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Michigan · West Michigan · Lake Michigan · Asparagus Coast
Oceana County, Michigan
Michigan's asparagus capital on the Lake Michigan coast — from the National Asparagus Festival in Shelby to Pentwater's picturesque harbor village, Silver Lake Sand Dunes' off-road ORV experience, and a West Michigan agricultural coast where sandy Lake Michigan soils produce some of America's finest asparagus, cherries, and peaches along one of the Great Lakes' most undiscovered stretches of coastline.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Oceana County Emergency Management – partners with the Sheriff’s Office on public alerts; the county’s mass notification system recently transitioned from CodeRED to a dedicated Sheriff’s Office mobile app (search “Oceana County Sheriff, MI”).
Mason-Oceana 911 Central Dispatch – non-emergency (231) 869-5858.
Sheriff: Oceana County Sheriff’s Office – 216 Lincoln St, P.O. Box 32, Hart, MI 49420 | (231) 873-2121; Sheriff Craig Mast (began his law enforcement career part-time with the Hart, Shelby, and Pentwater Police Departments before joining the Sheriff’s Office); operates a 66-bed county jail in Hart. Lobby/booking window hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM; Livescan fingerprinting Wed-Fri 9-11 AM and 1-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-31 and M-20 serve Hart, the county seat, on Lake Michigan’s eastern shore; Oceana County was founded in 1840 and organized in 1855.
Notes: Oceana County is roughly 61% water by total area, with a Lake Michigan shoreline that has long supported both agriculture and tourism.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Oceana County Courthouse – Hart, MI 49420.
Notes: Oceana County is genuinely nicknamed the “Asparagus Capital of the World,” home to the National Asparagus Festival held annually in Hart – reflecting the county’s substantial asparagus-growing agricultural industry along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Oceana County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via oceana.mi.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Hart-area public library address/phone via oceana.mi.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The National Asparagus Festival grounds, Oceana County’s Lake Michigan beaches, and its agricultural orchard country are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Asparagus Capital of the World” distinction is one of the most distinctive and charming local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Oceana County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via oceana.mi.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Oceana County Animal Shelter – 2185 W Baseline Rd, Shelby, MI 49455 | (231) 861-5395; a small county-operated shelter serving 524 square miles and roughly 28,000 residents, with capacity for only 15 dogs and 7 cats; supported by Local Animal Shelter Support, Inc. (LASSI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds veterinary care and coordinates volunteer dog-walking and cat socialization. Adoption fees: dogs/puppies $95 (includes $50 spay/neuter certificate + $10 rabies certificate), cats/kittens $35 (includes $25 spay/neuter certificate + $10 rabies certificate); Michigan law requires spay/neuter for all shelter adoptions. Hours: Mon-Sat 8 AM-Noon, closed holidays.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Oceana County – confirm current contact via oceana.mi.us.
NOTES: Oceana County is the third county in the tenth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “Asparagus Capital of the World” distinction is one of the most distinctive and charming 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 Oceana County
Oceana County is Michigan’s asparagus capital and Silver Lake Sand Dunes county – the county producing more asparagus than anywhere in America and the 2,000-acre active dune field with its ORV riding and dune tours define a west Michigan Lake Michigan community where Hart serves the surrounding fruit and asparagus farming communities.
Hart (the county seat, population ~2,000) is Oceana County’s governmental hub on US 31, a west Michigan agricultural community whose National Asparagus Festival, Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Little Sable Point Lighthouse, and fruit farming economy anchor its identity.
All Services
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Oceana County Assessor at 100 State Street, Hart, MI 49420, phone 231-873-4835. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Oceana County Probate Court at 100 State Street, Suite M-3, Hart, MI 49420, phone 231-873-4835, 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 State St., Hart, MI 49420
(231) 873-3565
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Oceana County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Oceana 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
Oceana County Probate Court Oceana County Building, 100 S. State Street, Hart, MI 49420 Oceana County is in western Michigan on Lake Michigan, seated in Hart.
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. Oceana County notes that court staff are prohibited by the EPIC (Section 1211) from providing legal advice or completing forms for filers.
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 State St., Hart, MI 49420
(231) 873-2121
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 State St., Hart, MI 49420
(231) 873-3565
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Oceana County Health Department – confirm current phone via oceana.mi.us.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hart
Population: 26,000
Area: 540 mi²
Established: 1851
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Oceana County residents.
