Presque Isle County Unclaimed Money

Presque Isle County residents can search for unclaimed money through the Michigan Department of Treasury's free state portal and can file claims for tax foreclosure surplus funds through the county treasurer's office in Rogers City. This small northern county follows Michigan's standard MCL 211.78t procedures for surplus recovery, and the same July 1 deadline applies to all former property owners.

Michigan State Unclaimed Property

The Michigan Department of Treasury runs the state unclaimed property program at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov. The search is free and available to anyone. You can search by your name, a deceased relative's name, or a business name. Michigan has returned over $675 million in unclaimed funds and new property is added every year as institutions report dormant accounts.

Presque Isle County residents may have unclaimed funds from old bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance proceeds, security deposits, or stock dividends held at the state level. These funds do not expire. There is no deadline to file a claim, and the process costs nothing. You file directly with the state without hiring anyone.

For questions about a claim in progress, contact the state office at (517) 636-5320 or email TreasUPD@michigan.gov.

The Presque Isle County official website at presqueislecounty.org provides access to county department contact information, including the treasurer's office. The screenshot below shows the county's main web portal.

The county site lists current contact details for the treasurer's office and links to local government resources for Rogers City area residents.

Presque Isle County Treasurer

The Presque Isle County Treasurer's Office is in Rogers City, the county seat. The office collects property taxes, manages delinquent accounts, and oversees the three-year tax foreclosure process. For current phone numbers, office hours, and staff contacts, visit the official county website at presqueislecounty.org.

If you previously owned a property in Presque Isle County that was taken through tax foreclosure, the treasurer's office is where you start when checking on surplus funds. Ask staff for the sale price of your specific property and the total amount owed at the time of foreclosure, identified by the parcel number. If the sale price exceeded the debt, a surplus was generated and a claim may be possible under MCL 211.78t, as long as the required forms were filed on time.

The treasurer also handles poverty exemption applications. If you are currently behind on property taxes and believe your income may qualify you for a reduction or elimination of your tax liability, ask about the poverty exemption process. Applications must go through the local assessor, but the treasurer's office can direct you to the right place and tell you what the deadlines are.

Tax Foreclosure Surplus Funds

Under MCL 211.78t, former owners of Presque Isle County properties that were foreclosed on or after July 17, 2020 may have the right to claim surplus proceeds if the auction sale generated more than what was owed. This right was established by the Michigan Supreme Court in Rafaeli LLC v. Oakland County on July 17, 2020, and the statute was enacted to provide a formal process for recovering that value.

How the Surplus Claim Process Works

The first step is to file Form 5743, the Notice of Intention to Claim Proceeds, with the Presque Isle County Treasurer by July 1 of the year following foreclosure. This is the hard deadline. Courts throughout Michigan have upheld it and rejected late filings. You must file Form 5743 even if you do not yet know whether an auction surplus will exist. The statute requires filing the notice of intent before the auction result is known.

After the auction, the county prepares Form 5744 and sends notice to all valid claimants by January 31, reporting what the auction generated. If a surplus exists and you filed Form 5743 on time, you have a window from February 1 through May 15 to file a motion with the Presque Isle County Circuit Court. The court reviews all valid claims, determines the priority of payment, and issues an order. The county treasurer must remit funds to each claimant within 21 days of the court's order.

If you did not file Form 5743 by July 1, you likely have no path to recover the surplus. Courts have been consistent on this point across many Michigan counties. Do not assume extensions are available. If you are approaching a July 1 deadline and are unsure whether to file, err on the side of filing.

Michigan Tax Foreclosure Timeline

Michigan's three-year foreclosure process is the same in Presque Isle County as in every other Michigan county. Understanding the stages helps you know what options are available at each point.

Year One - Delinquency: Unpaid property taxes become delinquent March 1 and transfer to the county treasurer for collection. A 4% administrative fee is added right away, plus 1% interest per month. Certified mail notices go out June 1 and September 1. An additional $15 notification fee is charged October 1.

Year Two - Forfeiture: If taxes remain unpaid, the property is forfeited to the county treasurer on March 1 of the second year. A minimum $235 fee is added. Interest rises to 1.5% per month, retroactive to March 1 of the prior year. Additional fees for property inspection, lienholder notification, and newspaper publication are added through the year. A show cause hearing is scheduled, and if the debt is not resolved, a judicial foreclosure hearing follows.

Year Three - Foreclosure: March 31 is the final deadline to pay everything owed and stop foreclosure. On April 1, title passes to the Presque Isle County Treasurer. The property goes to auction. If the auction price exceeds the total debt, surplus funds exist and the MCL 211.78t process applies, starting with the July 1 Form 5743 deadline.

Tax Sale Auctions in Presque Isle County

Presque Isle County participates in the Tax-Sale.info auction system. Tax-Sale.info serves more than 74 Michigan counties and can be reached at (800) 259-7470. Available properties are listed on the platform ahead of each auction and bidders can register through the site to participate.

Former owners who want to know what a property sold for can look up past auction results on Tax-Sale.info. Compare the final sale price to the total debt at foreclosure. If the sale price is higher, a surplus was generated. In a small county like Presque Isle, auction prices and debt totals can vary widely depending on the property type and location. Vacation and seasonal properties near Lake Huron or the Presque Isle peninsula sometimes generate higher sale prices than expected.

Legal Aid Resources

Presque Isle County residents can use several free resources for help with unclaimed money and surplus claims.

Michigan Legal Help at michiganlegalhelp.org provides plain-language guides on how to file Form 5743 and how to bring a circuit court motion for surplus proceeds. The site is free and covers all the steps in the process from start to finish.

State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a licensed attorney. Call (800) 968-0738 or go to lrs.michbar.org. Attorneys in the referral network handle property and tax matters and can advise on whether a surplus claim is viable for your specific situation.

Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF) at michigan.gov/mihaf provides financial help for homeowners behind on property taxes because of pandemic-related hardship. Check eligibility requirements on the site.

Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency serves the Presque Isle County area and can provide referrals to housing counselors, legal aid, and financial assistance programs. They work with residents in smaller northern Michigan counties where local legal resources can be harder to find.

Other Unclaimed Money Sources

Beyond the state portal and tax foreclosure surplus claims, Presque Isle County residents should consider a few other sources of potentially unclaimed funds.

Federal tax refunds that were never cashed or returned go to the IRS. The IRS unclaimed refunds page at irs.gov lets you check the status of past returns. If a federal refund check expired without being cashed, you can usually request a replacement by filing an amended return or contacting the IRS directly.

Pension and retirement benefits from past employers may also be unclaimed. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) maintains a search tool at pbgc.gov for participants in terminated pension plans. If you worked for an employer whose pension plan was taken over by the PBGC, you may have benefits waiting to be claimed. This is especially relevant for former employees in manufacturing, mining, or other industries that were prevalent in northern Michigan.

Life insurance policies are another source worth checking. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services can provide guidance on how to search for unclaimed life insurance proceeds tied to a deceased relative's policy.

Cities in Presque Isle County

No cities in Presque Isle County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Rogers City is the county seat and the largest municipality in the county. For unclaimed money searches related to any location in Presque Isle County, use the state portal at unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov and contact the Presque Isle County Treasurer's Office in Rogers City for questions about tax foreclosure surplus funds.

Nearby Counties

Presque Isle County borders three counties in northeastern lower Michigan. Each uses the same MCL 211.78t process for surplus claims and maintains its own treasurer's office.