Berrien County Certificate of Trust MCL 700.7913 Form
Last validated August 20, 2026 by our Forms Development TeamFormatted for recording in Berrien County, for property anywhere in the county: rural and unincorporated areas as well as Baroda, Benton Harbor, Berrien Center, Berrien Springs, Bridgman, Buchanan, Coloma, Eau Claire and 15 more.
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Berrien County Michigan Certificate of Trust MCL 700.7913 Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.

Berrien County Certificate of Trust Guidelines
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.

Berrien County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
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Additional Michigan and Berrien County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Berrien County Register of Deeds
St. Joseph, Michigan 49085
Hours: 8:30 to 5:00 M-F
Phone: (269) 983-7111 Ext. 8562
Recording Tips for Berrien County:
- Bring your driver's license or state-issued photo ID
- Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
- Verify all names are spelled correctly before recording
- White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
- Ask about their eRecording option for future transactions
Cities and Jurisdictions in Berrien County
Properties in any of these areas use Berrien County forms:
- Baroda
- Benton Harbor
- Berrien Center
- Berrien Springs
- Bridgman
- Buchanan
- Coloma
- Eau Claire
- Galien
- Hagar Shores
- Harbert
- Lakeside
- New Buffalo
- New Troy
- Niles
- Riverside
- Saint Joseph
- Sawyer
- Sodus
- Stevensville
- Three Oaks
- Union Pier
- Watervliet
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Berrien County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Berrien County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Berrien County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Berrien County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Berrien County you only need to order once.
What do I need to use these forms?
The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader is recommended, and most PDF apps also work. You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.
Are there any recurring fees?
No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
How much does it cost to record in Berrien County?
Recording fees in Berrien County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (269) 983-7111 Ext. 8562 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
New legislation was signed into law in 2018 that, in essence, consolidated the two types of certificates of trust into one, a (Certificate of Trust) and a (Certificate of Trust Existence and Authority). This Certificate of Trust allows those with an interest in real property the necessary information regarding the Trust to help either fund the Trust or allow real property to be transferred with a clear title. A COT provides pertinent/relevant information needed to satisfy title companies and/or banks. When a Trustee wants to sell real property that is part of a trust, a COT will be required at or before the closing.
Pursuant to the current law, a certificate of trust must include:
The name of the trust, the date of the trust, and the date of each operative trust instrument.
The name and address of each current trustee.
The powers of the trustee relating to the purposes for which the certificate of trust is offered.
The revocability or irrevocability of the trust and the identity of any person holding the power to revoke the trust.
The authority of co-trustees to sign on behalf of the trust or otherwise authenticate on behalf of the trust and whether all or less than all co-trustees are required to exercise the trustee powers.
A statement that the trust has not been revoked, modified or amended in any manner that would cause the representations included in the certificate of trust to be incorrect.
The certificate of trust may be signed or otherwise authenticated by the settlor, any trustee (including a successor trustee), or an attorney for the settlor or the trustee.
700.7913 Certificate of trust.
Sec. 7913.
(1) Instead of furnishing a copy of the trust instrument to a person other than a trust beneficiary, the trustee may furnish to the person a certificate of trust that must include all of the following information:
(a) The name of the trust, the date of the trust, and the date of each operative trust instrument.
(b) The name and address of each current trustee.
(c) The powers of the trustee relating to the purposes for which the certificate of trust is being offered.
(d) The revocability or irrevocability of the trust and the identity of any person holding a power to revoke the trust.
(e) The authority of cotrustees to sign on behalf of the trust or otherwise authenticate on behalf of the trust and whether all or less than all of the cotrustees are required to exercise powers of the trustee.
(2) A certificate of trust may be signed or otherwise authenticated by the settlor, any trustee, or an attorney for the settlor or trustee. The certificate must be in the form of an affidavit.
(3) A certificate of trust must state that the trust has not been revoked, modified, or amended in any manner that would cause the representations included in the certificate of trust to be incorrect.
(4) A certificate of trust need not include the dispositive terms of the trust instrument.
(5) A recipient of a certificate of trust may require the trustee to furnish copies of those excerpts from each trust instrument that designate the trustee and confer on the trustee the power to act in the pending transaction.
(6) A person that acts in reliance on a certificate of trust without knowledge that the representations included in the certificate of trust are incorrect is not liable to any person for so acting and may assume without inquiry the existence of the trust and other facts included in the certificate of trust.
(7) A person that in good faith enters into a transaction in reliance on a certificate of trust may enforce the transaction against the trust property as if the representations included in the certificate of trust were correct.
(8) A person that makes a demand for the trust instrument in addition to a certificate of trust or excerpts of the trust instrument is liable for damages, costs, expenses, and legal fees if the court determines that the person that made the demand did not act pursuant to a legal requirement to demand the trust instrument.
(9) This section does not limit the right of a person to obtain a copy of the trust instrument in a judicial proceeding that concerns the trust.
(Michigan COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example) For use in Michigan only.
Important: Your property must be located in Berrien County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the county recording office listed above.
This Certificate of Trust MCL 700.7913 meets all recording requirements specific to Berrien County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Berrien County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.
Save Time and Money
Get your Berrien County Certificate of Trust MCL 700.7913 form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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James E. 5 out of 5 stars
Forms were available for immediate download. Examples were helpful in completing form.
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A. S. 3 out of 5 stars
First, I am glad that you gave a blank copy, an example copy, and a 'guide'. It made it much easier to do. Overall I was very happy with your products and organization... however, things got pretty confusing and I have a pretty 'serious' law background in Real Estate and Civil law. With that said, I spent about 10+ hours getting my work done, using the Deed of Trust and Promissory note from you and there were a few problems: First, it would be FANTASTIC if you actually aligned your guide to actually match the Deed or Promissory Note. What I mean is that if the Deed says 'section (E)' then your guide shouldn't be 'randomly' numbered as 1,2,3, for advice/instructions, but should EXACTLY match 'section (E)'. Some places you have to 'hunt' for what you are looking for, and if you did it based on my suggestion, you wouldn't need to 'hunt' and it would avoid confusion. 2nd: This one really 'hurt'... you had something called the 'Deed of Trust Master Form' yet you had basically no information on what it was or how to use it. The only information you had was a small section at the top of the 'Short Form Deed of Trust Guide'. Holy Cow, was that 'section' super confusing. I still don't know if I did it correctly, but your guide says only put a return address on it and leave the rest of the 16 or so page Deed of Trust beneath it blank... and then include your 'Deed of Trust' (I had to assume the short form deed that I had just created) as part of it. I had to assume that I had to print off the entire 17 page or so title page and blank deed. I also had to assume that the promissory note was supposed to be EXHIBIT A or B on the Short Form Deed. It would be great if someone would take a serious look at that short section in your 'Short Form Deed of Trust Guide' and realize that those of us using your products are seriously turning this into a county clerk to file and that most of us, probably already have a property that has an existing Deed... or at least can find one in the county records if necessary... and make sure that you make a distinction between the Deed for the property that already exists, versus the Deed of Trust and Promissory note that we are trying to file. Thanks.
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