Find Birth Records in Genesee County

Genesee County birth records are kept by the Genesee County Clerk with offices in Flint. The county has maintained birth and death records since 1867. You can request certified copies of birth certificates in person, by mail using a money order, or through the county's online portal.

Genesee County Clerk Office

The Genesee County Clerk maintains birth records for all births that took place in Genesee County. The main office is at 900 S. Saginaw St. in Flint. The Vital Records Division has a separate address at 1101 Beach St., also in Flint, with a direct phone line at (810) 257-3400.

Birth and death records go back to 1867. Marriage license records in this county go back even further, to 1835. Genesee County also keeps records of divorces starting from 1871. If you need records from the very beginning of Michigan's vital records system, this county has some of the oldest documentation in the state.

One thing to know about newborn records: the clerk's office cannot issue a birth certificate for a newborn until at least two weeks after the date of birth. This is the standard window it takes for a birth to be registered in the system. Do not contact the office before that two-week mark, as the record will not be ready yet.

The Genesee County main site at geneseecountymi.gov has current information on how to order birth records and what the office requires. The screenshot below is from the county's official website.

Visit geneseecountymi.gov to check current hours, fees, and ordering instructions before you submit your request.

Genesee County Birth Record Fees

The fee for a certified birth certificate in Genesee County is $25 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $10. These are among the higher county-level fees in Michigan, where many counties charge $15 for the first copy.

Seniors age 65 and older get a reduced fee when requesting their own birth record. The senior rate is $5 per copy under MCL 333.2891(8). This applies only to the person requesting their own record, not to a family member ordering for someone else.

There is one strict rule for mail requests in Genesee County: they do not accept personal checks. If you mail in a request, you must include a money order. No exceptions are made to this policy. Make the money order out to the Genesee County Clerk and mail it with your request and a copy of your photo ID to 900 S. Saginaw St., Flint, MI 48502.

Note: If you need multiple certified copies, ordering them all at once is cheaper than placing separate requests on different days.

Who Can Request Genesee County Birth Certificates

Michigan restricts access to birth records less than 100 years old. Under MCL 333.2882, only certain people qualify. Genesee County follows these state rules exactly.

Eligible requestors include the person named on the record, the mother or father named on the record, a legal heir with additional documentation proving their relationship, a licensed attorney with a P-Number, or a legal guardian presenting a certified copy of the guardianship order. A court with jurisdiction can also order records directly. Anyone outside this list cannot get a certified copy of a restricted birth record.

Birth records that are 100 or more years old are a different story. Under Michigan law (Public Act 544 of 2002, now codified in the vital records statutes), those older records are public. Anyone can request them without proving a relationship to the person named on the record. This is useful for genealogy researchers looking at family history from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Vital records in Michigan are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Under MCL 333.2888, FOIA requests cannot be used to get around the access restrictions on birth records. You must qualify as an eligible requestor under the vital records statutes.

Genealogy Research at Genesee County

Genesee County has a dedicated genealogy research program that sets it apart from most other Michigan counties. Every Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, volunteers from the Flint Genealogical Society are available at the clerk's office to help researchers. Up to six researchers can work at one time during these sessions.

If you are tracing family history and need help finding old birth records, death records, or marriage certificates, the Friday genealogy hours are a good time to come in. The volunteers know the county records well and can help you work through older documents. This service is free and open to anyone doing genealogy research.

Genesee County's historical records are rich. Marriage records date to 1835, which is over 30 years before the state began formal registration. Divorce records start from 1871. For births, deaths, and marriages from 1867 onward, the county clerk's records are the primary source. For research going back further, you may need to check church records, probate filings, or the Archives of Michigan in Lansing.

The state vital records office at michigan.gov/mdhhs/doing-business/vitalrecords can also help with older records that may have been sent to the state level. For online ordering of state-maintained records, use VitalChek, the only authorized online provider for Michigan vital records.

Michigan Birth Record Laws

Michigan birth record rules come from the Public Health Code, specifically the vital records sections. The core statute is MCL 333.2813, which sets up the framework for the entire statewide vital records system. Under this law, county clerks act as local registrars and work together with the state's Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics.

Facilities like hospitals are required by law to report births within five days of the date of birth. This creates the initial registration that eventually becomes the birth certificate. All birth records from 1989 forward are processed electronically in the Michigan Vital Records System. Older records exist as paper documents that were later digitized or are still held in physical form.

Under MCL 333.2813 and related statutes, the Genesee County Clerk cannot release a birth certificate to someone who does not qualify. Doing so would violate state law. The penalty for unauthorized disclosure can include criminal charges under MCL 333.2898, which makes violations a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail.

If you need to order a birth record from the state level rather than the county, you can go to michigan.gov/mdhhs/doing-business/vitalrecords/order-a-record-online. The state office charges $34 for the first certified copy, which is higher than the Genesee County fee of $25.

Cities in Genesee County

Genesee County includes Flint as its county seat and largest city. All birth record requests for births in Genesee County go through the Genesee County Clerk regardless of which city the birth occurred in.

Other communities in Genesee County include Burton, Flint Township, Grand Blanc, and Flushing. Birth records for all areas in Genesee County are maintained by the county clerk.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Genesee County. If a birth occurred in a neighboring county, you need to contact that county's clerk directly. Each county clerk keeps records only for births in that county.