Michigan, Kalamazoo County
Where Portage's records are kept. Portage has its own city government, clerk's office, police department and permit and planning office; county and state offices keep its other public records.
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The cards below include Portage's own offices, along with State of Michigan offices; the Kalamazoo County offices are on our Kalamazoo County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
City records
The Portage City Clerk at 7900 South Westnedge Avenue records City Council actions and handles elections, city records requests, cemeteries, legal notices and liquor, gaming and secondhand dealer licenses.
Open official site Portage City ClerkCity records
Portage handles Michigan Freedom of Information Act requests through the City Clerk as FOIA Coordinator and explains processing fees and waivers for people who receive public assistance.
Open official site Portage Records Requests (FOIA)Police & jail
The Portage Police Division at 7810 Shaver Road provides 24 hour patrol, school resource officers, community policing and specialized teams for the city.
Open official site Portage Police DivisionPolice & jail
The Portage Police Records Bureau at 7810 Shaver Road is the central repository for police reports and releases copies of eligible reports to the public under state law.
Open official site Portage Police Records BureauCity records
The Portage Building Division reviews building plans, issues permits and inspects new construction and repairs under the Michigan construction codes, guiding owners and contractors through permitting.
Open official site Portage Building DivisionPolice & jail
FBI wanted posters, from the Ten Most Wanted list to fugitives, terrorism suspects, kidnapped and missing persons, bank robbers and seeking information cases; tips go to tips.fbi.gov.
Open official site FBI Most WantedPolice & jail
The Offender Tracking Information System lists Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers, absconders and discharged offenders, searchable by name, offender number, age, race and marks, scars or tattoos.
Open official site Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS Offender SearchVital records
USAGov explains how to get certified copies of birth and death certificates, copies of marriage and divorce records, and replacements for lost or stolen government ID cards.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Copies of Vital Records and IDsCounty court
The federal judiciary's national index of district, bankruptcy and appellate court cases. Searching needs a free PACER account; pages cost $0.10, capped at $3 per document, with quarterly charges of $30 or less waived.
Open official site PACER Case LocatorFederal
USAGov sends you to your state's unclaimed property office, which holds most unclaimed money, and to federal searches for back wages, pensions, IRS refunds, savings bonds and deposits from failed banks.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Unclaimed MoneyVital records
The Social Security Administration explains survivor benefits, monthly payments to eligible relatives of workers who paid Social Security taxes before death, including who qualifies, possible amounts and when to report a death.
Open official site Social Security Survivor BenefitsPolice & jail
U.S. Department of Justice search of public sex offender registries from every state, territory and many tribes by name or ZIP code; address radius searches cover only states that send coordinates.
Open official site Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteFederal
USAGov explains checking your registration through Can I Vote, which opens your state's election website, and advises doing it before the state deadline, which can be up to 30 days before an election.
Open official site USAGov Guide to Confirming Voter RegistrationCounty court
Federal judiciary guide to finding a case in PACER: search the court where it was filed for current data, or the nationwide PACER Case Locator, updated daily. A PACER account is required.
Open official site PACER Find a CaseState records
The Library of Michigan holds city and county histories, newspaper clippings, vital records, cemetery transcripts and plat maps for use during library hours, plus county guides and FamilySearch affiliate access on site.
Open official site Library of Michigan Family HistoryCounty court
Federal bankruptcy court with locations in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette and Traverse City; it offers court calendars, opinions, copies of documents, a phone case information line and PACER access.
Open official site United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of MichiganCounty court
Site of Michigan's One Court of Justice: Supreme Court and Court of Appeals news, cases, opinions and orders, a trial court directory, court forms, MiFILE electronic filing and help for people representing themselves.
Open official site Michigan CourtsEverything else, organized
16 more Portage sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Local profile
Portage, a place of 48,891 people, is in Kalamazoo County, whose county seat is Kalamazoo. Court and property records sit with Kalamazoo County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of Michigan. Portage's own offices are in the cards above, and our Kalamazoo County page lists each county office.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 0 named mine sites inside the city or town limits, 0 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 17 holes drawn inside the city or town limits, 0 of them shafts or tunnels.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. GeoWebFace shows historic mining sites as points; no agency page with underground workings outlines was found, and the OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds Michigan maps.
Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.
Michigan abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in Michigan is run by the Michigan Bureau of Elections and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online voter registration, polling places and the local election office for Portage.
Deeds for property in Portage are recorded by the Kalamazoo County Register of Deeds, and the city or town assessor keeps the tax values. Our Kalamazoo County page lists the county offices.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in Michigan come from the state vital records office, Michigan Vital Records. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.