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County · code 26151

Sanilac CountyMichigan

Sanilac County is in Michigan and was created on September 10, 1822, from St. Clair and Non-County Area. The county seat is Sandusky.

  • Founded1822
  • County seatSandusky
  • Land area963 sq mi + 627 sq mi water
  • Population40,611 2020 Census
Open the free map Click any parcel in Sanilac County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

HuronSt. ClairLapeerTuscola Sandusky Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Sanilac on the map of Michigan

Michigan has 83 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alcona CountyAlger CountyAllegan CountyAlpena CountyAntrim CountyArenac CountyBaraga CountyBarry CountyBay CountyBenzie CountyBerrien CountyBranch CountyCalhoun CountyCass CountyCharlevoix CountyCheboygan CountyChippewa CountyClare CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDelta CountyDickinson CountyEaton CountyEmmet CountyGenesee CountyGladwin CountyGogebic CountyGrand Traverse CountyGratiot CountyHillsdale CountyHoughton CountyHuron CountyIngham CountyIonia CountyIosco CountyIron CountyIsabella CountyJackson CountyKalamazoo CountyKalkaska CountyKent CountyKeweenaw CountyLake CountyLapeer CountyLeelanau CountyLenawee CountyLivingston CountyLuce CountyMackinac CountyMacomb CountyManistee CountyMarquette CountyMason CountyMecosta CountyMenominee CountyMidland CountyMissaukee CountyMonroe CountyMontcalm CountyMontmorency CountyMuskegon CountyNewaygo CountyOakland CountyOceana CountyOgemaw CountyOntonagon CountyOsceola CountyOscoda CountyOtsego CountyOttawa CountyPresque Isle CountyRoscommon CountySaginaw CountySt. Clair CountySt. Joseph CountySchoolcraft CountyShiawassee CountyTuscola CountyVan Buren CountyWashtenaw CountyWayne CountyWexford CountySanilac County Sanilac
Counties of Michigan · Sanilac highlighted

History

Formed in 1822 from St. Clair County and Oakland County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

When first created, Sanilac County was not fully organized and was attached to Oakland County for administrative and judicial purposes. In 1827, Sanilac was detached from Oakland and attached to St. Clair for judicial purposes, then in 1836 part of it was attached to Lapeer for judicial purposes. In 1840, the creation of Huron and Tuscola counties reduced Sanilac's area, and it was re-attached to St. Clair for judicial purposes, but in 1848 it gained territory from St. Clair and became fully organized in 1849. Huron County was attached to Sanilac in 1850 for judicial and representative purposes, then in 1853 part of Huron was attached to Tuscola, and in 1859 Huron was fully organized and detached from Sanilac.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1822
    Sanilac County created Sanilac created by Michigan Territory from St. Clair and Non-County Area 2 attached to Oakland; Sanilac not fully organized, attached to Oakland for administrative and judicial purposes.
    from St. Clairfrom Oakland
    · Terr. Papers U.S., 11: 310-311
  2. 1827
    Changed Sanilac detached from Oakland, attached to St. Clair "for judicial purposes."
    OaklandSt. Clair
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:588
  3. 1836
    Changed Part of Sanilac was detached from St. Clair, attached to Lapeer "for judicial purposes."
    St. ClairLapeer
    · Mich. Acts 1836, ann. sess., p. 67
  4. 1840
    Lost territory Sanilac lost to creation of Huron and Tuscola; Sanilac detached from Lapeer, re-attached to St. Clair "for judicial purposes."
    to Huronto Tuscolato Lapeerto St. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1, 4, 30, 32-34/pp. 196, 200
  5. 1848
    Gained territory Sanilac gained from St. Clair.
    from St. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1848, ann. sess., no. 228/p. 344
Show all 9 changes (4 more)
  1. 1822
    Sanilac County created Sanilac created by Michigan Territory from St. Clair and Non-County Area 2 attached to Oakland; Sanilac not fully organized, attached to Oakland for administrative and judicial purposes.
    from St. Clairfrom Oakland
    · Terr. Papers U.S., 11: 310-311
  2. 1827
    Changed Sanilac detached from Oakland, attached to St. Clair "for judicial purposes."
    OaklandSt. Clair
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:588
  3. 1836
    Changed Part of Sanilac was detached from St. Clair, attached to Lapeer "for judicial purposes."
    St. ClairLapeer
    · Mich. Acts 1836, ann. sess., p. 67
  4. 1840
    Lost territory Sanilac lost to creation of Huron and Tuscola; Sanilac detached from Lapeer, re-attached to St. Clair "for judicial purposes."
    to Huronto Tuscolato Lapeerto St. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1, 4, 30, 32-34/pp. 196, 200
  5. 1848
    Gained territory Sanilac gained from St. Clair.
    from St. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1848, ann. sess., no. 228/p. 344
  6. 1849
    Changed Sanilac fully organized, detached from St. Clair.
    St. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1848, ann. sess., no. 228/p. 344
  7. 1850
    Changed Huron detached from St. Clair, attached to Sanilac "for judicial and representative purposes."
    HuronSt. Clair
    · Mich. Acts 1850, ann. sess., no. 212/p. 215
  8. 1853
    Changed Part of Huron was detached from Sanilac, attached to Tuscola "for judicial and representative purposes."
    HuronTuscola
    · Mich. Acts 1853, reg. sess., no. 69/p. 113
  9. 1859
    Changed Huron fully organized, detached from Sanilac.
    Huron
    · Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 6, sec. 1/p. 4

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Sanilac

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Sanilac by the Census

Population
40,611 2020 Census count
Housing units
21,676 2020 Census count
Land area
963 square miles
Water area
627 square miles · 39% of the county, including large bodies of water
People per sq mi
42 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Sanilac County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

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Questions

Common questions about Sanilac County

When was Sanilac County founded?
Sanilac County was founded in 1822, formed from St. Clair County and Oakland County.
What is the county seat of Sanilac County?
The county seat of Sanilac County is Sandusky.
Is there an online parcel map for Sanilac County?
Not that we have found yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county assessor's office. When a public parcel map appears, it shows here.
Has Sanilac County's boundary or name changed?
Sanilac County was created in 1822 from St. Clair County and Oakland County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving St. Clair County, Huron County and Lapeer County.
Who issues building permits in Sanilac County?
The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Sanilac County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door