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The Straits of Mackinac and Michigan's most iconic island — from Mackinac Bridge's 26,372-foot suspension span to Mackinac Island's complete ban on automobiles (horse-drawn carriages only since 1898), the Grand Hotel's 660-foot front porch, Fort Mackinac's British colonial history, and the strategic narrows where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan.
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Office: Mackinac County 911 & Emergency Management – 100 S Marley St, St. Ignace, MI 49781; Coordinator Mike Kasper (PEM); Chippewa County Central Dispatch serves as the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for Mackinac County. Text “MackinacEAS” to 67283 for free emergency text alerts.
Sheriff: Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office – 100 South Marley Street, Saint Ignace, MI 49781 | (906) 643-1911 | Fax (906) 643-9842; the department operates a hovercraft to assist with access to the county’s remote islands during outages/emergencies (e.g., the Les Cheneaux Islands).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and US-2 serve St. Ignace, the county seat, at the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge; Mackinac County was founded October 26, 1818 and organized in 1849.
Notes: Mackinac County is genuinely about 51% water by total area, encompassing dozens of islands in Lake Huron and the Straits of Mackinac, including famous Mackinac Island.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Mackinac County Courthouse – 100 S. Marley St, St. Ignace, MI 49781.
Notes: Mackinac Island, part of Mackinac County, is genuinely one of America’s most distinctive destinations: automobiles have been banned since 1898 (with a rare film-set exception for “Somewhere in Time”), making it the only city in the U.S. where private cars are prohibited – transportation is by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. The island became the country’s second national park (after Yellowstone) before later becoming Michigan’s first state park; today it’s over 80% protected parkland. The Grand Hotel, built in 1887, is a National Historic Landmark boasting the world’s longest covered porch and has hosted numerous U.S. presidents including Truman, Kennedy, and Gerald Ford. The island’s famous fudge tradition dates to Murdick’s Fudge, opened in 1887 – today seven fudge makers operate across a dozen storefronts.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Mackinac County Veterans Affairs – 100 S Marley St, St. Ignace, MI 49781 | (906) 643-9411 | Email: [email protected].
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current St. Ignace-area public library address/phone via mackinaccounty.net.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Mackinac Island (Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, Arch Rock), the Mackinac Bridge, and Mackinac County’s numerous Lake Huron islands are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “no cars allowed” distinction and the historic Grand Hotel are among the most nationally recognized local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mackinac County Equalization Department – [email protected] | (906) 643-7310.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mackinac County Animal Shelter – 980 Cheeseman Road, Saint Ignace, MI 49781 | (906) 643-7646 | Email: [email protected]. Animal Control non-emergencies: (906) 495-2142; emergencies, call 911.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Mackinac County – confirm current contact via mackinaccounty.net.
NOTES: Mackinac County is the second county in the eighth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “no cars allowed” distinction and the historic Grand Hotel are among the most nationally recognized 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 Mackinac County
Mackinac County is Michigan’s Mackinac Island and Mighty Mac Bridge county – the car-free Victorian resort island with its 500 horses and Grand Hotel and the suspension bridge spanning where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet define a county where St. Ignace serves as the UP gateway at the Straits of Mackinac.
St. Ignace (the county seat, population ~2,300) is Mackinac County’s governmental hub at the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge, an Upper Peninsula community whose Mackinac Island ferry terminal, Straits of Mackinac setting, and I-75 gateway position anchor its identity.
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Mackinac County Assessor at 100 S. Marley Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781, phone 906-643-7300. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Mackinac County Probate Court at 100 S. Marley Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781, phone 906-643-7306, handles estates and probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 S. Marley St., St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-7300
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Mackinac County Probate Court, 6th Probate District (shared with Luce County; estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel and colonial-era fort history are significant to the county’s historical record base.
The Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, headquartered in St. Ignace, is relevant to Native American genealogical research in the area.
Local societies
No dedicated Mackinac 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
Mackinac County Probate Court (6th District Probate Court) Mackinac County Courthouse, 100 S. Marley Street, St. Ignace, MI 49781 (906) 643-7303
Mackinac County was founded October 26, 1818 (organized 1849), named for the Straits of Mackinac, in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula, seated in St. Ignace. Its probate court operates jointly with Luce County as the 6th Probate District.
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
100 S. Marley St., St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-7302
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 S. Marley St., St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-7300
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Mackinac County Health Department – confirm current phone via mackinaccounty.net.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: St. Ignace
Population: 10,000
Area: 1,022 mi²
Established: 1849
Tier: 3
Public Records
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