Alger County, Michigan
Use this county page to find the right government office or narrow down to a city or township. The service directory covers common county jobs; the local pages add property-tax context, school-district rate ranges, nearby places, and Porch Notes tied to each community.
County snapshot
Cities
1
Townships
8
School districts
4
Primary home (PRE) rates, for homes with Michigan's Principal Residence Exemption, range from 23.1007 mills to 40.7956 mills.
Other property, often called non-homestead, usually means rentals, vacation homes, and second homes. Those rates range from 40.7697 mills to 58.7956 mills.
Rate rows come from the official Michigan Treasury millage-rate reports . Data used: 2025 Michigan Treasury Total Property Tax Rates. Last reviewed July 12, 2026.
Use this carefully: Michigan Porch uses the statewide published rates as a planning aid. The local assessor or treasurer controls parcel-specific values, due dates, and special assessments.
County service directory
Find the office before you make the trip
Some questions stay with the city or township. Others move to the county, a health district, or a court. Start with the job you need done, then confirm hours, fees, and forms with the office.
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Marriage licenses, local vital records, and elections
Alger County clerk
Start with the clerk for a marriage license, a county-filed birth or death record, election information, and other county records.
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Deeds, mortgages, and recorded land documents
Alger County register of deeds
Use this office for recorded property documents. It does not decide ownership disputes or tell you whether a deed is legally sufficient.
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Delinquent real-property tax and foreclosure questions
Alger County treasurer
Current bills usually begin with the city or township treasurer. After the local collection period, delinquent real-property tax moves to the county or the state foreclosing unit.
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Private wells, septic systems, and local health services
Local health department
Michigan has county and multi-county health departments. Use the state finder to see which department serves this county before applying or making an appointment.
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District, circuit, probate, or family-court business
Michigan trial courts serving this county
The court depends on the case type and sometimes the city or district. The judiciary directory lists court locations, websites, and contact information by county.
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Countywide assessment data and equalization
Alger County equalization
Your local assessor and Board of Review handle an individual parcel first. County equalization studies values across local units and supports assessment administration.
County websites are checked against the State of Michigan county website directory . State and court finders are used where one office or district can serve more than one county. Directory reviewed July 12, 2026. Office roles were checked against Michigan Vital Records, Michigan Treasury taxpayer resources, and State Tax Commission guidance.
Local pages
Places in Alger County
City
Munising
1 school district available.
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Township
Au Train Township
3 school districts available.
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Township
Burt Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Grand Island Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Limestone Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Mathias Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Munising Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Onota Township
1 school district available.
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Township
Rock River Township
1 school district available.
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Porch Notes
Local notes from Alger County
Stories, practical notes, and local details tied to places in this county.
Alger County · Outdoors
Grand Island, the wild island off Munising
Half a mile off Munising lies Grand Island -- about 13,500 acres of Lake Superior woodland with no cars, reachable by ferry, once owned by an iron company and now a national recreation area.
Read this note ->Alger County · Outdoors
Grand Marais and the Grand Sable Dunes
Grand Marais is the eastern doorway to Pictured Rocks, with the Grand Sable Dunes, Sable Falls, the Log Slide, and Au Sable Light spread along H-58.
Read this note ->Alger County · History and culture
How Alger County got its name
Alger County was carved from Schoolcraft County in 1885 and named for Russell A. Alger -- a lumber baron, Civil War cavalry general, and the sitting governor of Michigan at the time.
Read this note ->Alger County · Money and taxes
Is there a city income tax in Munising?
Munising charges no city income tax -- and no community in the entire Upper Peninsula does. The nearest one is Grayling, well over a hundred miles south.
Read this note ->Alger County · History and culture
Munising's furnace, tannery, and paper mill
Munising takes its name from the Ojibwe word for 'at the island,' and was born twice -- once around an 1867 iron furnace, and again when the railroad arrived in 1895. Its paper mill has run for more than a century.
Read this note ->Alger County · Outdoors
Pictured Rocks, the first national lakeshore
Just east of Munising, Lake Superior meets the multicolored sandstone cliffs of Pictured Rocks -- the first national lakeshore in the United States, best seen from the water.
Read this note ->Next steps
What to check next in Alger County
Start with a local page, then move into the Michigan rule or tool that matches the question in front of you.
- Tool Estimate a buyer tax bill Use the Michigan homebuyer tax calculator when you have a price, place, and school district. Open calculator ->
- Question Understand uncapping See why a buyer's first full-year tax bill can differ from the seller's old bill. Read the guide ->
- Places Search statewide Look up another city, township, village, county, or school district. Browse places ->
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