Search Dickinson County Deed Records
Dickinson County deed records are filed and maintained by the Register of Deeds office in Iron Mountain, where property transfers, mortgages, liens, and land instruments for all of Dickinson County are indexed and available for public access. The office provides both in-person search access and an online search portal for records going back to 1994, making it one of the more accessible Upper Peninsula offices for researching Dickinson County deed records.
Dickinson County Deed Records
Dickinson County Register of Deeds Office
The Dickinson County Register of Deeds is at 705 S. Stephenson Ave., Iron Mountain, MI 49801. Phone: 906-774-0955. Fax: 906-774-4660. Email: regdnan@dickinsoncountymi.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The office records all real property instruments for Dickinson County and maintains a public index that goes back to the county's earliest land records.
The Dickinson County Register of Deeds website has contact details, fee schedules, and links to online search tools. If you have questions about a specific document type or whether the office can process your filing, emailing regdnan@dickinsoncountymi.gov or calling ahead can save you a wasted trip. Staff do not perform title searches, so for that service you will need to contact a local abstract company or title professional.
The Dickinson County website provides an overview of county department services. The image below shows the main county government site where Register of Deeds links are found.
The Dickinson County government site is the starting point for locating department pages, forms, and contact information for county offices including the Register of Deeds.
Online Search for Dickinson County Deed Records
Dickinson County offers an online search portal for deed records. Records from 1994 onward are searchable by computer through the online system. Records prior to 1994 are in the county's Tract Index, which is available in person at the Iron Mountain office. This split is important to understand if you are researching older property history.
The Register of Deeds office page provides direct access to the county's online search tools. The image below shows that page.
You can start a search at the Dickinson County Register of Deeds page, which links to the current online search portal for post-1994 records.
Search fees apply. The Tract Index search (pre-1994 records) costs $6.25 per 15 minutes. Computer searches for post-1994 records are $5.00 per search. These fees apply to in-office use of the county's search systems. For online access fees, check the current fee schedule on the county website or call the office.
Note that the office does not accept certain document types as e-recordings. Court-certified documents, death certificates, and surveys must be submitted in paper form. If you are unsure whether your document qualifies for e-recording, contact the office before submitting.
Recording Documents in Dickinson County
Michigan's flat recording fee of $30 per document applies in Dickinson County under MCL 600.2657. This fee covers deeds, mortgages, assignments, discharges, and most other instruments. Copies cost $1.00 per page. A certified copy is $5.00 plus the per-page cost. Make payment out to the Dickinson County Register of Deeds.
All documents must meet formatting standards set in MCL 565.201. This covers margin requirements, minimum font size, paper quality, and the content that must appear on the first page. Non-compliant documents can be returned or assessed a non-standard document fee. If you are preparing a deed or other instrument yourself, review MCL 565.201 before submitting to avoid rejection.
Mail submissions are accepted. Include a self-addressed return envelope and a check or money order for the exact recording fee. The office will stamp the instrument with the recording date and instrument number, then return the original. In-person submissions during office hours also work; the staff will process the document while you wait if the workload allows.
Transfer Tax on Dickinson County Real Property
Every taxable property sale in Dickinson County requires payment of both the state and county real estate transfer tax at the time of recording. The state rate is $3.75 per $500 of sale price under MCL 207.521. The county rate is $0.55 per $500 under MCL 207.501. Combined, the total is $8.60 per $1,000 of value. The seller typically pays this amount at closing.
A transfer tax valuation affidavit must accompany the deed at recording. This document states the sale price and identifies any exemption being claimed. Gifts, spousal transfers, and certain transfers to trusts or entities where beneficial ownership does not change are among the most common exemptions. Incomplete affidavits can delay recording, so fill them out fully before submitting. The Michigan Treasury transfer tax page has current forms and exemption details.
Recording a deed also triggers taxable value uncapping under MCL 211.27a. The new owner's taxable value resets to state equalized value in the following year, which can increase annual property taxes if the prior owner held the property for a long time with a capped value.
Document Types in Dickinson County Deed Records
The Dickinson County Register of Deeds holds many types of recorded instruments. Warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds are the most common. Warranty deeds come with title guarantees; quitclaim deeds do not. Both transfer ownership and appear routinely in county indexes.
Other frequent filings include mortgages, discharge of mortgage documents, and mortgage assignments. A discharge is filed when a loan is paid off. An assignment records a lender selling the loan to another party. Land contracts, easements, plat maps, condominium master deeds, and affidavits of survivorship are also part of the record base. Each document type follows its own recording requirements and serves a specific function in the chain of title for Dickinson County property.
Electronic Recording in Dickinson County
Michigan authorized e-recording statewide under MURPERA at MCL 565.841 in 2010. E-recording allows title companies, lenders, and legal offices to submit documents digitally. Dickinson County accepts e-recording on a limited basis. Some document types, including court-certified documents, death certificates, and surveys, are not accepted electronically and must be submitted on paper. Contact the office to confirm which document types you can submit via e-recording before setting up a vendor account.
Vendors that operate in Michigan include Simplifile (1-800-460-5657), ePN, CSC, and Indecomm. If your firm already uses one of these platforms for other counties, check whether Dickinson County is in their network. The same $30 per document fee applies to e-recorded instruments, though the vendor also charges a service fee on top of that.
Historical Deed Records in Dickinson County
Dickinson County's older land records, those filed before 1994, are accessible through the Tract Index at the Iron Mountain office. This physical index is organized by property location and lets you trace ownership back through earlier transactions. The search fee for Tract Index access is $6.25 per 15 minutes. Bring as much detail as possible, including the legal description or property address, to make the search faster.
For very old records, the county may also have deed books from the late 1800s and early 1900s. These are generally available to the public during office hours. If you are doing genealogical research or historical title work that goes back more than a few decades, plan to spend time in person at the office rather than relying on online tools. Staff can point you to the right series of deed books once you explain the time period and property location you are researching.
Nearby Counties
Dickinson County is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and borders several other counties with their own Register of Deeds offices.