Contact the Montmorency County Clerk

About the Montmorency County Clerk

Cheryl A. Neilsen serves as the Montmorency County Clerk. Voters elect the clerk as a constitutional county officer. She also holds the title of Clerk of the 26th Circuit Court. A small Montmorency County deputy staff runs the front counter with her. Chief Deputy Clerk Lori Curwin leads that team. Deputy Clerks Kelly Braden and Mylynn Trulock handle daily filings, copies, and public requests.

The office wears several hats at once. It manages court files, issues vital records, records business names, and processes jury duty paperwork. Most in-person business happens at the county building in Atlanta during posted counter hours. The county lists the full duty roster and staff on its official Clerk's Office page.

That page confirms the clerk's role over circuit court files, jury work, and vital records in one place. Use the contact card below to call ahead, confirm hours, or ask which document you need before you drive in.

Montmorency County Court Files

As Clerk of the 26th Circuit Court, the county clerk controls the court files. The office keeps every circuit case filing and maintains the official case record. It administers oaths for officers and witnesses. It holds the Circuit Court Seal, which certifies more than 275 kinds of documents. The clerk also submits court vouchers and processes bond and restitution payments.

The 26th Judicial Circuit is a shared court. It covers both Alpena and Montmorency Counties. Montmorency filings stay with the county clerk in Atlanta, while judge's copies travel to the Alpena office. You can read how that split works on the Circuit Court page. Core clerk duties on the court side include the tasks below.

• Accept and file all circuit court pleadings and papers.
• Maintain the official register of every circuit case.
• Administer oaths and keep the Circuit Court Seal.
• Certify court documents for use as official copies.
• Handle vouchers, bonds, and restitution funds.

Note: The public case search shows register entries and hearing dates, but it does not release document images, so certified copies must come from the clerk.

Montmorency County Jury Records

The clerk also runs the county Jury Commission. In that role the office builds the jury pool and keeps the paperwork tied to it. Staff prepare and copy jury letters and questionnaires. Those notices go out for the Circuit, District, and Probate Courts. The office then processes each Montmorency County jury panel and notifies jurors when to appear.

The county jury duty page confirms this work. It states that the Clerk's Office files all cases, keeps the official record of matters before the circuit court, and supports the trial courts with jury service. If you get a summons, the return address and phone lead back to this same office.

Montmorency County Vital Records

The clerk is the county Register of Vital Statistics, Records, and Indexes. That means the office holds the local birth, death, and marriage records. It reviews and records county birth and death certificates. It accepts marriage license applications and issues the licenses. It also issues certified copies of each record type to eligible requesters.

The office handles more than vital records. It files assumed name certificates, often called a DBA. It records military discharge papers, including the DD-214. It processes concealed pistol license service and notary public applications. For divorce and other family case files, the circuit side of the office and the marriage and divorce records page point the way. The most requested clerk services are listed here.

• Certified birth, death, and marriage certificates.
• Marriage license applications and licenses.
• Assumed name (DBA) filings for local businesses.
• Military discharge (DD-214) recording and copies.
• Concealed pistol license service and notary applications.

Vital record counter hours run differently. The office serves vital record customers Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and again from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Michigan resident marriage licenses cost $20, while out-of-state applicants pay $30. A waiver of the three-day waiting period adds $25.

Montmorency County Copy Fees

Fees stay modest and are set by the office and state law. A certified copy of a birth, death, or marriage record costs $10 for the first copy. Extra copies of the same record ordered together cost less. Veterans pay nothing for a copy of their own DD-214 with proper identification. The full schedule appears below.

Confirm the total before you mail a payment. A search fee may apply when the office must hunt for a record with limited details. The county FAQ and the vital records page carry these same amounts.

Request a Certified Copy

A Montmorency County certified copy carries the office seal and proves the record is genuine. People need one to settle an estate, prove a marriage, get a passport, or claim benefits. The steps below cover a mail or in-person request through the Clerk's Office.

1. Pick the record you need and gather the details. For a birth record, that includes the name on the certificate, the date of the event, and the parents' names.
2. Complete the county vital records request form, or write a signed letter with the same facts.
3. Confirm you are eligible. Birth records go to the person, a parent, an heir, a legal representative, or anyone when the record is over 100 years old.
4. Include a photocopy of your driver's license for any mailed request so the office can verify your identity.
5. Add the correct fee by check or money order and note how many copies you want.
6. Mail the packet to P.O. Box 789, Atlanta, MI 49709, or bring it to the counter during vital record hours.
7. Wait for the certified copy by return mail, or pick it up in person once it is ready.

Adopted persons cannot get an original sealed birth record from the local clerk, since a court seals that file. For older or hard-to-find events, call ahead so staff can check the index first.

Montmorency County FOIA Requests

County records outside the court file fall under the Freedom of Information Act. The clerk and other county offices answer these requests. No special form is required, though the county offers one. You may ask on the form, by letter, by fax, by email, in person, or verbally. Written requests can go to any county office, and staff forward them to the FOIA Coordinator.

The county explains its whole FOIA process on the official Freedom of Information Act page. It links the procedures, a public summary, the fee rules, and the request, extension, and appeal forms.

That page sets the rhythm of a request. The county must answer within five business days unless you agree to wait longer. It may grant the request, deny it, grant part of it, take one added 10-business-day extension, or point you to a free copy already on the county website. If a cost estimate tops $50, the office may ask for a deposit of up to half the estimate. An eligible indigent requester can have the first $20 of the fee waived. Your request must describe the record clearly enough for staff to find it. The key form fields are listed here.

Note: FOIA covers county administrative records, not sealed court files, juvenile records, adoption files, or mental health matters, which stay closed by law.

Michigan Public Records Law

Michigan's FOIA sets the ground rules the county follows. The public policy statute favors full access to how government works, with limited exemptions. A companion section grants the right to inspect, copy, or receive copies of public records. A third section sets the response time and the single extension. You can read these at MCL 15.231, MCL 15.233, and MCL 15.235.

The Michigan Attorney General also publishes plain guidance on how FOIA gives the public access to a public body's records. That overview appears on the state Attorney General FOIA resource page.

Montmorency County court case records follow a different track. They are governed by court rule, not FOIA. Under MCR 8.119, the clerk keeps court records and manages public access, and some document images stay off the public internet. To get a court document, you contact the clerk or the court that holds it, not the county FOIA desk.

Reach the Montmorency County Clerk

The office keeps several doors open for the public. You can walk in, mail a packet, send a fax, email a question, or make a records request. Each channel lands with the same staff in Atlanta. Pick the one that fits the record you need.

• In person: visit the county building counter during posted office hours.
• Mail: send requests and payment to P.O. Box 789, Atlanta, MI 49709.
• Phone: call the Clerk's Office at 989-785-8022 with questions.
• Fax: send documents to 989-785-8023.
• Records request: use the county FOIA process for non-court county records.

For felony circuit files, divorces, and higher civil cases, this office is the right stop. District Court traffic and misdemeanor records sit with the 88-2 District Court, and estate files sit with the Probate Court. Ask the clerk if you are unsure which court holds your case.

Board of Commissioners Records

The clerk keeps the county's civic memory as well. The office records Board of Commissioners proceedings, resolutions, decisions, and votes when the law requires it. It preserves the accounts the board acts on. These records show how the county governs itself over time.

Anyone can ask to see this material through the same public channels. Board records are county administrative records, so a FOIA request or an in-person visit reaches them. The Clerk's Office can point you to the right minute book, resolution, or account entry when you call ahead.