About the Mackinac County Clerk's Office
Hillary Vowell serves as the Mackinac County Clerk, an elected office. The clerk records official county records, including birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, business registrations, and notary matters. The office also exposes public-records and vital-record links, which makes it the practical fallback for county-held records that are not posted online.
The clerk's court role is specific. The 11th Circuit Court page says the county clerk serves as clerk of the Family Division, so divorce and domestic-relations filings run through this office on the court side.
Mackinac County Clerk
Clerk: Hillary Vowell
100 S. Marley Street, Room 10
St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-7300
macclerk@mackinaccounty.net
The official County Clerk page names the clerk and lists the main assistance numbers.
That page also points circuit-court callers to a separate line, since the clerk handles both county records and the circuit court's family side.
What the Mackinac County Clerk Does
The County Clerk wears several hats, which is common in a small county. The office joins county recordkeeping with a court-clerk role and a public-records role under one roof.
- Records birth and death certificates and issues marriage licenses.
- Serves as clerk of the Circuit Court Family Division for divorce and domestic-relations files.
- Acts as the county FOIA Coordinator for public-records requests.
- Handles business registrations, notary filings, and elections.
For divorce case files and other circuit matters, the county Circuit Court page explains how the trial court and its family division fit together.
The clerk is also the universal fallback for county-held records that are not posted online. When a resident is not sure which office keeps a record, the clerk can often point the way or accept a public-records request and route it. That role is why the clerk sits at the center of records access in a small county where one office frequently answers several kinds of questions.
FOIA Coordinator and Public Records
Mackinac County's FOIA procedures name the County Clerk as the FOIA Coordinator. A request does not need a special form. A written request by letter, fax, email, or in person is enough as long as it describes the records well enough for the county to find them.
Timing is set by law. Within five business days, the county will grant the request, deny it in writing, grant it in part, take a ten business day extension, or note that the record is free on the county website. Fax and email requests are treated as received the next business day, and the county has special rules for a request that lands in a spam folder.
Note: Put "FOIA" or "FOIA Request" in the subject line of an emailed request and follow up by phone if the matter is urgent, since spam-folder timing can delay receipt.
Mackinac County Records Request Form Fields
The county offers a FOIA request form, though a requester is not required to use it. The form organizes the choices a request needs, shown below, so the office can process it without follow-up.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Request for | Yes | Copy, certified copy, record inspection, or a subscription to records. |
| Describe the records | Yes | Enough detail for the county to find them; extra sheets allowed. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Pick up, copies onsite, mail, email, or county-provided digital media. |
| Requestor contact | Yes | Name, phone, address, and email for the response. |
| Discount request | No | Indigence or qualifying nonprofit may receive the first $20 discount. |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries an official seal and is the version courts and agencies accept. For a court file, the certified copy comes from the clerk of the court that holds the case, so identify the case first.
- Find the case number from a notice, a filing, or a MiCOURT result.
- Contact the County Clerk for a circuit or family file, or the right court counter for district or probate files.
- Submit the request with the required fee, by mail, in person, or the method the office allows.
- Pick up the certified copy or wait for it by mail.
A certified copy usually costs more than a plain copy, and the office may need a short time to prepare it. For a broader look at searching cases before you request a copy, the county court records page covers the online tools.
Mackinac County Clerk and Records Fees
Public-records fees follow the county FOIA schedule, and they stay modest for small requests. Labor is charged only when the work takes real time, and a deposit applies to large requests.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard paper copy per sheet | Up to $0.10 |
| Labor | 15-minute increments; none if under 15 minutes |
| Deposit | 50% if the estimate tops $50 |
| Indigence or nonprofit discount | First $20 of fees |
Labor is estimated in fifteen-minute increments and based on the lowest-paid employee capable of the work, with partial time rounded down. Fringe benefits may add to the labor cost, and a 2015 county summary lists a contracted redaction rate near forty-nine dollars an hour. If a requester failed to pay for a prior granted request, the county may require a full estimated-fee deposit before starting the new one.
The county's Register of Deeds copy and search fee page shows a separate schedule for land records.
Those land-record fees are set per page and per document, which differs from the FOIA copy rate the clerk uses.
Register of Deeds Is a Separate Office
The County Clerk and the Register of Deeds are not the same office. The Register of Deeds keeps land and property records, and it runs its own online index. It is a good model for how county records split by office, but it is separate from the clerk's court and vital-record work.
The Register of Deeds online index is free to search by name, description, or recorded date, with copies available by credit card. It is a helpful model for how county records split by office, since a land record and a court file live in different places even inside the same courthouse.
Copy and certification fees are set by statute for these land records.
The statutory fees page lists a $5 certification, $1 per page copies, and a search fee of 50 cents per year searched.
Knowing the two offices are separate keeps a records request from landing at the wrong counter.
Confirming the Mackinac County Clerk's Location
The clerk's office has long been on the first floor of the courthouse in Room 10. A January 2026 county plan discussed moving the Circuit Court Clerk and Administrator to the second floor as part of a court consolidation. That means the exact floor or room could change for some functions.
A visitor should call ahead to confirm where to go before making the drive to St. Ignace, especially for circuit court business. In a rural county where many residents travel a long way, a quick call avoids a wasted trip and points to the right counter.
Note: Confirm the current floor and room with the clerk before visiting, since a 2026 court consolidation may move the Circuit Court Clerk to the second floor.
Mail, Fax, Email, and In-Person Requests
The clerk accepts requests through several channels. Written FOIA requests may be delivered in person or by mail to the County Clerk, FOIA Coordinator, at Room 10 in the courthouse. Fax requests go to the county fax line and should note "FOIA" on the cover page, and email requests go to the clerk's address with "FOIA" in the subject.
For records tied to a court case rather than county administration, remember that court files follow court rules. The clerk can point a caller to the right court counter when a request really belongs with the district or probate court.
Delivery choices shape the response too. A requester can pick up copies, make copies onsite, receive them by mail, or get them by email or digital media when the county has the capability. Being specific about the records and the delivery method up front lets the office give a faster and more accurate estimate of any fee.