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Michigan · West Michigan · Lake Michigan · SS Badger Ferry
Mason County, Michigan
Ludington's SS Badger and the Pere Marquette River — from the last coal-fired steamship in American commercial service (the SS Badger crosses Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin daily in season) to the Pere Marquette River's legendary steelhead runs, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse on the dunes, and a Lake Michigan port town that has made the cross-lake ferry experience a genuine Michigan tradition.
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: Mason County Emergency Management – 408 Resseguie Street, Suite 100, Ludington, MI 49431; located in the County Services Building, north side of the Sheriff Department building.
Mason-Oceana 911 Central Dispatch – 1-800-364-7332 | Non-emergency (231) 869-5858.
Sheriff: Mason County Sheriff’s Office – 302 North Delia Street, Ludington, MI 49431 | (231) 843-3475 | Fax (231) 843-1814 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Kim C. Cole (a 7th-generation Mason County resident, took office January 1, 2013, and the great-great-grandson of Sheriff Henry Cole, who served 1899-1903 – the county’s only family with two sheriffs); over 40 professionally trained deputies plus roughly 50 volunteer Mounted & Reserve Deputies; jail houses 100+ inmates.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Mason County’s first sheriff, Daniel Holmes, was appointed in 1855; the county has had 23 sheriffs since.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-10 and US-31 serve Ludington, the county seat, on Lake Michigan.
Notes: The Mason County Courthouse, at 300 E. Ludington Avenue, was completed in 1894 in Richardsonian Romanesque style, designed by Grand Rapids architect Sidney J. Osgood; a Michigan State Historic Site since 1975 and on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Mason County Courthouse – 300 E. Ludington Avenue, Ludington, MI 49431.
Notes: Ludington is genuinely home to the SS Badger, the last coal-fired passenger steamship still operating in the United States and a designated National Historic Landmark (2016). Built in 1952-53 as one of the largest car ferries ever constructed, the 410-foot Badger made its maiden voyage to Ludington on March 21, 1953 and today still carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, each summer – a journey that, together with its home-port maritime industry, brings roughly $20 million annually into the local economy. In the 1920s and 1930s, Ludington hosted the largest car ferry fleet in the world, with seven ships sailing the harbor at once.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Mason County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via masoncounty.net.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Ludington-area public library address/phone via masoncounty.net.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The SS Badger and the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, Ludington State Park, and the historic downtown Ludington waterfront district are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “last coal-fired steamship in America” distinction and National Historic Landmark status of the SS Badger are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mason County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via masoncounty.net.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mason County Animal Control – 305 N. Meyers Rd, Ludington, MI 49431.
Mason County PAWS Humane Society (formerly Second Chance Humane Society) – P.O. Box 132, Scottville, MI 49454; property at 3349 W Johnson Road, Ludington, MI 49431 | (231) 757-9219 | Email: [email protected]; founded 2015, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) working toward opening a dedicated no-kill shelter; currently focuses on foster-based rescue, adoption, and community education, rescuing at-risk animals from Animal Control.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Mason County – confirm current contact via masoncounty.net.
NOTES: Mason County is the sixth and final county in the eighth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “last coal-fired steamship in America” distinction and National Historic Landmark status of the SS Badger 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 Mason County
Mason County is west Michigan’s SS Badger car ferry and Ludington State Park county – the last steam-powered Great Lakes car ferry crossing to Wisconsin and the state park rated among America’s finest define a Lake Michigan community where Ludington serves the surrounding Pere Marquette River and Lake Michigan shoreline communities.
Ludington (the county seat, population ~7,800) is Mason County’s governmental hub on US 10, a Lake Michigan community whose SS Badger ferry terminal, Ludington State Park, Pere Marquette River salmon fishery, and Big Sable Point Lighthouse anchor its identity.
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Mason County Assessor at 304 E. Ludington Avenue, Ludington, MI 49431, phone 231-843-8411. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Mason County Probate Court at 304 E. Ludington Avenue, Ludington, MI 49431, phone 231-843-8202, handles estates and probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
304 E. Ludington Ave., Ludington, MI 49431
(231) 843-8202
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Mason County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Mason 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
Mason County Probate Court Mason County Courthouse, 304 E. Ludington Avenue, Ludington, MI 49431 (231) 843-8666 Mason County is in northwestern Lower Michigan on Lake Michigan, seated in Ludington.
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
302 N. Madison St., Ludington, MI 49431
(231) 843-3475
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
304 E. Ludington Ave., Ludington, MI 49431
(231) 843-8202
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — West Central Region
(231) 843-9386
Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital
spectrumhealthludington.org (Ludington — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Mason County Health Department – confirm current phone via masoncounty.net.
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