Search Gogebic County Property Records

Gogebic County property records are maintained by the Register of Deeds office in Bessemer, in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. The office records all instruments affecting real estate in the county, including deeds, mortgages, land contracts, and easements. Gogebic County borders Wisconsin to the west and covers a large area of forested and rural land. Property records here reflect a mix of residential parcels, timber land, and mineral rights documents tied to the region's mining history. You can search records in person or request copies by mail from the Bessemer office.

Gogebic County Register of Deeds

The Register of Deeds office is located at 200 N. Moore St., Bessemer, MI 49911. The office can be reached at (906) 663-4518 by phone or (906) 663-4519 by fax. The office records, indexes, and preserves all land documents filed in Gogebic County. Because Gogebic County is in the Upper Peninsula, the office serves an area with a smaller population but a large geographic footprint that includes significant state and federal land, private timber tracts, and mining-related parcels.

The office maintains the grantor-grantee index required by MCL 565.28. This index is the main tool for searching recorded instruments. A grantor search shows what documents a person or entity filed as the transferring party. A grantee search shows all instruments in which that party received an interest in real property.

Types of Records on File

Gogebic County has a layered property history that reflects its past as a mining and timber region. Beyond the standard warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and mortgage documents, the office holds older instruments related to mineral rights, timber rights, and easements that were common in Upper Peninsula land transactions from the late 1800s onward. These older documents may appear as separate conveyances from surface rights, so a thorough search sometimes needs to account for both surface and subsurface ownership.

More recent recordings follow the same pattern as the rest of Michigan: residential deeds, purchase money mortgages, land contracts, refinances, and lien filings. Plat records for any platted subdivisions in the county are also on file. The office can tell you whether a particular parcel was ever part of a recorded plat or whether it is described by metes and bounds.

Recording Requirements and Fees

All documents submitted for recording in Gogebic County must meet Michigan's formatting standards under MCL 565.201. The top margin on the first page must be at least 2.5 inches to leave space for the recorder's stamp. All other margins must be at least 0.5 inches. Text must be in black ink on white paper and must be at least 10-point font. Documents that do not meet these requirements can be rejected at the counter.

Michigan sets a flat $30 recording fee for most instruments under MCL 600.2567. The fee has been in place since October 1, 2016. For documents that assign or discharge additional instruments, there is a $3 add-on for each one beyond the first. Transfer taxes are collected at recording: the county tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of consideration, and the state tax is $7.50 per $1,000. Copy fees are $1 per page, and certified copies cost $5 per document.

Assessment and Property Taxes

Michigan assesses all real property at 50% of true cash value. This figure is the state equalized value (SEV). Under Proposal A, the taxable value of a given parcel can grow by no more than 5% or the inflation rate each year. When ownership changes, the taxable value uncaps and resets to equal the SEV for the following year. This can mean a large tax increase for a buyer who purchases a property that has been held by the same owner for a long time.

Gogebic County includes a wide range of property types. Seasonal and recreational parcels along lakes and rivers may carry different assessed values than forested tracts or mining-associated land. The local township assessors handle valuation for each parcel within their jurisdiction. County equalization reviews the assessments to make sure they are consistent across townships. If you want to review the SEV or taxable value for a specific parcel, you can contact the township assessor or the county equalization office.

The Michigan State Tax Commission handles assessment appeals that go above the local board level and sets statewide guidelines for property classification and valuation.

Searching Records Online

Statewide property record search tools can help you begin research on Gogebic County parcels before making a trip to the office.

The screenshot below is from the Michigan State Records property portal, which covers all 83 Michigan counties including Gogebic.

The statewide portal is a useful starting point, but the Gogebic County Register of Deeds in Bessemer remains the authoritative source for recorded documents.

Race-Notice Recording and Marketable Title

Michigan is a race-notice state under MCL 565.29. When two parties claim an interest in the same property, the one who recorded first without prior notice of the competing claim wins. This rule applies in Gogebic County just as it does everywhere in Michigan. It means that recording promptly after closing is not optional; it is how a buyer secures their ownership against later claims.

The Marketable Record Title Act (MCL 565.101) says that a 40-year chain of record title is generally enough to establish marketable title. Title examiners use this standard to decide how far back a search needs to go. In Gogebic County, where some parcels have complex histories involving mineral rights and older conveyances, a search beyond 40 years may still be warranted depending on the situation.

Cities in Gogebic County

Gogebic County has no cities above the 100,000-population threshold. Bessemer is the county seat. The city of Ironwood is the largest city in the county. All property records for the county are filed at the Register of Deeds in Bessemer.

Nearby Counties

Gogebic County sits in the far western Upper Peninsula. Its neighboring Michigan counties each maintain separate land records.