Bay County County Clerk Office

About the Bay County County Clerk

Katie Zanotti serves as the Bay County County Clerk. The office is an elected one, and the clerk answers to county voters. Beyond record keeping, the clerk acts as Bay County's Chief Election Officer. That role puts elections, ballots, and voter services under the same roof as vital records. The office also holds state accreditation for its work.

Day to day, the clerk files and safeguards Bay County vital records and runs a wide service counter. Birth, death, and marriage certificates make up the core workload. The office also handles assumed name (DBA) filings, notary registration, and concealed pistol license applications. Staff process both walk-in requests and mailed orders. The clerk's office sits downtown, apart from the main court campus.

The clerk's own explainer on the duties of the County Clerk lays out how far back the record series runs. Marriage records begin in 1857, death records in 1867, and birth records in 1868. That deep archive means the office holds more than a century and a half of Bay County history in its files.

The duties page for the Bay County County Clerk details the office's record-keeping and election roles.

The page confirms the clerk's status as Chief Election Officer and dates the county's vital records back to the 1850s and 1860s.

Vital Records the Bay County Clerk Keeps

Vital records are the heart of the County Clerk's public service menu. These are the certified documents that prove birth, death, or marriage. Employers, schools, banks, and courts all ask for them. The clerk issues certified copies bearing an official seal so the document stands up as legal proof. A basic photocopy will not.

The office covers a broad list of services in one place. Most fall under vital records, but several reach into elections and licensing. The main services offered by the Bay County County Clerk include:

• Certified birth records (only if the birth occurred in Bay County)
• Certified death records for deaths in the county
• Marriage licenses and certified marriage copies
• DD214 military discharge recording and copies
• Assumed name and DBA business filings
• Notary public registration and concealed pistol licenses

Election duties round out the office. As Chief Election Officer, the clerk oversees ballots, candidate filings, and voter services for Bay County. Those functions sit beside the vital records counter but follow their own rules and deadlines.

Public and Restricted Bay County Records

Not every vital record is open to everyone. Bay County draws a firm line between records anyone may order and records limited to a short list of eligible people. Death and marriage certificates are public. Birth certificates are not. Getting this right before you apply avoids a rejected request and a wasted fee.

Birth certificates are restricted. The office issues them only to the person named on the record, the parents of that person, an heir, a legal guardian, or a legal representative. Heirs, guardians, and representatives must supply extra documents to prove their standing. On top of that, the clerk can only produce a birth record if the birth happened in Bay County.

Details on eligibility, proof, and cost appear on the Bay County birth certificate page. Reviewing the rules first tells you whether you qualify and what identification to bring.

The page spells out the eligible-requester list and confirms the birth must have occurred in the county.

Death records work differently. Anyone may request a certified copy of a Bay County death certificate. There is no eligibility screen, since these records are public. The one limit is location. The death must have occurred in Bay County for the clerk to hold the record.

The fee and request steps for death records live on the Bay County death certificate page. It is the fastest reference for the current cost and accepted request methods.

Because death records are public, they are one of the more common certified copies the office issues.

Note: A record can be available to a qualified requester without being open to the general public, which is exactly how Bay County treats birth certificates.

How to Request a Certified Copy

Certified copies prove a legal fact. Courts, benefit offices, and estate lawyers require them, and an uncertified printout will not do. The Bay County County Clerk accepts requests three ways: online, by mail, or in person. The steps below map the full path from picking a record to holding the certified copy.

1. Decide which record you need and confirm the event happened in Bay County. The clerk can only produce birth, death, or marriage records tied to the county.
2. Check eligibility. Death and marriage records are public, but birth records go only to the person named, a parent, an heir, a legal guardian, or a legal representative.
3. Complete the Vital Records Request Form with the name on the record, the event date, and your contact and identification details.
4. Pick a method. Order online through VitalChek, mail the form with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order payable to Bay County Clerk, or bring it to the counter.
5. Include the correct fee for a first copy plus any additional copies you want.
6. Receive the certified copy by mail or, for in-person requests, at the office during walk-in hours.

Bay County Records Request Form Fields

Mail and counter requests run through the Vital Records Request Form. Filling it in fully helps staff match your order to the right record on the first pass. A missing event date or an unclear name slows everything down. The table lists the core fields on a certified-copy request and what each one is for.

Bay County Clerk Fee Schedule

Fees are set per record and per copy. A first certified copy costs more than the extra copies ordered in the same request. Marriage licenses, notary registration, and concealed pistol licenses each carry their own charge. The schedule below gathers the main County Clerk fees in one place.

Mail orders should include a check or money order payable to Bay County Clerk. The notary fee may be paid by cash, check, or credit card at the counter.

Marriage Licenses in Bay County

The County Clerk issues every marriage license in Bay County. One or both applicants must appear in person to swear the affidavit and pick up the license. Applicants must be at least 18. A 16- or 17-year-old may apply only if a parent appears in person alongside them.

A three-day waiting period applies before the license issues. That wait can be waived for a valid reason and an extra fee. Once issued, the marriage must take place within 33 days. Couples who need a certified copy of the marriage record later can order one from the same office. The county's marriage and divorce records guide walks through the license steps and the certified-copy path in more detail.

Out-of-state residents may apply by mail, but their signatures must be notarized. Even then, one applicant still has to appear at the office to complete the process and collect the license. After the ceremony, both spouses, two witnesses, and the officiant sign all three copies.

Notary and Other Clerk Services

The office does more than issue certificates. Notary registration is one of its steady tasks. A notary applicant needs a valid government-issued photo ID, a surety bond, and the application fee. Payment can be made by cash, check, or credit card at the counter.

Steps and requirements for notary applicants appear on the Bay County notary public page. It is the right starting point before you gather a bond and visit the office.

The page confirms the photo ID, surety bond, and fee needed to register as a notary in the county.

Concealed pistol licenses run through the clerk as well. The office processes new applications and renewals, and a separate sheriff fingerprint fee applies. Assumed name (DBA) filings for county businesses and DD214 military discharge records round out the counter's regular work. Online certified-copy orders route through VitalChek, a county-approved vendor.

Where Bay County Court Files Are Requested

One point trips up many people. The County Clerk keeps vital records, not court case files. A divorce decree, a criminal case file, or a civil judgment is a court record, not a vital record. Those documents come from the courthouse, not the vital records counter.

Court files are requested at the Bay County Court Facility at 1230 Washington Avenue in Bay City. That request runs through court staff rather than a FOIA process, because Michigan courts are not public bodies under FOIA the way county executive offices are. Michigan court records stay public unless a statute, court rule, or court order under MCR 8.119 restricts them. The county's court records guide explains that request path and the public case portal.

So the split is simple. Marriage, birth, and death certificates come from the County Clerk. Divorce files and other case records come from the court facility. Sending your request to the correct office is the fastest way to get the document you actually need.