Find Houghton County Property Records

Houghton County property records are maintained by the Register of Deeds office in the city of Houghton in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The office records all real estate instruments in the county, including deeds, mortgages, land contracts, easements, and plats. Houghton County is part of the Keweenaw Peninsula and was the heart of Michigan's copper mining region, so older records sometimes include mineral rights and mining-related conveyances that are distinct from typical residential or agricultural property instruments. You can access records in person at the courthouse in Houghton or request copies by mail.

Houghton County Register of Deeds

The Register of Deeds office is at 401 E. Houghton Ave., Houghton, MI 49931. The phone is (906) 482-1310 and the fax is (906) 482-1315. The office is the official repository for all land records in Houghton County. Every real estate transaction that takes place in the county must be recorded here to be effective against third parties.

The office maintains the grantor-grantee index required by MCL 565.28. Searching by grantor shows all instruments a person or entity filed as the party conveying an interest. Searching by grantee shows all instruments where that person or entity received an interest. For complex property histories involving mining companies, corporate predecessors, or long family chains, both searches may be needed to build a complete picture.

Property Records in the Copper Country

Houghton County's property records have some unique characteristics tied to the region's history. During the copper mining era, large companies acquired and subdivided vast tracts of land. Some of those old conveyances separated surface rights from mineral rights, meaning a search of the current owner's chain of title may not tell the full story about subsurface ownership. If you are buying property in Houghton County, a thorough title search should check for any severed mineral interests that may have been retained by prior owners or mining companies.

More recent records follow the same pattern as the rest of Michigan: warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, purchase money mortgages, refinances, land contracts, and various lien documents. The county also has plat records for any recorded subdivisions. For most residential buyers, the standard deed and mortgage search will be sufficient. But for anyone looking at properties with potential mineral value or long undisturbed ownership chains, the older instrument records in the county vault deserve attention.

Recording Requirements and Fees

Michigan sets a flat $30 recording fee for most instruments under MCL 600.2567, effective since October 1, 2016. If a document assigns or discharges additional instruments beyond the first, add $3 per extra reference. Transfer taxes apply to all arm's-length sales and are due at recording: $1.10 per $1,000 for the county transfer tax and $7.50 per $1,000 for the state transfer tax.

Documents must conform to MCL 565.201 formatting standards: a 2.5-inch clear margin at the top of the first page, 0.5-inch margins on all other sides, white paper, black ink, and minimum 10-point text. Documents that do not meet these standards can be rejected. Copies of recorded documents cost $1 per page; certified copies are $5 per document.

Property Assessment in Houghton County

Real property in Houghton County is assessed at 50% of true cash value each year. This is the state equalized value (SEV). Under Proposal A, a property's taxable value can only increase by 5% or the rate of inflation per year, whichever is less. When ownership transfers, the taxable value uncaps and resets to match the SEV in the following tax year.

Houghton County includes a range of property types, from residential parcels in Houghton and Hancock to rural land, seasonal properties, and former mining tracts. Property values and assessments vary significantly by location and use. Local township assessors handle the annual assessment for each parcel. The county equalization office ensures consistency across townships. You can verify any parcel's current SEV and taxable value through the local assessor or the county office.

Race-Notice Recording State

Michigan is a race-notice recording state under MCL 565.29. The rule is simple: when two parties both hold competing claims to the same property, the one who recorded first without knowledge of the other's prior interest wins. This applies in Houghton County just like everywhere else in Michigan. Buyers and lenders should record their instruments as soon as possible after closing.

The Marketable Record Title Act (MCL 565.101) establishes that a 40-year unbroken chain of recorded title is generally enough to clear earlier defects. Title examiners in Houghton County apply this standard but may extend the search further back for properties with complex or uncertain histories tied to old mining-era conveyances.

LARA and Statewide Resources

The screenshot below is from the Michigan LARA website, which handles UCC filings, business entity records, and professional licensing. UCC filings can sometimes affect personal property collateral tied to real estate transactions, so a search there may be relevant for commercial property research.

The Michigan LARA (Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) office handles UCC filings and can be reached at 517-322-1144.

For property-related UCC liens or fixture filings that affect Houghton County real estate, a LARA search may be part of a complete due diligence process.

, both of which aggregate public property data from all 83 Michigan counties.

Cities in Houghton County

Houghton County has no cities that meet the 100,000-population threshold. Houghton is the county seat. Hancock, across the Portage Canal from Houghton, is the other significant city in the county. All property records for both cities and all townships are filed at the Register of Deeds in Houghton.

Nearby Counties

Houghton County sits in the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula, bordered by three neighboring counties.