Mackinac County Death Index Records

Mackinac County death index records date back to 1873 and are maintained by the County Clerk in St. Ignace. You can get certified death certificates in person at the courthouse, by mail, or through VitalChek. This page covers how to access Mackinac County death records, the fees and office details, and which research tools help with older Upper Peninsula records.

Mackinac County Clerk Office

The Mackinac County Clerk is located on the first floor of the courthouse at 100 S. Marley Street, Room 10, in St. Ignace. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Death records on file go back to 1873. Staff handle in-person requests and can also process mail orders and VitalChek orders. The full office details are at mackinaccounty.net.

Mackinac County is in the northern Upper Peninsula, directly north of the Mackinac Bridge. The county includes Mackinac Island, Bois Blanc Island, and a large stretch of mainland. Deaths that occurred anywhere within the county boundaries are recorded here. The county clerk acts as the local registrar under MCL 333.2885. Certified copies can also be ordered from the state MDHHS Vital Records office in Lansing.

Contact the clerk at (906) 643-7300 or by email at macclerk@mackinaccounty.net before visiting to confirm hours and current forms required.

Mackinac County Clerk - Official Resources

The Mackinac County Clerk website provides details on vital records access, including death certificates, along with other clerk services available at the courthouse.

The page confirms office hours, acceptable forms of payment, and who to contact for vital records questions.

VitalChek is available for ordering Mackinac County death records online. Go to VitalChek.com and search for Mackinac County Michigan. A service fee is added to the standard copy cost. This is a good option if you are not in the Upper Peninsula and can't send a mail request easily.

Mackinac County Death Record Fees

The fee for a certified death certificate in Mackinac County is $20 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $10. These fees are on the higher end for Michigan counties. If you need several copies for an estate or legal matter, order them all together to save on per-copy costs.

Mail requests go to the clerk at 100 S. Marley Street, Room 10, St. Ignace, MI 49781. Include a completed application form, a copy of your ID if required, and a check or money order made out to the Mackinac County Clerk. Call or email the office to confirm any requirements before submitting to avoid delays.

Note: Fees and requirements can change. Always confirm with the clerk's office before sending payment.

Mackinac County Death Index Research Tools

The free Michigan GENDIS death index is the best starting point for Mackinac County research. You can search by name to find the year and county of death at no cost. The index covers deaths across Michigan and includes records going back to the mid-1800s. For Mackinac County, this helps you confirm a record exists before ordering a certified copy from St. Ignace.

Michiganology is a free digital archive run by the Library of Michigan. It has digitized death records for many Michigan counties, including some Upper Peninsula collections. Records from Mackinac County appear in the site's older collections. FamilySearch also has Michigan death collections, all free, that cover the period from the late 1800s onward. Both platforms are valuable for genealogy research when you don't yet know the exact date of a death in Mackinac County.

Under MCL 333.2843, access to certified copies of Michigan death records is restricted to qualified applicants for recent deaths. Deaths older than 25 years are more accessible for genealogy purposes. The GENDIS index carries no such restriction and is open to all users.

Nearby Counties

Mackinac County is in the eastern Upper Peninsula. These neighboring counties keep their own death records.