County of Houghton, Michigan

What County of Houghton, Michigan does

Houghton County, Michigan is a county government entity established in 1845 on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, operating as a political subdivision of the State of Michigan with statutory authority to deliver mandated public services. The entity serves residents, businesses, and visitors across 14 townships and 2 cities, encompassing over 900 miles of rivers and streams, 139 inland lakes, and the Houghton County Memorial Airport. It is administered by an elected Board of Commissioners and operates more than a dozen internal departments including the Sheriff's Department, Circuit and District Courts, Probate and Family Court, Friend of the Court, Treasurer, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, Veterans Service Office, Road Commission, Materials Management Station, Marina, Equalization Department, Drain Commissioner, Mine Inspector, and Office of Emergency Measures.

The county's core products are traditional government services: vital records issuance (birth, death, marriage certificates), property tax administration and collection, land records recording via the Register of Deeds (with e-recording integration to four third-party vendors), election administration, concealed pistol licensing, DBA filings, veterans benefits assistance, public safety and corrections, judicial services, waste management and recycling at the Materials Management Station, marina operations (54 slips), airport operations, road maintenance, and emergency management. The underlying technology stack is a portfolio of standard government SaaS and platform integrations — Tapestry and Laredo (Fidlar) for land records, BSAOnline for property tax search, Apex portals for online requests, Pay.govpros.us for delinquent tax payments, and Microsoft Teams for virtual public meetings. There is no proprietary technology disclosed.

The revenue model is taxation-based, with ad valorem property taxes collected by the Treasurer's Office as the principal revenue stream, supplemented by state and federal grants, interest income, and transactional service/license fees (recording fees of $30 per document, landfill tipping fees at $125.75 per ton, vital records at $15 per copy, DBA filings at $16, wedding ceremonies at $50, notary services at $10, and marina slip rentals). Service delivery occurs through in-person county offices, online portals, and mail/email/fax submission channels. The county does not have investors, equity holders, or a traditional corporate ownership structure, and operates under Michigan state law and the Michigan State Constitution.

Name

County of Houghton, Michigan

Legal name

County of Houghton, Michigan

Website

https://houghtoncounty.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Houghton County, Michigan is a county government entity providing mandated public services — courts, sheriff, vital records, property tax collection, elections, road maintenance, and waste management — to residents and businesses across 14 townships and 2 cities on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Administration

NAICS

Courts (922110), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (92213), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150), Marinas (713930)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration (BPAIABAE), State/Provincial Corrections, Probation & Parole Administration (BPAIABAF), Prosecution & District/State Attorney Services (BPAIAFAB), Public Property & Asset Management (Federal Buildings, Fleet, Land) (BPAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Vital records administration
• Property tax collection
• Law enforcement services
• Judicial court services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houghton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: The principal source of revenue is ad valorem property tax collected by the County Treasurer's Office. The county receives money from state and federal grants, interest income, and various service and license fees.
2. Service and License Fees: Many county departments collect money in the course of their business including recording fees, vital records fees, DBA filings, concealed pistol licenses, and other administrative service fees.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Houghton County is a political subdivision of the State of Michigan that delivers essential local government services to residents and businesses. Its core offerings include vital records management (birth, death, marriage certificates), property tax collection and treasury services, election administration, property and land records recording, public safety and law enforcement via the Sheriff's Department, judicial services through Circuit, District, Probate, and Family Courts, veterans services, road maintenance, waste management and recycling, and operation of county airport and marina facilities.

Product overview

Houghton County, Michigan is a government entity offering a comprehensive suite of public services through its county departments and offices. The county operates a traditional single-platform service model where residents access government services directly through various county offices rather than through a unified digital product. Core services include County Clerk functions (vital records, elections, concealed pistol licensing, notaries), Register of Deeds for property records, Treasurer's Office for tax collection, Veterans Service Office, Sheriff's Department with jail facilities, court services (Circuit, District, Probate & Family), Materials Management Station, Airport, Marina, Road Commission, and various advisory boards. The county has multiple online portals for specific functions including land records search, vital records (marriage licenses, birth/death certificates), property tax payments, and election information, but these operate as separate systems rather than a unified platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• County Clerk Services
• Elections & Voting
• Register of Deeds
• Treasurer's Office
• Veterans Service Office
• Materials Management Station
• Sheriff's Department
• 12th Circuit Court
• 97th District Court
• Probate & Family Court
• Friend of the Court
• Houghton County Memorial Airport
• Houghton County Marina
• Equalization Department
• Drain Commissioner
• Office of Emergency Measures
• Road Commission
• Mine Inspector
• Doing Business As (DBA) Filing
• Property Tax Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Keweenaw County, Michigan: Immediate geographic neighbor at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Smaller but functionally analogous county government operating courts, treasurer, and clerk functions under the same Michigan state framework.
• Delta County, Michigan: South-central Upper Peninsula county operating similar county service departments under the same state legal framework. Comparable scale and rural service delivery model.
• Gogebic County, Michigan: Western Upper Peninsula county with similar rural service portfolio and historical mining economy. Comparable in scale and service delivery model, with shared UP economic and demographic profile.
• Marquette County, Michigan: Upper Peninsula county of comparable size and service mix, operating courts, sheriff, treasurer, road commission, and airport services. Most structurally similar peer given shared UP geography, Michigan county governance framework, and rural tax base.
• Ontonagon County, Michigan: Western Upper Peninsula county of similar size operating comparable departments. Shares rural Lake Superior shoreline, post-mining economy, and limited commercial base with Houghton County.
• Alger County, Michigan: Central Upper Peninsula county with similar population scale and service portfolio. Operates comparable court, sheriff, treasurer, and road commission functions under Michigan county government structure.
• Chippewa County, Michigan: Eastern Upper Peninsula county operating a comparable portfolio of county services. Similar in scale and operating under identical Michigan Public Act framework for county government.
• Baraga County, Michigan: Adjacent Upper Peninsula county with similar population scale and rural service mix. Operates analogous court, sheriff, and treasury functions under the same Michigan governance model.

Broad incumbents

• Wayne County, Michigan: Largest Michigan county, operating the same county-level service portfolio (courts, sheriff, treasurer, clerk, register of deeds, road commission) at substantially greater scale. Useful for benchmarking the upper bound of Michigan county operations but not directly comparable in scale or tax base.

Others

• Michigan Townships Association: Statewide association representing Michigan township governments, which operate at a sub-county level within Houghton County's jurisdiction. Relevant ecosystem peer for intergovernmental coordination on shared services, training, and legislative advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/county-of-houghton-michigan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about County of Houghton, Michigan