Access Crawford County Clerk Records

About the Crawford County Clerk of Court

Crawford County runs a combined County Clerk and Register of Deeds office. Jamie McClain leads it as County Clerk and Register of Deeds. The county calls this office the general recorder for many official records, and it acts as clerk to the county boards and the elections commission. Crawford is one of only 31 Michigan counties that fold both jobs into a single elected office.

Three deputies keep the counter running. Michele Moshier serves as Chief Deputy Register of Deeds and Deputy Clerk. Sarah Medler is Chief Deputy Clerk. Dana Trudeau works as Deputy Clerk and Deputy Register of Deeds. Together they staff the front window in Grayling and process most walk-in and mail requests. The office stores millions of documents, some dating back to the county's organization in 1879.

What the Combined Clerk and Register Handles

Because the office wears two hats, it touches a wide mix of records. One side keeps the county's vital and civic records. The other side records land documents and liens. Most residents visit for a birth or death certificate, a marriage record, or a copy of a deed.

The main duties fall into a short set of buckets.

• Vital records: birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates
• Concealed pistol license applications and notary matters
• Assumed name (DBA) filings and DD214 military discharge records
• County, board, and election records
• Land records: deeds, mortgages, UCC filings, oil, gas, mineral, and lien documents

Note: birth records carry stronger identity checks than most other files, so the clerk may ask for proof of eligibility before releasing a certified copy.

Legal Records on the Court Side

Part of this office is labeled "Legal Records." That side works as the circuit court clerk function inside the combined office. It handles the paperwork that flows through the 46th Circuit Court and keeps those case files organized for the public and the bench.

Legal Records processes civil cases over $25,000 for the 46th Judicial Circuit Trial Court. It takes felony criminal cases once they are bound over from district court. The desk also handles personal protection orders, appeals from other agencies such as Probate Court, the Michigan Employment Security Commission, and driver's license restoration cases. Change of venue matters, criminal and civil bond money, new attorney admissions to the State Bar, construction lien certificates, veteran's vending permits, and traffic control orders all pass through this side as well.

The circuit court division and the clerk share the same building in Grayling. To confirm a division, a case number, or a hearing routing, the court contacts page lists direct lines. That page is shown below.

The Circuit 46 court contacts and location page maps each division to a phone line and address. Use it when a legal record could sit in circuit, district, or probate, since the correct desk depends on which court holds the file. Broader court file lookups start with the county court records channels.

Vital Records and Official Records Online

Vital records are the office's busiest service. The clerk keeps birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates for events tied to Crawford County. A certified copy carries the county seal and works for legal needs like passports, benefits, and estate matters.

Two paths reach these records. In person, the front counter in Grayling can pull and certify a record while you wait. Online, the county posts an Official Records Online (ORO) link that lets you order certain vital records without a trip to the courthouse. Marriage licenses and certified marriage copies follow their own form and fee rules, which the county spells out on the marriage and divorce records page.

Divorce is worth a note. The clerk holds a divorce certificate as a vital record, but the full divorce case file lives on the court side. For an old case file, use the circuit court clerk or the statewide case search rather than the vital-records window.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy proves that a record is a true copy of the original on file. Courts, agencies, and title companies often require the certified version, not a plain printout. The clerk offers four ways to ask for one.

1. Choose your channel: request in writing, in person at the Grayling counter, online through Official Records Online, or by mail.
2. Identify the record. Give the full names, the type of certificate or document, and the approximate date so staff can locate it.
3. Include payment. Pay by credit or debit through GovPayNow using location code 5883, or send a check or money order payable to Crawford County.
4. Add identification if asked. A photo ID copy may be required for some records, though the county's marriage-copy form notes that ID is not required to obtain a marriage certificate.
5. Collect the copy. Pick it up at the office, or wait for it to arrive by mail once the request and fee clear.

Note: mailed and faxed requests move only as fast as the payment clears, so a priority express option exists for marriage copies when speed matters.

Crawford County Clerk Fee Schedule

Fees depend on the record and the number of copies. Vital-record pricing rewards ordering several copies of the same record at once. Land searches and page copies use their own rates. The table below lists the charges the county publishes.

Payment is by credit or debit card through GovPayNow with location code 5883, or by check or money order made out to Crawford County. The office does not treat online card payment and mailed checks as interchangeable for every service, so confirm the accepted method before you send funds.

Land Records and Search Fees

The Register of Deeds side keeps the county's chain of title. Deeds, mortgages, liens, UCC filings, and mineral records are recorded and indexed here. Owners, buyers, and title searchers pull these documents to confirm who holds an interest in a parcel.

Several tools reach the land index without a courthouse visit.

• Tapestry, an online search aimed at occasional users, costs $6.95 per name or legal-description search.
• landrecords.net offers another route into recorded documents for the county.
• Public computers sit inside the register's office for free in-person searching.
• Property Fraud Alert is a free county service that emails or calls you when a document is recorded against your name.

Copies of recorded land documents run $1.00 per page. Property Fraud Alert will not stop a fraudulent filing on its own, but the early warning gives owners a chance to act fast.

Records Requests and FOIA

Not every record sits in a vital-records drawer or an online portal. Older paper files, county administrative records, and documents that are not routine court files come out through the Freedom of Information Act. The county runs a central FOIA hub with a request form, a cost worksheet, and an appeal form.

Michigan's FOIA makes disclosure the default. MCL 15.231 states that public access is the rule unless a record is exempt. MCL 15.234 lets the county charge labor and copy costs, and MCL 15.243 lists the exemptions that can keep a record private. A clean request form moves faster, so include the fields below.

The county's FOIA request hub hosts the current form and cost worksheet. FOIA is the fallback when a record is not posted online, yet it cannot force release of files that the court rules or a separate statute keep confidential.

Hours, Contact, and Access Channels

The clerk's office keeps regular weekday hours and closes for lunch. Planning around that lunch break avoids a wasted trip to Grayling. The direct line reaches the clerk's desk, while the main office number routes general calls.

Reach the office by whichever channel fits your record. Call the direct line at 989-344-3200 or the main office at 989-348-2841. Email jmcclain@crawfordco.org, fax to 989-344-3223, or walk in at 200 W. Michigan Avenue. For vital records, use Official Records Online. For land documents, use Tapestry, landrecords.net, or the public computers on site. When a record is not available through any of those channels, file a FOIA request through the county hub.