The Archives of Michigan serves as the state’s official repository for Michigan’s historical state and local government records (Public Act 470 of 2016). Responsible for the identification and permanent preservation of public records, the archives document significant government and cultural activities and in both physical and or digital formats.
Preserving and providing access to the records of the state’s 83 counties and 1,240 townships governments are core functions of the Archives of Michigan. Collections include county clerk office records, circuit and probate court records, treasurer’s records, and more. These records document important decisions and reveal how local governments operated. The public uses these records to understand and document their family, community, and government history.
Archival records are maintained in high-security, environmentally controlled vaults or the state’s secure electronic records preservation system, depending on format.
The Archives of Michigan’s dedicated reference team answers an average of 3,000 research inquires by phone, email, and in person each year from state employees, Michigan residents, family historians, and researchers across the globe.
By transferring local government records to the Archives of Michigan, counties and townships can shift the responsibility to preserve, maintain, and provide access to historical records from their local offices to the state’s official repository.
Retention and Disposition Schedules govern the management of records for all local offices, and dictate which records are to be transferred to the archives for permanent retention. Archives staff can help your office to identify the records your office has, match them to the corresponding retention schedule and suggest the proper method of disposition for those records.
View all Local Government Retention SchedulesTransferring historic records to the archives is an important and daunting task. Archives staff are ready to help you through the transfer process from start to finish.
How to Transfer Local Government Records
For questions regarding confidentiality, or related to retention and disposition schedules, or if you are new to the process or need a professional's help, you can reach out to arrange a meeting over the phone, over Teams or in person to talk with an archivist about your records. You can contact the government records team at govarchives@michigan.gov to request further information or set up a meeting.
