), and the campuses of Siena Heights University and Adrian College are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, well-documented Underground Railroad history centered on Laura Haviland is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lenawee County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via lenawee.mi.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Lenawee Humane Society (LHS) – 705 W Beecher St, Adrian, MI 49221 | (517) 263-3463; founded 1921, a no-kill, donor-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit receiving no government support; Hours: Tue 9 AM-5 PM, Wed 10 AM-7 PM, Thu-Fri 9 AM-5 PM, Sat 9 AM-3 PM, closed Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lenawee County – confirm current contact via lenawee.mi.us.
NOTES: Lenawee County is the sixth county in the seventh batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, well-documented Underground Railroad history centered on Laura Haviland is among the most historically significant 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 Lenawee County
Lenawee County is southeastern Michigan’s agricultural heartland county and the 596th most populous in the United States, covering 750 square miles of the Raisin River valley and Michigan-Ohio border country.
Adrian (the county seat, population ~21,000) is Lenawee County’s largest city and regional center – home to Siena Heights University (a Dominican Catholic liberal arts university, enrollment ~2,000) and Adrian College (a United Methodist liberal arts college, enrollment ~1,500). The presence of two private liberal arts colleges in a city of Adrian’s size is unusual and reflects the historical importance of religious educational institutions in 19th-century Michigan. Adrian’s historic Downtown has seen modest revitalization with the colleges providing an economic anchor.
Tecumseh (population ~8,500) is an automotive supplier community – Tecumseh Products Company (compressors and refrigeration components) was headquartered here for decades and was the city’s primary industrial employer. Tecumseh’s handsome downtown and residential neighborhoods reflect the prosperity of the manufacturing era.
The Irish Hills – a cluster of lakes in the county’s northwestern section formed by glacial kettles – has been a Michigan resort destination since the early 20th century, drawing Detroit-area families to cottages, fishing, and the classic Michigan Irish Hills roadside attraction landscape (including the famous competing observation towers on the same hill).
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Michigan assesses at 50% of true cash value (SEV) with Proposal A’s taxable value cap. File with the Lenawee County Board of Review in March. If dissatisfied, appeal to the Michigan Tax Tribunal by July 31. File for Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) with local assessor by June 1. No MI estate or inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Lenawee County Board of Review: March. Michigan Tax Tribunal: July 31. Irish Hills lake properties carry recreational premiums. No MI estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Lenawee County Board of Review: March. Michigan Tax Tribunal: July 31. Irish Hills lake properties carry recreational premiums. No MI estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Probate Court: The Lenawee County Probate Court at 425 N. Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221, phone 517-264-4594, handles wills, estate administration, and guardianships.
Circuit Court: Handles major civil and criminal matters.
Register of Deeds: The Lenawee County Register of Deeds at 301 N. Main Street, Adrian, phone 517-264-4538, maintains real property records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Lenawee County Council on Aging at 2399 N. Adrian Highway, Adrian, MI 49221, phone 517-263-1022, serves the county’s senior population. ProMedica Bixby Hospital in Adrian provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Lenawee County - from Adrian and Tecumseh to Blissfield, Hudson, and the Irish Hills communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
425 N. Main St., Adrian, MI 49221
(517) 264-4534
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lenawee County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Lenawee 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
Lenawee County Probate Court Rex B. Martin Judicial Building, 425 N. Main Street, Adrian, MI 49221 (517) 264-4614 Lenawee County is in south-central Michigan on the Ohio border, seated in Adrian.
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
405 N. Winter St., Adrian, MI 49221
(517) 263-0524
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
425 N. Main St., Adrian, MI 49221
(517) 264-4534
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Lenawee County Health Department – confirm current phone via lenawee.mi.us.
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