Find Death Records in St. Clair County

St. Clair County death index records are held by the County Clerk in Port Huron. The office maintains death certificates from 1867 through the present and offers multiple ways to get them including in-person visits, mail requests, and an online submission option. The clerk's office can help you locate records for both recent deaths and entries going back more than 150 years.

St. Clair County Clerk Death Records

The St. Clair County Clerk is located at 201 McMorran Blvd in Port Huron. The office handles death certificates for all of St. Clair County, including Port Huron and the surrounding townships and communities. Phone: (810) 985-2200. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM, and Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Note the later opening time on Fridays when planning a visit.

The St. Clair County Clerk makes it easy to request death records. You can come in during business hours, mail a request with a completed form, or use the online form available on the clerk's website. The online option includes a $5 processing fee on top of the standard copy fee. For urgent requests, in-person visits are the fastest option. Mail requests take longer depending on current workload and mailing time.

The St. Clair County Clerk's office provides a downloadable death record request form on their website at stclaircountyclerk.org. You can print the form, fill it out, and bring it in or mail it with your payment. The form includes fields for the deceased's name, date of death, your relationship, and the purpose of the request. Completing it fully helps avoid delays.

St. Clair County Online Death Record Request

The St. Clair County Clerk website at stclaircountyclerk.org provides a death record request form you can complete and submit online or download and mail in. The image below shows the official request portal used for St. Clair County death index requests.

The online form is one of the more convenient options available in St. Clair County. Just note that online submissions carry a $5 processing fee on top of the standard $15 first copy fee. If cost is a factor, mailing a paper request is the lower-cost alternative. The same form works for both methods.

Under MCL 333.2885, certified death certificates in Michigan are available to immediate family, legal representatives, and others with a demonstrated need. The St. Clair County Clerk reviews eligibility at the time of each request. Bring or include documentation of your relationship to the deceased if it is not obvious from the request form.

St. Clair County Death Certificate Fees

The standard fee for a certified death certificate in St. Clair County is $15 for the first copy. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $6. Online requests carry an extra $5 processing charge, making the total $20 for the first online copy. In-person and mail requests avoid this additional fee. Payment for mail requests should be a check or money order made out to the St. Clair County Clerk. Do not mail cash.

Fees are non-refundable after a search is conducted. If the record you requested is not found, the search fee still applies. If you are unsure whether a record exists, using the free GENDIS index first can help you confirm details before paying for a formal request. The GENDIS database does not provide certified copies but gives enough detail to verify names and dates.

Researching the St. Clair County Death Index

St. Clair County death records date to 1867, which makes the clerk's archive a primary resource for researchers tracing family histories in the Blue Water region of Michigan. The county shares a border with Ontario, Canada, and its early death records reflect the mixed immigrant and settler communities that lived along the St. Clair River corridor.

Free online tools can supplement your research. The GENDIS death index provides searchable Michigan death data. FamilySearch has indexed Michigan vital records from the 1800s forward and is free to use. Michiganology holds digitized historical records from Michigan counties and may have St. Clair County entries not available elsewhere online. For records predating 1867, the State Archives of Michigan in Lansing may hold relevant materials. The MDHHS vital records page covers statewide ordering options for more recent entries.

Note: For records that cannot be located through the county clerk, the MDHHS state office in Lansing may hold a duplicate copy on file from the original county registration.

Michigan Law and Death Record Access in St. Clair County

Death records in Michigan are governed by the Public Health Code. MCL 333.2843 establishes the framework for vital records registration and access across all Michigan counties. Under this law, county clerks act as local registrars who receive and maintain death records on behalf of the state. The St. Clair County Clerk operates under this framework and follows state guidelines for who can access records and what information is released.

Michigan death certificates are considered public records. However, the medical cause-of-death section is restricted to qualified requesters. Immediate family members, attorneys, and others with a clear legal interest can typically access the full certificate. Genealogy researchers working with older records (generally 25 years or more) often have broader access. When in doubt, call the clerk's office at (810) 985-2200 before submitting a request.

Nearby Counties

These counties border St. Clair County or are nearby in southeastern Michigan. Each county clerk maintains death records for their own jurisdiction.