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Michigan County
Oscoda County, Michigan
Au Sable River and Kirtland's warbler habitat - from Mio Pond and the Au Sable River (the Au Sable River flows through Oscoda County providing canoeing, kayaking, and trout fishing access - the Mio Pond impoundment creates a broader water feature while the surrounding wild river sections attract paddlers and anglers to one of Michigan's most scenic river corridors in the remote northern interior) to the Kirtland's warbler jack pine habitat (Oscoda County's Huron National Forest jack pine barrens provide critical nesting habitat for the federally endangered Kirtland's warbler - one of the rarest songbirds in North America - and guided birding tours from Mio bring wildlife enthusiasts to see this remarkable small bird that nests only in young jack pines in a very small geographic range).
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Office: Oscoda County Emergency Management – Coordinator Mike Bowers | (989) 701-5126 | Email: [email protected]; maintains the County Emergency Operations Center and Homeland Security coordination.
Oscoda County Emergency Medical Services – Director Bob Stankiewicz | (989) 826-1176 | Email: [email protected]; Jesseca Pfaff (989) 826-1131 | Email: [email protected]. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (closed for lunch 12-1 PM).
Sheriff: Oscoda County Sheriff’s Office – 301 S. Morenci Ave, Mio, MI 48647 | (989) 826-3214 | Email: [email protected]; Captain David R. Hughes; maintains a Marine Division for waterway patrol/safety and a Drug Enforcement Unit; investigates animal cruelty complaints.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. NAMING NOTE: Oscoda County’s seat is Mio, not the town of Oscoda – the town of Oscoda is actually located in neighboring Iosco County. Always confirm which is meant.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: M-33 and M-72 serve Mio, the county seat, in the Au Sable River Valley; Oscoda County was created April 1, 1840 and organized in 1881.
Notes: Oscoda County is entirely surrounded by the Huron National Forest and sits within the Au Sable State Forest’s Grayling Fire Management Unit (alongside Alcona, Crawford, and northern Iosco counties), much of it on the unique “Grayling outwash plain” glacial habitat.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Oscoda County Courthouse – built 1888, Mio, MI 48647.
Notes: Mio is genuinely one of the best places in the world to see the Kirtland’s Warbler, an extremely rare songbird that breeds almost exclusively in young jack pine forests of northern Michigan and was, until recently, on the federal endangered species list (now Near Threatened after significant recovery). Guided viewing tours are offered locally, and the region celebrates the bird each June at the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival. Mio is also home to an active Amish community, with local Amish-run stores and bakeries, and to the historic Michigan Shore-to-Shore Riding & Hiking Trail, a roughly 500-mile interconnected trail system passing directly through town.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Oscoda County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via oscodacountymi.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Mio-area public library address/phone via oscodacountymi.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Oscoda County Park (65 modern + 88 rustic campsites), the Kirtland’s Warbler Habitat Area, the Mio Hydroelectric Dam, Our Lady of the Woods Shrine, and the Au Sable River are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Kirtland’s Warbler recovery story and the county’s active Amish community are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Oscoda County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via oscodacountymi.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mio Animal Control Shelter – 1782 Zimowske Road, Mio, MI 48647 | (989) 826-5544.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Oscoda County – confirm current contact via oscodacountymi.com.
NOTES: Oscoda County is the seventh and final county in the tenth batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Kirtland’s Warbler recovery story and the county’s active Amish community 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 Oscoda County
Oscoda County is northern Michigan’s Au Sable River canoe country and Kirtland’s warbler county – the legendary river’s canoeing and fishing and the extraordinary jack pine habitat for one of North America’s rarest birds define a remote county whose natural assets attract outdoor enthusiasts and birders to one of Michigan’s most sparsely populated interior counties.
Mio (the county seat, population ~1,800) is Oscoda County’s governmental and recreation hub, a small Au Sable River town whose canoe liveries, fishing guides, and birding tours serve visitors to the remote northern Michigan interior.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Oscoda County Assessor at 311 Morenci Avenue, Mio, MI 48647, phone 989-826-1130.
Courts & Legal
Oscoda County Probate Court at 311 Morenci Avenue, Mio, MI 48647, phone 989-826-1130, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
311 Morenci Ave., Mio, MI 48647
(989) 826-1130
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Oscoda County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Oscoda 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
Oscoda County Probate Court Oscoda County Courthouse Annex, 311 Morenci Avenue, Mio, MI 48647 (989) 826-1110 Oscoda County is in north-central Michigan, seated in Mio.
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
311 Morenci Ave., Mio, MI 48647
(989) 826-3271
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
311 Morenci Ave., Mio, MI 48647
(989) 826-1130
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Northeast Region
(989) 826-3939
MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch
mymichigan.org (West Branch — accessible)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: District Health Department #2 – confirm current phone via oscodacountymi.com.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mio
Population: 8,500
Area: 566 sq mi
Established: 1881
Tier: 4
Public Records
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