County Clerk

Home Births

When a birth occurs outside of a medical institution, the responsibility for registering the birth falls to the person attending the birth. If you have delivered a baby at home, please contact County Clerk’s office for birth registration requirements and to make an appointment at 616-632-7640.

MDCH’s “Local Registrar's Manual" instructs local registrars (the County Clerk) to register an out-of-hospital birth as follows:

1. If the delivery was not attended by a licensed physician or by another licensed medical professional, the minimal procedures to follow in recording these births include:

  • Providing a worksheet to the mother, attendant or informant to complete;
  • At least one parent must come into Clerk's office with the baby, and have the following:
      If married:
    • driver's license or state issued ID of parent present and copy of other parent's ID.
    • marriage license
    • completed BC worksheet with midwife's dated signature at bottom

      • If unmarried:
    • driver's license or state issued ID
    • completed BC worksheet with midwife's dated signature at bottom
    • properly filled out Affidavit of Parentage or certified copy of court paternity order.

2. If self-delivered, delivered by a midwife who is unknown to the Clerk’s staff, or delivered under circumstances that warrant further proof or documentation, as determined by the County Clerk, all of the above may be required in addition to any of the following:

  • baptismal certificate
  • statement from a social services worker that the client was pregnant
  • or, a similar verification from a physician, or public health nurse
  • signed statement from a midwife documenting mother’s name, who delivered, the date of the birth and place of birth, etc.

3. The County Clerk’s office will type the BC from the worksheet.

4. The attendant and informant must sign the completed BC in the Clerk’s office.

If the Clerk has cause (as determined by the Clerk) to question the validity of the information reported, additional information and/or evidence to support the facts may be required. The Clerk may employ any reasonable procedure to confirm the information to insure that a birth certificate is not being filed fraudulently.