Roscommon County Clerk Records

About the Roscommon County Clerk's Office

Michelle M. Stevenson is listed in the official county staff directory as the Roscommon County Clerk. The office sits inside the county courthouse in the Village of Roscommon. State statute sets the duties of the Clerk, and the fees the office collects are turned over to the county general fund. Stevenson also serves as the county Register of Deeds, so one person leads two record offices that many residents confuse.

The Clerk is the local keeper of Circuit Court files and the county's vital records. That means birth, marriage, and death records, along with Circuit Court case papers and the Circuit Court seal. The office also runs elections work, assumed name filings, notary service, and concealed pistol license paperwork. The County Clerk page lists the current clerk, the address, and the vital record request forms.

What the County Clerk Does in Roscommon County

The County Clerk holds several jobs at once. The office manages county records, keeps the Circuit Court seal, and files papers that residents and businesses bring to the counter. It also supports the county board and the local election canvass. The county's own FAQ page confirms the Clerk and Register of Deeds duties in plain language.

The Clerk holds a screenshot-worthy list of statutory roles in Roscommon County. Each one ties back to a different set of records the public may need.

• Clerk of the Board of Commissioners
• Clerk of the County Election Canvassers
• Clerk of the Court and keeper of the Circuit Court seal
• Member of the County Plat Board
• Filing office for assumed name and co-partnership certificates
• Register of Vital Statistics for birth, marriage, and death records

A screenshot of the county FAQ shows how the Clerk and Register of Deeds sit side by side under Michelle Stevenson.

The Roscommon County FAQ lays out those clerk and register duties for residents.

The same FAQ helps a first-time visitor decide whether a vital record, a court file, or a deed request should go to the Clerk.

Roscommon County Clerk and the Court Records Split

Court record duty in Roscommon County is split by function. For Circuit Court files, the County Clerk is the Clerk of the Court and keeper of the Circuit Court seal. That covers felony cases after bindover, divorce and family matters, personal protection orders, larger civil suits, and land or equity cases. Certified copies of these files flow back through the Clerk at the courthouse.

The 82nd District Court and the Probate Court run their own request channels. The District Court publishes its own Access to Court Records Request Form and its own phone, fax, and email. The Probate Court lists a separate phone and fax and its own forms. So a traffic file, a small claims case, or an estate matter does not come from the County Clerk. The District Court civil division page shows the kinds of cases the District Court keeps.

Reviewing the District Court civil division page early saves a trip to the wrong counter. Divorce judgments and larger civil files, by contrast, live with the Circuit Court and its clerk, and the full case papers can be requested through the Roscommon County Circuit Court channel.

Note: A missing result in a public case search does not always mean no record exists, so confirm the correct court before you assume a file is unavailable.

How to Request a Certified Copy in Roscommon County

A certified copy carries the Clerk's seal and proves a record is genuine. Courts, agencies, banks, and employers often ask for certified copies rather than plain prints. For vital records, the Clerk uses one certificate request form that covers birth, marriage, and death copies. Birth copies come with the strictest rules.

1. Pick the record type you need, then gather the names, dates, and places that match the record. Birth copies list name at birth, date, place, and parent names.
2. Download or pick up the Clerk certificate request form and fill in your name, address, phone, and the record section that applies.
3. For a birth copy, include a copy of your government-issued photo ID. Birth copies go only to eligible people such as the subject, a parent, a legal guardian, or a legal representative with documentation.
4. Add payment. A vital record certified copy is $15, and each extra copy of the same record is $10.
5. Mail the completed request to Clerk, 500 Lake St., Roscommon, MI 48653, or bring it to the Clerk's counter during office hours.

The Clerk certificate request form is the official document for these copies. Older price lines on the form may not match current fees, so use the posted fee schedule for the correct amount.

Certified Copy Request Form Fields

The Clerk certificate request form asks for requester details first, then a section for the specific record. Only the section that matches your record needs full answers. Birth, marriage, and death each have their own block on the same page.

The form tells requesters to mail completed pages to the Clerk at 500 Lake St. Bring the same details if you visit the counter in person.

Marriage Licenses at the Roscommon County Clerk

Marriage licenses are County Clerk records, and the Clerk's Office handles the whole license process. Michigan sets a three-day waiting period, which the Clerk can waive for a $50 same-day fee. A license is good for 33 days from the application date. After the ceremony, the signed license must return to the Clerk's Office for recording within 10 days.

Applicants can start in person or online, but the documents are the same. Both applicants must be 18, and previously married applicants must show how the prior marriage ended. One applicant must be a Roscommon County resident for an in-state license.

• Bring a driver's license, Social Security number, and birth certificate for each applicant.
• Both parties need not appear, but the present applicant must carry the absent party's details.
• Residents pay $20; out-of-state applicants pay $30 and must marry in the county where they apply.

Certified copies of a recorded marriage use the same certificate request form as other vital records. Divorce files are different and belong to the Circuit Court, so a marriage license and a divorce judgment come from separate channels. The full license steps and fees appear on the Roscommon County marriage and divorce records page.

Roscommon County Clerk Fee Schedule

Clerk fees are set by law and posted on the county Fee Schedule page. The table below covers the services residents ask about most, from vital records and marriage licenses to assumed names, notary work, and concealed pistol licenses. Copy and certification amounts apply to the everyday requests the office handles.

The Clerk's page also posts a credit-card convenience fee that rises with the payment amount. These brackets apply when you pay by card at the counter.

The posted table runs beyond $200, so confirm the higher brackets on the fee page before a large payment. Veteran peddler licenses and DD-214 recordings are free.

County Clerk and Register of Deeds Distinction

Michelle Stevenson leads two offices, and residents often mix them up. The County Clerk keeps vital records and Circuit Court files. The Register of Deeds records legal documents that affect real property. Those are different record systems with different fees, even though the same person heads both.

The Register of Deeds office records deeds, mortgages, survey certificates, land corners, microfilm instruments, and reception books. It also runs a property record search and posts its own copy, certification, email, fax, and mail fees. So a land title question, a lien search, or a deed copy goes to the Register of Deeds page, not the vital records counter.

Note: A birth or marriage certificate comes from the Clerk as Register of Vital Statistics, while a deed or mortgage copy comes from the Register of Deeds.

Records the Roscommon County Clerk Does Not Keep

Some public records feel like Clerk records but sit elsewhere. District Court and Probate Court publish their own request forms and phone lines. Statewide criminal history comes from the Michigan State Police, and public case lookups run through the statewide portal. The Clerk cannot pull a warrant, a jail booking, or a sex offender listing.

The Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry is a statewide tool, not a county clerk file. The registry search page lets the public look up registered offenders by name or by area.

That registry is free and run by the state, so it does not route through the Roscommon County Clerk at all. For a public case index, the MiCOURT Case Search portal covers Circuit, District, and Probate cases across Michigan.

Local police reports are another example. Township departments handle their own reports and tips, and some publish a phone app for residents. The Gerrish Township Police mobile app page describes a free local app with crime reports, tips, and department news.

That app does not include an inmate or warrant lookup, so it supplements rather than replaces court and clerk channels. The same free app is listed on the Apple App Store for iPhone users in the Higgins Lake area.

Neither store listing turns the app into a records office, so certified court copies and vital records still come from the County Clerk or the correct court.

Clerk Office Hours and 2026 Training Closures

The Clerk's Office keeps regular counter hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-in visitors handle certified copies, marriage licenses, DBA filings, notary work, and CPL paperwork during those hours. A short weekly closure now affects the start of some Tuesdays.

Mail requests still reach the office during the closure, since staff process them when the counter reopens. For records the Clerk does not hold, the District Court records request page and the Probate Court page list their own forms and contacts. State vital events can also come from Michigan MDHHS Vital Records when a state-level certificate is needed.