Alpena County Clerk of Court

About the Alpena County Clerk's Office

Keri Bertrand serves as the Alpena County Clerk. The clerk is a countywide elected officer, and the office is one of the busiest in county government. It sits inside the county building on West Chisholm Street in downtown Alpena. That corridor also holds the circuit court, the district court, and the probate court. Suite numbers matter here, since several judicial offices share the same street address.

The county lays out the office duties, hours, and vital records channels on its Clerk's Office page. That page is the most current source for staff contact and service details.

The office works from Suite 2, and walk-in requests are handled at the counter during business hours. Staff can pull a file, certify a copy, or point you to the right court when a request belongs elsewhere. The contact card below has the address, phone, fax, and email you need before a visit.

What the County Clerk's Office Handles

The County Clerk's Office wears many hats. Beyond records, it runs county elections and staffs several public boards. Court users care most about one role. The clerk processes and maintains all circuit court files for the county. Civil, criminal, and family cases heard in circuit court leave a record here.

• Run county elections
• Keep county vital records
• Process and maintain all circuit court files
• Serve as clerk of the county Board of Commissioners
• Staff the Election Canvassers, Election Commission, Jury Board, and Plat Board

One duty stands out for anyone tracking a serious case. All felony criminal cases in Alpena County are filed with the County Clerk's Office. That makes the clerk the named office for felony court files, even though a felony first passes through the district court for arraignment.

Note: The clerk keeps circuit court files, while the 88th District Court manages its own traffic, misdemeanor, and small-claims records on a separate track.

Vital Records at the Alpena County Clerk

Vital records prove the key events of a life. The clerk holds these records for events that happened in the county. That means a birth in Alpena County, a death pronounced here, or a marriage license applied for locally. Divorce files are a different animal, and they sit with the Alpena County marriage and divorce records at the circuit court rather than the vital records desk.

The county details the certified-copy categories and mail channels on its Vital Records page. It lists what the counter can certify and how mail orders come back.

Marriage records are public, but only when the license was applied for in Alpena County. A requester needs the names of both parties and the date of the marriage. Mail orders come back in about two to four days, and an in-person copy takes roughly ten to fifteen minutes at the counter.

The office issues far more than birth and death paper. It also processes assumed names, gun permits, and veteran discharge records. The list below shows the main record types the clerk handles for the public.

• Birth records for people born in Alpena County
• Death records for people pronounced dead in the county
• Marriage licenses applied for in Alpena County
• Assumed name (DBA) filings and notary applications
• Concealed pistol licenses and veteran paperwork, including DD-214 discharge records
• Genealogy search requests for family history

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal. People need one for passports, benefits, name changes, and court filings. A plain printout or an online view will not stand in for it. The steps below walk through a vital records order from start to finish.

1. Decide which record you need, and confirm the event happened in Alpena County.
2. Pick a channel: in person at Suite 2, by mail, or online through VitalChek for card orders.
3. For a mail order, complete the county records request form, then gather a photo ID copy, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check or money order.
4. Include the fee. The first certified copy is $16.00, and each extra copy of the same record ordered at once is $6.00.
5. Submit the packet, then wait for the certified copy to be handed over or mailed back to you.

Alpena County Clerk Fee Schedule

Fees at the clerk's office are fixed and easy to plan for. Vital record copies and court record searches carry separate prices. Veterans catch a break on discharge records. The table lists the common charges pulled from the county fee sheets.

Note: Credit and debit orders for vital records run through VitalChek, while in-person and mail requests are paid by check or money order.

Requesting Circuit Court Files in Alpena County

Circuit court files are public records. They may be inspected at the clerk's office at the courthouse during business hours. The clerk maintains circuit files for civil, criminal, and family matters filed in the 26th Judicial Circuit Court, which serves both Alpena and Montmorency counties. Older files may need staff help to pull, since not everything sits in the online window. Divorce, custody, paternity, and juvenile support all count as circuit matters, so their files live with the clerk too.

Current public cases show up in MiCOURT, the statewide search tool. The county routes readers to it through the Court Case Search link. Keep one limit in mind. Some courts only display criminal convictions when sentencing happened within seven years of your search date.

For the full circuit process, filing paperwork, and courtroom details, the Alpena County Circuit Court page carries the deeper breakdown. The clerk remains the named office for pulling and certifying those circuit files.

Court Records Request Form Fields

A court records request is different from a vital records order. It asks for enough detail to find a person's circuit files. The county Court Records Request form spells out each field. The table below shows what to enter and why it matters.

The form and its fee lines live in the county Court Records Request PDF. A search runs $15.00 per individual, with $10.00 for a certified court document and $2.00 per page.

Genealogy Access at the County Clerk

Family historians lean on the clerk for old county records. The office handles genealogy search requests and lets researchers view records under set rules. Those rules protect the original paper. One rule surprises first-time visitors more than any other.

The county explains the inspection process and copy limits on its Genealogy page. It covers how to ask for a search and what copies you can order.

The clerk does not allow ink pens near original records. Researchers work with a pencil to avoid stains and smudges on aged documents. This is the same office used for certified-copy orders, so a genealogy visit can turn up both family history and an official record. Certified copies of genealogy finds still follow the standard vital records fees.

Note: Bring a pencil for any genealogy visit, since ink pens are not permitted while viewing original county records at the clerk's counter.

Public Access to Alpena County Records

Michigan opens most public records to the people. Under MCL 15.233, a person may inspect, copy, or receive copies of a public record. Fees stay tied to real search and copy costs under MCL 15.234. Court records also answer to MCR 8.119, a court rule that sits alongside the open-records law.

The Michigan Attorney General publishes a plain-language guide to these rights. Its FOIA resource page walks through how to file a request and what to expect.

Not every file is open. Some records are exempt under MCL 15.243, and juvenile, sealed, and expunged matters stay out of public view. Social Security numbers and other personal details are usually redacted. For those files, ask the clerk about the correct request route rather than the public search site.