Livingston County Obituary Records

Livingston County death records and obituaries go back to 1867 and are held by the county clerk in Howell. The Brighton District Library maintains an obituary index from 1880 to the present, which is one of the best county-level obituary tools in southeast Michigan. This growing suburban county between Detroit and Lansing has seen significant population increases over the past few decades, and death records reflect that growth. Here is where to search and how to get copies.

Livingston County Clerk Office

The Livingston County Clerk in Howell maintains official death records and issues certified copies of death certificates. The office is located at 304 E. Grand River Avenue in Howell and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The phone number is 517-546-3500. Certified copy fees are approximately $15. Mail requests require a completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check made out to the Livingston County Clerk.

The clerk can search records by name and date going back to 1867. Under Public Act 194 of 1867, Michigan counties were required to begin formal death registration. Livingston County has maintained these records since then. The county website at livgov.com has current contact information. Under MCL 333.2882, death certificates are open records and anyone may request a copy.

Brighton District Library Obituary Index

The Brighton District Library maintains a Livingston County obituary index running from 1880 to the present. This is one of the most complete and long-running county obituary indexes in southeast Michigan. The index covers death notices published in local Livingston County newspapers and provides a searchable name list that makes finding a specific person much faster than scanning microfilm. Researchers can use this index in person at the library.

For deaths from 1880 onward, the Brighton District Library index is often the fastest first step. It can confirm whether an obituary was published in a local paper, and from there you can request a full copy of the original notice. The Howell Carnegie District Library in the county seat is another resource for local newspaper archives and historical materials. Both libraries serve the genealogy research community in Livingston County.

The Livingston County Historical and Genealogical Society at lchgs.org also holds supplemental materials including family histories, local records, and documents not found in the official death certificate collection. The society is a useful contact for anyone doing deep genealogy work in Livingston County.

The LCHGS maintains records and publications that span well over a century of Livingston County history, making it a strong complement to the official clerk records.

Livingston County Death Records Online

The Livingston County MiGenWeb project at livingston.migenweb.org is the main free genealogy site for the county. It provides death indexes, cemetery transcriptions, and links to county-specific research tools.

The MiGenWeb site links to the free statewide Michigan death index at michiganology.org, covering 1897 to 1952. The GENDIS database at michiganology.org/gendis offers early death index data as well. FamilySearch maintains a guide at familysearch.org with links to available collections and research tips for Livingston County.

Public Act 73 of 2006 limits online display of death record images for deaths within the past 75 years. Index data is still accessible, but full image access requires contacting the clerk or MDHHS. MDHHS charges $34 for the first certified copy and $16 for each additional one at the same time. MDHHS can be reached at 517-335-8666, and orders can be placed through vitalchek.com with a $12.95 service fee.

Livingston County Record Growth

Livingston County has grown fast in recent decades as suburban development expanded outward from Detroit and Lansing. This growth means the volume of annual death registrations has increased significantly since the 1970s. The clerk's office handles a much larger caseload than counties of similar geographic size in less-developed parts of Michigan.

Researchers working on more recent deaths in Livingston County will find records are generally well-maintained and accessible through the clerk. For older records from the 1800s, the county's rural character at the time means some gaps exist where deaths were not reported promptly. The Brighton District Library obituary index helps fill some of these gaps for the period from 1880 onward.

Note: The LCHGS publishes a genealogy newsletter and maintains a library of Livingston County family histories. Contact them through lchgs.org for member access and research assistance.

Communities in Livingston County

Livingston County communities include Howell, Brighton, Hartland, and Pinckney. None of these meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Death records for all Livingston County communities are filed through the county clerk in Howell.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Livingston County. Each has a separate clerk office and independent death record collections.