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Michigan · Northern Michigan · Lake Missaukee
Missaukee County, Michigan
Northern Michigan's quiet lake and forest county — from Lake City's courthouse on Lake Missaukee to the Missaukee County Snowmobile Trail system, McBain's agricultural community, and a small northern Michigan county where potato farming, dairy operations, and Up North recreation define a quietly beautiful interior landscape between the more tourist-visited Traverse City and Cadillac.
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: Missaukee County Planning and Emergency Management – 113 East Prospect Street, P.O. Box 800, Lake City, MI 49651 | (231) 839-4200 ext. 505 | Email: [email protected]; Director Linda Hartshorne-Shafer, P.E.M. Hours: Tue-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM.
Missaukee County Central Dispatch (Enhanced 911) – dispatches the Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, county EMS, DNR, and seven local fire departments; non-emergency (844) 875-9211 (from within the county, dial 211).
Sheriff: Missaukee County Sheriff’s Office – 110 S Pine Street, P.O. Box 800, Lake City, MI 49651 | (231) 839-4338 | Fax (231) 839-4344 | Email: [email protected]; also operates the county jail at the same address. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: M-66 and M-42 serve Lake City, the county seat, on the shores of Lake Missaukee.
Notes: Missaukee County spans roughly 565 square miles and contains 33 natural freshwater lakes. It was originally attached to Grand Traverse, then Manistee, then Wexford County before being organized independently in 1871.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Missaukee County Courthouse – 111 S Canal, Lake City, MI 49651 | (231) 839-4967.
Notes: The county is named for Missaukee (also recorded as Nesaukee), an Ottawa chief who signed federal land-cession treaties in 1831 and 1833; the name may alternately derive from an Ojibwe/Ottawa word meaning “large mouth of the river.” Missaukee County is genuinely home to a sizable, active Amish community – part of Michigan’s broader network of 52 Amish settlements, which together numbered over 18,000 members across 146 church districts as of 2024 – reflected in the county’s rural agricultural character, dairy and Christmas tree farming, and traditional barn-raising and farming infrastructure still visible around communities like Falmouth and McBain.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Missaukee County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via missaukee.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Lake City-area public library address/phone via missaukee.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Missaukee, the county’s 33 natural freshwater lakes, and the rural Amish farm country around Falmouth and McBain are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, sizable Amish community and the county’s naming for Ottawa Chief Missaukee are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Missaukee County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via missaukee.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Missaukee Humane Society (MHS) – 5310 W Houghton Lake Rd, Lake City, MI 49651 | (231) 839-3800 | Website: mhspets.org; founded 1989, an independent no-kill 501(c)(3) shelter receiving no federal, state, county, or township funding; partners with Missaukee County to shelter stray dogs found in the county as kennel space allows; operates the LeDoulx Veterinary Clinic offering low-cost spay/neuter and wellness care to the broader community. Hours: Mon 8 AM-5 PM, Tue-Wed 7 AM-5 PM, Thu 8:30 AM-4 PM, Fri 8 AM-5 PM, closed Sat/Sun.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Missaukee County – confirm current contact via missaukee.org.
NOTES: Missaukee County is the third county in the ninth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, sizable Amish community and the county’s naming for Ottawa Chief Missaukee 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 Missaukee County
Missaukee County is north-central Michigan’s Lake Missaukee and Christmas tree country – the clear inland lake and the rolling forested terrain that makes north Michigan a leading Christmas tree production region define a community where Lake City serves the surrounding lake and forest recreational families.
Lake City (the county seat, population ~900) is Missaukee County’s governmental hub on US 131, a north-central Michigan community whose Lake Missaukee setting, Christmas tree farming heritage, and recreational economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Missaukee County Assessor at 111 S. Canal Street, Lake City, MI 49651, phone 231-839-4967. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Missaukee County Probate Court at 111 S. Canal Street, Lake City, MI 49651, phone 231-839-4967, handles estates and probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
111 S. Canal St., Lake City, MI 49651
(231) 839-4967
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Missaukee County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Missaukee 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
Missaukee County Probate Court 111 South Canal Street (P.O. Box 800), Lake City, MI 49651 (231) 839-4967 Missaukee County was founded 1840 (organized 1871), in northern Lower Michigan, seated in Lake City.
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
111 S. Canal St., Lake City, MI 49651
(231) 839-4338
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
111 S. Canal St., Lake City, MI 49651
(231) 839-4967
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Northwest Region
(231) 839-7193
Munson Healthcare Cadillac
munsonhealthcare.org (Cadillac, Wexford County — accessible regional hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Missaukee County Health Department – confirm current phone via missaukee.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lake City
Population: 15,000
Area: 567 mi²
Established: 1871
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Missaukee County residents.
