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Michigan · Northern Michigan · Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell
Wexford County, Michigan
The gateway to "Up North" — from Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell (the only two connected inland lakes in Michigan that form a navigable loop) to Caberfae Peaks ski resort, the North American Snowmobile Festival, and the moment on US-131 driving north when farms give way to forests and lakes and every Michigan family knows they've finally arrived Up North.
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Office: Wexford County Emergency Management – 971 Lincoln St, Cadillac, MI 49601 | (231) 306-2130 | Fax (231) 779-9214 | Email: [email protected]; formerly known as Civil Defense; coordinates with Cadillac Police and other local partners on prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Hours: by appointment.
Wexford County Central Dispatch (911) – a state-of-the-art communications center (opened March 2020) in Cadillac, staffed 24/7/365; provides Next Generation 911 services including text-to-911 for all county emergency agencies.
Sheriff: Wexford County Sheriff’s Office – 1015 Lincoln St, Cadillac, MI 49601 | (231) 779-9216 | Fax (231) 779-0218 | Jail (231) 779-9217; Sheriff Trent J. Taylor (24+ years with the department, having served as Road Patrol Deputy and Community Policing officer before being elected Sheriff), Undersheriff Richard Doehring (or Harnish, per most recent listing – confirm current); roughly 52-55 staff across Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Animal Control divisions; specialized units include Marine, Snowmobile, and ORV patrol, County Dive Team, Emergency Response Team, and Crime Scene Technicians. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (administrative office closed to the public on Wednesdays due to staffing – call ahead).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-131 and M-55 serve Cadillac, the county seat and largest city; Wexford County was originally named “Kautawabet” in 1840 (a Potawatomi word meaning “broken tooth,” for Chief Broken Tooth, signer of the 1825 Great Peace Treaty) before Michigan legislators renamed it Wexford in 1843, after a county in Ireland.
Notes: Wexford County has a population of roughly 35,000 with an industrial/recreational economic base, serving as a gateway community to the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Wexford County Historic Courthouse – Cadillac, MI 49601.
Notes: Cadillac has a genuinely clever naming history: founded in 1872 by lumber baron George A. Mitchell as “Clam Lake Village,” the town was renamed Cadillac in 1877 during a political dispute over which town would be the Wexford County seat – supporters chose the name specifically to honor Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the French explorer who founded Detroit, as a strategic move to sway state legislators, and it worked: Cadillac became the “new” county seat. Decades later, the same historical figure’s name would be adopted for the Cadillac automobile brand, founded in 1902. The nearby lakes, once used to float logs to the town’s lumber mills via a connecting canal completed in 1873, are now named Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell and serve as recreational centerpieces of the community.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Wexford County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via wexfordcounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Cadillac’s historic Carnegie Library (built 1906) has been rehabilitated by the City and the Wexford County Historical Society and now serves as the historical society’s museum; confirm current public library address/phone via wexfordcounty.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Cadillac, Lake Mitchell, the Huron-Manistee National Forest gateway, and downtown Cadillac’s historic core are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine political-trickery origin story behind the Cadillac name – and its later connection to the Cadillac automobile brand – is one of the most charming and distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Wexford County Equalization Department – confirm current contact via wexfordcounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Wexford County Animal Shelter (Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Division) – 1406 6th Ave, Cadillac, MI 49601 | (231) 779-9530; dog licenses/tags available at the shelter and the Treasurer’s Office in the Historic Courthouse. Hours: Tue-Fri 9 AM-5 PM, closed Sat/Sun/Mon.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Wexford County – confirm current contact via wexfordcounty.org.
NOTES: Wexford County is the eighth and final county in the twelfth and final batch of the Michigan v2 A+ sourced redo – completing all 83 Michigan counties. The genuine political-trickery origin story behind the Cadillac name – and its later connection to the Cadillac automobile brand – is one of the most charming and 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 Wexford County
Cadillac (the county seat, population ~10,000) is Wexford County’s governmental hub on US 131, a north-central Michigan lake city whose twin Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell, Manistee National Forest access, and northern Michigan outdoor recreation economy anchor its identity as one of the northern Lower Peninsula’s most livable small cities.
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Wexford County Assessor at 437 E. Division Street, Cadillac, MI 49601, phone 231-779-9453. MI assessed at 50% of true cash value.
Courts & Legal
Wexford County Probate Court at 437 E. Division Street, Cadillac, MI 49601, phone 231-779-9516, handles estates and probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
437 E. Division St., Cadillac, MI 49601
(231) 779-9453
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Wexford County Probate Court (estate/probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Wexford 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
Wexford County Probate Court 437 East Division Street, Cadillac, MI 49601 (231) 779-9510 Wexford County is in northern Lower Michigan, seated in Cadillac.
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
521 E. Pine St., Cadillac, MI 49601
(231) 779-9210
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
437 E. Division St., Cadillac, MI 49601
(231) 779-9453
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MI DHHS — Northwest Region
(231) 779-0999
Munson Healthcare Cadillac
munsonhealthcare.org (Cadillac — quality regional hospital; major Northern Michigan community anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: District Health Department #10 – confirm current phone via wexfordcounty.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Cadillac
Population: 34,000
Area: 567 mi²
Established: 1869
Tier: 3
Public Records
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