Iron County Clerk of Court Office

About the Iron County Clerk of Court

Amy Donati leads the office as county clerk, appointed effective January 1, 2024. Iron County runs a unified clerk and register structure, and the county combined the Register of Deeds and County Clerk positions back in January 2017. The clerk also serves as clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the Board of Commissioners, clerk of the Board of Canvassers, clerk of the County Election Commission, register of vital records, and the county's chief election officer. That reach makes the office far more than a court counter.

Because so many roles sit in one place, the clerk is often the first stop for a records question even when the final file lives on the court side. The county clerk page lists the office duties and points each request toward the right channel. A quick look at that page shows how broad the job runs.

The county's Iron County Clerk page opens with the office contact block and a rundown of the services the counter handles. That single page routes birth records, marriage copies, election questions, and court filings back to the same Suite 9 office.

The office keeps steady public hours and one main phone line for the whole clerk operation. The card below gives the address, phone, fax, and hours to reach the clerk in Crystal Falls.

What the Iron County Clerk of Court Handles

The clerk keeps the circuit court's records under the court's direction, but the counter reaches well past court files. Vital records, elections, licensing, and family-history research all pass through the same office. Matching your need to the right service keeps a request from bouncing between desks. The main duties break down like this.

• Clerk of circuit court records held under the court's direction.
• Vital records, including birth, death, and marriage certificates.
• Elections and the related county boards and commissions.
• Concealed pistol licensing through the county board.
• Notary public services and filings.
• DBA and assumed-name records for county businesses.
• Genealogy research access, payments, and record-copy requests.

Deputy Clerk Jordyn Mitchell works the counter at (906) 875-0608, and Accounting Clerk Stephanie Johnson handles payment questions at (906) 875-0522. A short call ahead confirms which staff member owns your request before you drive to Crystal Falls.

Marriage licensing shows how many of these duties overlap. Both applicants must be 18 or older to apply without parental consent, and a Michigan resident couple applies in the county where either person lives. An out-of-state couple applies in the county where they plan to marry, and each person brings valid identification and a birth certificate. Magistrate Craig Jarvis, who works from the same courthouse complex, can perform the ceremony once the license takes effect.

Iron County Clerk of Court and the Register of Deeds

The same office that clerks the courts also records the county's land documents. Since the January 2017 merger, the Register of Deeds runs from Suite 11 at (906) 875-0630 and records more than 200 document types, from deeds and mortgages to liens, plats, and discharges. A property record and a court record start in the same building even though they answer to different rules.

The county's Register of Deeds page explains how land instruments are recorded, indexed, and copied. That page is the right stop for a chain of title or a recorded lien, separate from the court and vital-record channels the clerk also runs.

Keeping the three channels straight helps. Court files answer to court rules, land records answer to recording law, and vital records follow their own copy restrictions. One office fields all three, but the fee and the proof you need change with the record type.

How to Request a Certified Copy from the Iron County Clerk

A certified copy carries a raised seal that proves the document is a true copy of the office record. Courts, banks, schools, and passport agencies want the certified version, not a plain printout. The county's certified copies of vital records page spells out how the clerk fills these orders and notes that staff try to fill requests the day they arrive. The steps below walk a standard certified-copy request.

1. Pin down the record. Note the case number for a court file, or the full name and event date for a birth, death, or marriage record.
2. Check the restrictions. Birth records are confidential, so bring a current valid driver's license or state ID and proof you are the person, a parent, an heir, a guardian, or a legal representative.
3. Choose a channel. Order in person at the Suite 9 counter or by mail, and include a photocopy of your ID for a mailed vital-record request.
4. Pay the fee. The first certified copy runs $15, and each extra copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $5.
5. Collect the record. In-person orders are often ready the same day, while mailed requests return by return mail once processed.

Records Request Fields at the Iron County Clerk

A clean request moves faster than a vague one. Whether you fill a paper form at the counter or mail a written note, the clerk needs enough detail to pull the exact record. The table lists the fields a request should carry and what each one does.

Note: The marriage index from 1887 to 2000 lists only the man's name, though the office is scanning records and can now match some marriages from the woman's maiden name.

Vital Records and Genealogy at the Iron County Clerk

As register of vital records, the clerk holds a deep run of county life events. Birth records reach back to 1890, death records begin in 1890, and marriage certificates run from 1887. That long span makes the office a genuine research stop for families tracing Iron County roots, not just a copy counter for recent paperwork.

The county's register of deeds overview describes how the combined office stores and releases these older records. That background helps explain why some early files are indexed one way while newer scans open more search options.

Genealogy work has its own small fee schedule. Staff searches for family records cost $5 per name, and a criminal genealogy search costs $15. Appointments are not required, but the office appreciates a heads-up, and it will accept a faxed request with a photocopy of a check for urgent family-history work. Marriage and divorce copies often begin at this same counter, so the clerk is a natural first call before you move to the Iron County marriage and divorce records path for a full case file.

Iron County Clerk of Court Fees

The clerk's fees are set and easy to plan for. Certified-copy pricing rewards ordering extra copies of the same record together, and the marriage-license fee changes with residency. The county's payments page also takes online payment for fines, plat books, and certified copies. The table lists the common charges.

Note: A marriage license is valid on the third day after application and the ceremony must be solemnized within 33 days.

Contacting the Iron County Clerk of Court

The clerk keeps several doors open for the public. Most people walk into the Suite 9 counter, but the office also fields mail, phone questions, and fax requests for time-sensitive genealogy. A mailed request should carry the record details, a photocopy of the requester's ID for any confidential file, and a check made out to the Iron County Clerk. Online payment covers fines, plat books, and certified copies without a trip to Crystal Falls. Each channel reaches the same records team.

Court administrative records that fall outside the court file follow a different road. The county's FOIA page routes those requests to the county coordinator rather than the clerk counter. For a circuit case file itself, the clerk works under the court's direction, and deeper case detail reads through the Iron County Circuit Court records once a file is open. Between the counter, the mailbox, the fax line, and the payment portal, most clerk questions close in one call or one visit.