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.
Michigan County
Shiawassee County, Michigan
Steam Railroads Historical Center and Shiawassee Wildlife Refuge - from Owosso's Steam Railroads Historical Center (Owosso is home to one of the largest collections of operational steam locomotives in the United States - the historic Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive that inspired the Polar Express movie is based here, and the annual North Pole Express excursions draw families from across Michigan to ride behind a genuine steam engine through the mid-Michigan countryside) to the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (the refuge's extensive wetlands along the Shiawassee River provide critical habitat for thousands of migrating waterfowl, sandhill cranes, and other birds, making it one of the premier birding destinations in the Great Lakes region).
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: Shiawassee County Emergency Management & Homeland Security – a division of the Sheriff’s Office; confirm current contact via sheriff.shiawassee.net.
Shiawassee County Central Dispatch – non-emergency (989) 743-9111.
Sheriff: Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office – 201 E McArthur St, Corunna, MI 48817 | (989) 743-3411 | Tip Line (989) 720-8477; serves Corunna, Owosso, Durand, Perry, and unincorporated townships; operates the Shiawassee County Jail (capacity ~250 inmates), a Marine Division for waterway patrol, and a Detective Bureau. Coordinates with the 66th District Court, 110 E Mack St, Corunna, MI 48817. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: M-21 and M-52 serve Corunna, the county seat, on the Shiawassee River.
Notes: The Shiawassee River winds through downtown Owosso, the county’s largest city.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Shiawassee County Building – 208 N Shiawassee St, Corunna, MI 48817.
Notes: Owosso is genuinely the hometown of James Oliver Curwood (1878-1927), one of America’s best-selling adventure novelists of the 1920s, whose stories – often set in the Canadian wilderness and featuring Indigenous characters and themes drawn from his own Mohawk great-grandmother – sold an estimated 7 million copies and were frequently adapted into Hollywood films. In 1922-1924, Curwood built Curwood Castle, a genuine replica of a Norman/French chateau, along the Shiawassee River as his private writing studio; it’s now a museum on the National Register of Historic Places and a Michigan State Historic Site, and the city holds an annual Curwood Festival in his honor. Curwood later became a committed conservationist, serving on the Michigan Conservation Commission in 1926-27.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Shiawassee County Veterans Affairs & Services – confirm current contact via shiawassee.net.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Owosso/Corunna-area public library address/phone via shiawassee.net.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Curwood Castle Museum and Curwood Castle Park, and downtown Owosso’s historic district are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine James Oliver Curwood legacy and his castle writing studio are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Shiawassee County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via shiawassee.net.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shiawassee County Animal Control & Care Shelter (Sheriff’s Office) – 1251 E Hibbard Rd, Owosso, MI 48867 | (989) 743-2406 or (989) 743-3411 ext. 7291 | Fax (989) 743-6423 | Email: [email protected].
Shiawassee Humane Society (SHS) – 2752 W Bennington Rd, Owosso, MI 48867 | (989) 723-4262; a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 1954, funded 100% by donations; houses 60-100 adoptable pets at a time and adopts out roughly 500-600 pets annually; all animals spayed/neutered, heartworm tested, vaccinated, and microchipped before adoption. Hours: 11 AM-5 PM daily (confirm current schedule).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Shiawassee County – confirm current contact via shiawassee.net.
NOTES: Shiawassee County is the first county in the twelfth and final batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine James Oliver Curwood legacy and his castle writing studio 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 Shiawassee County
Shiawassee County is mid-Michigan’s Polar Express steam locomotive and wildlife refuge county – the historic steam engines that inspired one of America’s most beloved holiday movies and the Shiawassee River wetlands teeming with migrating cranes and waterfowl define a county whose agricultural mid-Michigan character is enriched by these two remarkable assets.
Corunna (the county seat, population ~4,200) is Shiawassee County’s governmental hub while Owosso serves as the county’s largest city, primary commercial center, and home of the famous steam locomotive collection.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Shiawassee County Assessor at 208 N. Shiawassee Street, Corunna, MI 48817, phone 989-743-2248. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Shiawassee County Probate Court at 208 N. Shiawassee Street, Corunna, MI 48817, phone 989-743-2278, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
208 N. Shiawassee St., Corunna, MI 48817
(989) 743-2242
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Shiawassee County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Shiawassee 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
Shiawassee County Probate Court District Court Building, 110 E. Mack Street, 2nd Floor, Corunna, MI 48817 (989) 743-2211 Shiawassee County is in south-central Michigan, seated in Corunna.
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
1769 E. Hibbard Rd., Corunna, MI 48817
(989) 743-9111
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
208 N. Shiawassee St., Corunna, MI 48817
(989) 743-2242
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Central Region
(989) 743-3504
MyMichigan Medical Center Owosso
mymichigan.org (Owosso — quality community hospital; major Shiawassee County anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Shiawassee County Health Department – confirm current phone via shiawassee.net.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Corunna
Population: 68,000
Area: 540 sq mi
Established: 1837
Tier: 2
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Shiawassee County residents.
