Probate Court

The Probate Court of Wexford County is established under provisions found in the Michigan Constitution which require a Probate Court in each county of the state. The function and jurisdiction of the Court is established by statutes which implement this Constitutional requirement. Probate Courts are given jurisdiction over many proceedings dealing with the health, well-being and property of Michigan residents, but the most common proceedings are:

• Guardianships for Minors and Adults
• Conservatorships and Protective Proceedings for Incapacitated Individuals and minors
• Guardianships for Developmentally Disabled Adults
• Administration of Decedent’s Estates
• Administration of Trusts
• Legal proceedings seeking Involuntary Mental Health Treatment
• Web address to SCAO court forms:  https://courts.michigan.gov/Administration/SCAO/Forms/Pages/search-for-a-form.aspx

Historically, the Probate Court also was given exclusive jurisdiction in cases involving child neglect and abuse, juvenile delinquency, adoptions, emancipation of minors and name changes. In 1998, the legislature enacted a series of statutes which moved jurisdiction over these cases from the Probate Court to Circuit Court, and created the Family Division in that Court for these and other family- related cases which had already been within the Circuit Court’s jurisdiction. In Wexford County, like most counties in northern Michigan, the Probate Judge was designated the Presiding Judge of the Family Division.

The Wexford County Probate Court conducts regular office hours from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm daily. Sessions of the Court are conducted daily, with each Thursday intended exclusively for the Probate docket.

The Court is closed on the holidays designated by the Michigan Supreme Court, which are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and Good Friday from noon to 5pm.