Clare County Deed Records Lookup
Clare County deed records are kept at the combined County Clerk and Register of Deeds office in Harrison, Michigan. The office records all land documents for the county, including deeds, mortgages, liens, and easements. You can visit in person, call the office, or check the county website at clareclerkrod.com to search or request copies of deed records.
Clare County Deed Records
Clare County Clerk and Register of Deeds
The Clare County Clerk and Register of Deeds is at 255 W. Main Street in Harrison. The mailing address is P.O. Box 438, Harrison, MI 48625. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call the office at 989-539-7131 or send a fax to 989-539-6616. You can also reach staff by email at clerk@clareco.net.
Lori Mott serves as the County Clerk and Register of Deeds. Stacy Pechacek is the Chief Deputy. The office runs all deed recording and indexing functions for Clare County, and the same staff handles general county clerk duties as well. The office website at clareclerkrod.com is a good first stop for finding forms, contact information, and instructions.
Clare County is in central Michigan. The office serves property owners across a rural county with a mix of residential, recreational, and agricultural land. Deed records go back to the county's founding and are indexed for public access.
Search Clare County Deed Records
To find a deed record in Clare County, you can visit the office in Harrison during business hours. Bring the grantor or grantee name, parcel number, or legal description to help staff locate the record. Copies cost $1 per page. Certified copies require an additional $5 fee.
Mail requests should be sent to the Clare County Clerk and Register of Deeds at P.O. Box 438, Harrison, MI 48625. Include a written description of the document you need, a check or money order for the estimated fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return. Staff can also answer questions by email at clerk@clareco.net before you send a formal request.
The image below shows the official Clare County Clerk and Register of Deeds website at clareclerkrod.com.
The clareclerkrod.com site provides contact details, office information, and resources for searching and requesting deed records in Clare County.
The Michigan statewide Register of Deeds directory also lists Clare County and links to county resources.
The Michigan Treasury's ROD directory is a convenient way to find contact information for Clare County and all other Michigan Register of Deeds offices from one page.
Recording Fees in Clare County
The fee to record a deed or other land instrument in Clare County is $30 per document under MCL 600.2657. This flat rate is set by state law and applies to all Michigan counties. Page copies cost $1 each. For a certified copy, there is an added $5 certification fee.
Michigan real estate transfer taxes also apply to most deed recordings. The state collects $3.75 per $500 of value under MCL 207.521, and Clare County collects $0.55 per $500 under MCL 207.501. The combined total comes to $8.60 per $1,000 of consideration. Some transactions are exempt, such as family gifts, corrective deeds, and transfers to revocable trusts where the grantor retains beneficial ownership.
Types of Documents Recorded in Clare County
The Clare County Register of Deeds accepts and indexes all instruments that affect real property title in the county. The most commonly recorded documents include warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and land contracts. Warranty deeds come with the seller's guarantee that the title is clear. Quitclaim deeds transfer only whatever interest the grantor holds, without any title guarantee.
Mortgages and discharge of mortgage documents are also recorded regularly. A mortgage creates a lien on the property as security for a loan. When the loan is paid off, a discharge or release must be recorded to clear the lien from the title. If you are researching title on a Clare County property, checking both the deed and mortgage indexes is important to get a complete picture of the ownership and lien history.
Other document types recorded in Clare County include easements, affidavits, personal representative deeds from estates, trustee deeds, and sheriff's deeds from foreclosure sales. All documents must meet the formatting requirements of MCL 565.201 before they will be accepted for recording.
E-Recording Status
Clare County's e-recording status was not confirmed at the time of writing. Contact the office directly at 989-539-7131 or clerk@clareco.net to ask whether electronic recording is currently accepted. If e-recording is available, approved vendors for Michigan counties include Simplifile (1-800-460-5657), ePN, CSC, and Indecomm. Michigan's authority for e-recording is found in MCL 565.841.
For documents submitted by mail or in person, make sure to include all required fees. Calculate the recording fee ($30), any applicable transfer tax (based on the sale price), and copy fees if you are requesting copies at the same time. A check or money order made payable to the Clare County Register of Deeds is the standard payment method for in-person and mail submissions.
Change of Ownership and Property Tax in Clare County
Recording a deed in Clare County can trigger a property tax reassessment under Michigan's Proposal A rules. When ownership of a property changes, the local assessor may adjust the taxable value to the state equalized value, which can be higher than the prior capped value. This change is sometimes called a taxable value "uncapping" and it can result in higher property taxes for the new owner in the year after the deed is recorded.
Certain transfers don't trigger an uncapping. Transfers between spouses, some family transfers, and deeds that only correct an error in a prior recorded instrument may be exempt. Michigan Treasury publishes the full list of exempt transfers, and it's worth reviewing before a sale closes. The guidance is available at michigan.gov.
Nearby Counties
Clare County is surrounded by several central Michigan counties, each maintaining its own deed records office.