Probate and Recording Deeds in Ingham County (Lansing / East Lansing / Mason), Michigan
Where to file a will or open probate, and where to record a deed, in Ingham County (Lansing / East Lansing / Mason) — with the state rules that apply.
Probate court
Ingham County Probate Court (Probate Register's Office, Veterans Memorial Courthouse)
Recording deeds
Ingham County Register of Deeds
Recording fee: Deeds, mortgages and other real property instruments: $30.00 regardless of the number of pages; +$3.00 for each additional liber/page or instrument number assigned or discharged Fee schedule
Michigan rules that apply
| Small estate affidavit | If the estate contains no real property and its value, minus liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $50,000 (adjusted each year for inflation), a successor may collect the decedent's money, tangible personal property, debts owed, and securities by giving the holder a sworn statement and a copy of the death certificate. At least 28 days must have passed since death, and no personal representative may have been appointed or applied for in any jurisdiction. The court's form is PC 598. The $50,000 base was set by 2024 PA 1 (effective Feb. 21, 2024) and is multiplied by the Treasury cost-of-living factor for the year of death, rounded to the nearest $1,000. Use the figure for the year the person died. Source: MCL 700.3983; MCL 700.1210 |
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| Probate steps | A person with priority applies to the county probate court for appointment as personal representative, in informal or formal proceedings. After appointment, the personal representative publishes a notice to creditors and mails notice to known creditors; prepares an inventory with date-of-death values within 91 days and sends it to the presumptive heirs or beneficiaries (filing the original with the court is optional, but the court must be given the information for the inventory fee); pays allowed claims and expenses; and then distributes the estate and closes it. |
| Signing and recording a deed | A deed to Michigan land must be acknowledged before a notary public, judge or court clerk, and the county register of deeds will not record it unless it is acknowledged. Witnesses are not required. To be recorded, signers' names must be printed beneath original signatures in black or dark blue ink, the grantee's address and the drafter's name and business address must appear, and the document must meet format rules (2.5-inch top margin on page one, half-inch other margins, 10-point type, paper 8.5x11 to 8.5x14, and a first line stating the recordable event). State real estate transfer tax is $3.75 per $500 of value and county transfer tax is $0.55 per $500 (up to $0.75 in counties of 2 million or more). Exemptions include transfers for less than $100 and certain transfers between spouses and to children or grandchildren. Each transfer-tax exemption has conditions; check the exemption list before relying on one. |
All Michigan wills, probate and estate rules · Eviction court and tenant help in Ingham County (Lansing / East Lansing / Mason)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.