Please see Clerk's main page for office hours and closures.

1. Due to limited space inside the offices, it will be necessary for you to have all of your requests/applications completed before you are allowed inside the office, including having your identification documents and payment ready.
2. Please keep in mind that the offices close at 4:30 p.m. and some services can take up to 20 minutes to perform. Please allow for this when coming in to our office.

Births, deaths or marriages which took place in Muskegon County are recorded and filed with the Muskegon County Clerk. Search the Muskegon County Clerk's Death, Marriage and Business Registration Index. You may also search our Online Genealogical Death Indexing System to find out if we have a copy of a death certificate for records between the years 1865 and 1965. Births, deaths or marriages that took place in another county are on file in that county.

WAYS TO REQUEST RECORDS:

1. Requesting records in person:

You may come in to the Muskegon County Clerk's Office located on the first floor of the Hall of Justice. Before you enter the Clerk's office, please have the following out and ready:

1. The prepared request from, located on the table in the hallway, or at Fillable Request Form (PDF)*;
2. Your photo ID;
3. Payment of $20 for the first certified copy, $10 for each additional copy of the same record purchased at the same time using any form of payment (see below).
   
   Once you have all of the above items out and ready to present to the clerk, please stand by the door until you are called, adhering to social distancing rules.

2. Requesting records by mail:

Please complete the Fillable Request Form (PDF)*  print it out, sign and mail it to the address below, along with a photo copy of your ID and check or money order made payable to Muskegon County Clerk, include your phone number and Driver's License or State ID number. When requesting documents via mail please enclose a self addressed stamped envelope.

Muskegon County Clerk
990 Terrace Street
1st Floor
Muskegon, MI 49442

3. Requesting records via fax using a charge card:

Please complete the Fillable Request Form (PDF)*  print it out, sign and fax it, along with a copy of your photo ID to 231-724-6262. Once you have faxed in your request, please pay via credit or debit card at allpaid.com and use Pay Location Code (PLC) 5117 in the Search bar. Please note an additional service charge is applied to credit or debit card payments through the third party processor. When paying for multiple records, please make ONE payment. Confirmation of your payment will automatically be sent to our office.

Please fax your request in BEFORE you make a payment via credit card.

*If you cannot print out the fillable form, you may hand-write your request including the following information:

• Requestor's signature
• Type of record requested
• Date of the birth, death or marriage
• Full name as it should appear on the record
• For all birth records, include the father's full name and the mother's full maiden name
• For marriage records, include the name of the spouse
• Number of copies desired
• The fee is $20 for the first certified copy, $10 for each additional copy of the same record purchased at the same time
• Your return address and daytime phone number
• A photo copy of your ID

Payment Options:

Do not send cash through the mail. The County Clerk's office will accept payments in the form of:

• Cash -  only for in-person transactions;
• Check or money order - for in-person or mailed requests, made payable to Muskegon County Clerk, include your phone number and Driver's License or State ID number;
• Credit or debit card - for in-person, mailed, or faxed requests, at allpaid.com using Pay Location Code (PLC) 5117 in the Search Bar. Please note an additional service charge is applied to credit or debit card payments through the third party processor. When paying for multiple records, please make ONE payment. Confirmation of your payment will automatically be sent to our office. If requesting via fax, please fax your request in BEFORE you make a payment via credit card.  If mailing, please make a payment via credit card and include the reference number on your request.

Birth Records

Birth records are available only to the subject of the record, their heir, their legal guardian or a parent named on the record. Photo Identification is required for all birth requests. Please enclose a photo copy of your driver's license or State ID when making a request by mail.

You may also purchase your birth certificate through Lansing's Vital Records office.