Request Schoolcraft County Clerk Records

About the Schoolcraft County Clerk of Court

Schoolcraft County uses one elected official for two jobs that many larger counties split apart. The Office of County Clerk-Register of Deeds keeps the county's court records and its recorded land records under a single roof. The current officeholder is Beth A. Edwards, whose term runs through December 31, 2028. Voters elect the clerk to a four-year term, so the same person handles court filings, marriage licenses, and deed recordings for the whole term.

The office also acts as Clerk of the Court for the county's circuit court. That means circuit case files, divorce judgments, and civil records tie back to this desk, while the day-to-day counter also issues marriage licenses, records deeds, and answers Freedom of Information Act requests. A small staff supports the clerk: Michelle Schuetter serves as Deputy Clerk handling payroll and human resources, Melissa Hawthorne works as Deputy Register of Deeds Clerk and Circuit Court Clerk, and Angie Buttermore handles accounts payable.

What the Clerk of Court Handles in Schoolcraft County

The clerk wears more hats than the title suggests. On the court side, the office maintains circuit court files, collects filing fees, and prepares certified copies. On the register side, the same office records deeds, mortgages, and other land instruments. It also serves as the county's vital records desk and the intake point for public records requests. That range is common in small Upper Peninsula counties, where one office covers work that a metro county might spread across three departments.

• Circuit court clerk duties, including filing, records, and certified copies
• Vital records such as marriage, birth, and death certificate copies
• Marriage license applications and issuance
• Register of Deeds recordings for deeds, mortgages, and liens
• Assumed-name and DBA business registrations
• DD-214 military discharge filings and copies
• Freedom of Information Act request intake for county government records

District court and probate court keep their own separate offices and clerks, so not every court record starts here. The routing section below explains which case types stay with the Clerk of Court and which belong to another counter in the same building.

Reaching the Schoolcraft County Clerk

The office publishes several access channels, and the right one depends on the record and how quickly it is needed. In-person visits go to Room 164 of the County Courthouse during regular hours. Mail requests for vital records and FOIA go to the County Clerk at 300 Walnut Street, Room 164, Manistique, MI 49854. Phone service runs through 906-341-3618, which the county contact page lists as the Clerk's Office main line. Online tools cover the rest: statewide court case lookups run through MiCOURT, recorded land records run through LandShark, and payable tickets or cases route through the Michigan Courts ePAY system.

The county's own clerk and register page collects the office contact details, the vital-record applications, the FOIA form, and the fee schedule links in one place. The Schoolcraft County Clerk and Register of Deeds page is the starting point for most requests.

The page lists the elected clerk, the deputy staff, the office address, and downloadable forms, which is why a quick look there often saves a phone call. For court case records held by another court, the county circuit, district, and probate pages each carry their own direct MiCOURT links.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and signature, which proves the document is a true copy of the record on file. Courts, title companies, banks, and government agencies usually accept only certified copies, since a plain printout or an online image is not treated as an official record. Circuit court copies and Register of Deeds copies both come from this office.

1. Identify the record. For a court case, have the case number or the full party names ready. For a recorded land document, note the document number or the book and page. For a vital record, know the names and the event date.
2. Confirm the office holds it. Circuit court and land records come from the Clerk and Register of Deeds. District court traffic and probate estate files come from their own court offices in the same courthouse.
3. Pick up or download the correct request form, or write out the details in a letter for a mailed request. Vital-record applications and the FOIA form are posted on the county clerk page.
4. Submit the request with the correct fee. Certification of copies runs $5, a circuit court certification is $10, and vital-record copies start at $10 for the first copy. Make payment out to the Schoolcraft County Clerk.
5. Choose delivery. Requests can be picked up at Room 164 or mailed to the address on the form. Call ahead at 906-341-3618 to confirm turnaround before traveling.

Note: Certified copies are required for legal proceedings, and an uncertified copy printed from an online search will not be accepted in court.

FOIA Records Request Form Fields

County government records that are not court case files fall under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, Public Act 442 of 1976, codified at MCL 15.231 and following sections. The county must respond within five business days after receiving a request, and it may add a single 10-business-day extension. The official Schoolcraft County FOIA form collects the fields below, and describing the record as specifically as possible speeds the search.

Routing Schoolcraft County Court Records

Sending a request to the wrong counter is the most common delay in a small courthouse. The Clerk of Court handles circuit records and recorded land documents, but two other court offices in the same building hold the rest. Matching the case type to the office up front avoids a second trip.

• Circuit cases, divorce and domestic relations, major civil, and personal protection orders route through the 11th Judicial Circuit Court and the county clerk.
• Traffic, civil infractions, misdemeanors, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases route through the 93rd District Court in Room 135.
• Estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships route through the 5th Probate Court in Room 129.
• Recorded deeds, mortgages, and land liens route through the Register of Deeds side of the clerk's office and the LandShark portal.

Divorce is the case type that trips up the most people, because the certificate and the case file live in different places. The full case file stays with the circuit court, while the state certificate comes from Michigan Vital Records. More detail on that split appears in the county marriage and divorce records guide.

Schoolcraft County Clerk Fee Schedule

The county publishes a single fee schedule that covers clerk, register, vital-record, and circuit court services. Amounts below come from that official document. Checks are made out to the Schoolcraft County Clerk, and it is worth confirming current totals by phone before mailing payment, since court cost items can change.

The circuit court also lists targeted motion fees, such as $100 for a parenting time motion and $60 for a child support motion, plus a $59 filiation fee. Concealed pistol license permits, plat books, and notary bond filings carry their own separate charges on the same schedule.

Schoolcraft County Land Records on LandShark

Recorded land documents do not appear in the MiCOURT court system, because deeds and mortgages are register-of-deeds records rather than court case files. Schoolcraft County posts those records through a dedicated portal called LandShark, which the Register of Deeds side of the clerk's office maintains. The Schoolcraft County LandShark portal lets the public search recorded instruments and order document images.

The portal offers several search paths, including book and page, document number, recording date, name, and tract index. A name search uses a business or last-name field, with an optional first name, and lets a user limit results to grantors, grantees, or both. Buying a document image runs through a page-selection and credit card flow, and a recorded copy from the counter is $1 under the fee schedule.

Other Schoolcraft County Clerk Forms

Beyond court files, the office keeps the everyday paperwork that county residents need most. Each form has its own field set and its own fee, and the county posts printable versions on the clerk page. A marriage certificate copy uses an application that asks for the name on the license, the spouse's name, the marriage date, and the number of copies, at $10 for the first copy and $3 for each additional copy.

• Marriage certificate application for certified copies of a recorded marriage
• Birth certificate application, limited by Michigan law to eligible requesters unless the record is over 100 years old
• Death certificate application for a certified death record copy
• DD-214 request for a filed military discharge, with proof of identity or heirship
• Assumed-name and DBA form for registering a business name, with a $10 filing fee

Birth records carry the tightest limits, since Michigan restricts access to people named on the certificate unless it is old enough to open to the public. Marriage, death, and divorce records are easier to obtain, because anyone may request a certified copy of those with a written request and the prepaid search fee. When a matter starts as a circuit case rather than a vital record, the county circuit court records office is the office that opens the file.