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Michigan · Southeast Michigan · Lake Erie · Monroe · #399 Most Populous County in the US
Monroe County, Michigan
Monroe on the River Raisin - the county between Detroit and Toledo, site of the War of 1812's bloodiest American defeat on Michigan soil, hometown of General George Armstrong Custer, and a Lake Erie county whose industrial heritage, Pointe Mouillee wetlands, and position in the Detroit-Toledo corridor define its character. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Monroe County residents.
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Office: Monroe County Emergency Management Division – (734) 240-3135 | Emergency (734) 243-7070 | Fax (734) 241-7136; currently updating the county Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Monroe County Central Dispatch – non-emergency (734) 243-7070; an independent county department staffed 24/7, sole public safety answering point for Monroe County.
Sheriff: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office – 100 E Second Street, Monroe, MI 48161 | Non-emergency (Bedford Substation) (734) 847-6146 | Central Dispatch non-emergency (734) 243-7070 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Troy Goodnough, Undersheriff Joseph Hammond; also operates a substation in Bedford Township with district commanders, a detective, and contract deputies, plus School Resource Officers.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and US-24 serve the City of Monroe, the county seat, on the River Raisin near its mouth on Lake Erie; Monroe is Michigan’s third-oldest community, originally called Frenchtown, settled by French missionaries and fur trappers who found it a natural crossroads for Native American trade routes.
Notes: Monroe is located roughly 40 miles south of Detroit and 20 miles north of Toledo, Ohio.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Monroe County Courthouse – Monroe, MI 48161.
Notes: Monroe is genuinely home to River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only U.S. national battlefield park commemorating a site from the War of 1812 – established as the 393rd unit of the National Park Service in 2009. It preserves the site of the January 1813 Battle of Frenchtown (the Battles of the River Raisin), in which roughly 300 Americans were killed in a British counterattack, making it the deadliest single battle for U.S. forces in the entire War of 1812; the rallying cry “Remember the Raisin” became a defining slogan of the war after Indian allies of the British killed roughly 100 wounded soldiers unable to retreat. Monroe was also home to General George Armstrong Custer and his wife Elizabeth Bacon Custer, commemorated by the George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument, and to J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Monroe County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via co.monroe.mi.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Monroe-area public library address/phone via co.monroe.mi.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the George Armstrong Custer Equestrian Monument, and the historic downtown Monroe riverfront district are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “deadliest U.S. battle of the War of 1812” distinction and Custer’s Monroe roots are among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Monroe County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via co.monroe.mi.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Humane Society of Monroe County (HSMC) – 911 S Raisinville Rd, Monroe, MI 48161 | (734) 243-3669 | Email: [email protected]; founded 1953-54, an independent no-kill nonprofit that has placed over 30,000 animals; became the official vendor operating the county’s animal shelter building starting July 2023 under a lease agreement with the Sheriff’s Office (which continues to handle animal control enforcement separately); Fear Free certified staff. Hours: Tue-Sat 12-5 PM, closed Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Monroe County – confirm current contact via co.monroe.mi.us.
NOTES: Monroe County is the fourth county in the ninth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “deadliest U.S. battle of the War of 1812” distinction and Custer’s Monroe roots are 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 Monroe County
Monroe County is southeast Michigan’s River Raisin Battlefield and Custer’s boyhood home county – the bloodiest American defeat of the War of 1812 in the Northwest Territory and the hometown of America’s most controversial cavalry general define a Lake Erie county where Monroe serves the southeastern Michigan communities between Toledo and Detroit.
Monroe (the county seat, population ~19,000) is Monroe County’s governmental hub on US 24, a southeast Michigan community whose River Raisin Battlefield, Custer heritage, Lake Erie shoreline, and Toledo-Detroit corridor position anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Monroe County Assessor at 125 E. 2nd Street, Monroe, MI 48161, phone 734-240-7390. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Monroe County Probate Court at 125 E. 2nd Street, Monroe, MI 48161, phone 734-240-7390, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
125 E. Second St., Monroe, MI 48161
(734) 240-7020
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Monroe County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Monroe 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
Monroe County Probate Court 106 E. First Street, Monroe, MI 48161 (734) 240-7090 Monroe County is in southeastern Michigan on Lake Erie and the Ohio border, seated in Monroe.
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 E. Second St., Monroe, MI 48161
(734) 240-7700
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
125 E. Second St., Monroe, MI 48161
(734) 240-7020
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Monroe County Health Department – confirm current phone via co.monroe.mi.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Monroe
Population: 150,000
Area: 555 mi²
Established: 1817
Tier: 2
Public Records
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