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Michigan · Upper Peninsula · Green Bay · Wisconsin Border
Menominee County, Michigan
The UP's Green Bay shoreline and twin-city border life — from Menominee's Victorian lumber-era commercial district facing Marinette, Wisconsin across the river to J.W. Wells State Park's Lake Michigan shoreline, the Menominee River's boundary waters, and the southernmost county of the Upper Peninsula where Michigan and Wisconsin cultures meet at the state line.
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Office: Menominee County Emergency Management – 839 10th Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858 | (906) 863-7779 (county main line).
Menominee County Central Dispatch (911) – non-emergency (906) 863-6614.
Sheriff: Menominee County Sheriff’s Office – 831 10th Ave, Menominee, MI 49858 | (906) 863-4441 | Fax (906) 863-2239; Sheriff Mike Holmes; a 15-officer department serving roughly 25,000 residents.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-41 and M-35 serve Menominee, the county seat, on the Menominee River at its mouth on Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; the county was established in 1861 and named for the Menominee Indian tribe.
Notes: Menominee is the fourth-largest city in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba. The county’s economy peaked in the 1880s-1890s during a lumber boom that made Menominee one of the nation’s largest lumber producers, attracting waves of Finnish, Swedish, and Polish immigrants before iron-ore and timber depletion led to a 20th-century economic downturn and eventual pivot toward manufacturing and tourism.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Menominee County Courthouse – 839 10th Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858.
Notes: Menominee is genuinely home to the Spies Public Library, built in 1903-05 and funded entirely by prosperous lumberman Augustus Spies as a monument to his family; the Carnegie-style building overlooks Green Bay and today spans 17,000 square feet after a 1997 addition. The Menominee North Pier Lighthouse, first built in 1877 as a two-story cast-iron light station, was relocated offshore twice, took on its recognizable red paint scheme in 1917, and was transferred from U.S. Coast Guard operation to city ownership in 2008; it remains a functioning maritime landmark today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Menominee County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via menomineecounty.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Spies Public Library – 940 First Street, Menominee, MI 49858; Director Cheryl Hoffman.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Spies Public Library, the Menominee North Pier Lighthouse, the Menominee County Historical Society Heritage Museum, and John Henes Park are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine lumber-baron-funded Spies Public Library and the historic North Pier Lighthouse are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Menominee County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via menomineecounty.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Menominee Animal Shelter, Inc. – N184 Haggerson Ct, Menominee, MI 49858 | (906) 864-7297 (864-PAWS) | Fax (906) 864-0328 | Email: [email protected]; a no-kill shelter serving both Menominee County, Michigan and Marinette County, Wisconsin (border communities); adopts out of state; adoption fees $65 cats/kittens, $150 dogs/puppies (includes vaccinations, microchip, spay/neuter). Hours: Tue/Thu/Fri 12-6 PM, Wed/Sat 12-3 PM, closed Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Menominee County – confirm current contact via menomineecounty.com.
NOTES: Menominee County is the first county in the ninth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine lumber-baron-funded Spies Public Library and the historic North Pier Lighthouse 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 Menominee County
Menominee County is Michigan’s southernmost Upper Peninsula and Green Bay county – the bay’s walleye fishery and the Menominee-Marinette twin cities straddling the Michigan-Wisconsin state line define a county where Menominee serves as the UP’s southern gateway and Wisconsin border community.
Menominee (the county seat, population ~8,600) is Menominee County’s governmental hub on US 41 at the Wisconsin border, an Upper Peninsula city whose Green Bay shoreline, Menominee River, Marinette twin city connection, and lumber heritage anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Menominee County Assessor at 839 10th Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858, phone 906-863-9951. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Menominee County Probate Court at 839 10th Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858, phone 906-863-9527, handles estates and probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
839 10th Ave., Menominee, MI 49858
(906) 863-9968
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Menominee County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Menominee 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
Menominee County Probate Court 839 10th Avenue, Menominee, MI 49858 (906) 863-9968 Menominee County is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the Wisconsin border, seated in Menominee.
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
839 10th Ave., Menominee, MI 49858
(906) 863-4441
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
839 10th Ave., Menominee, MI 49858
(906) 863-9968
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Upper Peninsula Region
(906) 863-9986
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital
stclare.hshs.org (Oconto Falls, WI — accessible across border)
Aspirus Marinette Hospital
aspirus.org (Marinette, WI — primary accessible hospital across the Menominee River)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Menominee County Health Department – confirm current phone via menomineecounty.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Menominee
Population: 22,000
Area: 1,044 mi²
Established: 1863
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Menominee County residents.
