Mich. Comp. Laws § § 125.534

Noncompliance with notice of violation; actions; parties; motion for temporary relief; service of complaint and summons; filing notice of pendency of action; orders and determinations; repair or removal of structure; exception; costs; order approving expenses; lien; authority of municipality; “urban core cities” defined.

In Force
Verified 10/13/2026 · Next check 10/20/2026
effective 10/12/2026MichiganHabitability & Repair

Operative Text

Mich. Comp. Laws § § 125.534
Sec. 134.

(1) If the owner or occupant fails to comply with the order contained in the notice of violation, the enforcing agency may bring an action to enforce this act and to abate or enjoin the violation.

(2) An owner or occupant of the premises upon which a violation exists may bring an action to enforce this act in his or her own name. Upon application by the enforcing agency, or upon motion of the party filing the complaint, the local enforcing agency may be substituted for, or joined with, the complainant in the discretion of the court.

(3) If the violation is uncorrected and creates an imminent danger to the health and safety of the occupants of the premises, or if there are no occupants and the violation creates an imminent danger to the health and safety of the public, the enforcing agency shall file a motion for a preliminary injunction or other temporary relief appropriate to remove the danger during the pendency of the action.

(4) Owners and lienholders of record or owners and lienholders ascertained by the complainant with the exercise of reasonable diligence shall be served with a copy of the complaint and a summons. The complainant shall also file a notice of the pendency of the action with the appropriate county register of deeds office where the premises are located.

(5) The court of jurisdiction shall make orders and determinations consistent with the objectives of this act. The court may enjoin the maintenance of unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary conditions, or violations of this act, and may order the defendant to make repairs or corrections necessary to abate the conditions. The court may authorize the enforcing agency to repair or to remove the building or structure. If an occupant is not the cause of an unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary condition, or a violation of this act, and is the complainant, the court may authorize the occupant to correct the violation and deduct the cost from the rent upon terms the court determines just. If the court finds that the occupant is the cause of an unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary condition, or a violation of this act, the court may authorize the owner to correct the violation and assess the cost against the occupant or the occupant's security deposit.

(6) A building or structure shall not be removed unless the cost of repair of the building or structure will be greater than the state equalized value of the building or structure except in urban core cities or local units of government that are adjacent to or contiguous to an urban core city that have adopted stricter standards to expedite the rehabilitation or removal of a boarded or abandoned building or structure that remains either vacant or boarded, or both, and a significant attempt has not been made to rehabilitate the building or structure for a period of 24 consecutive months.

(7) If the expense of repair or removal is not provided for, the court may enter an order approving the expense and placing a lien on the real property for the payment of the expense. The order may establish and provide for the priority of the lien as a senior lien, except as to tax and assessment liens, and except as to a recorded mortgage of first priority, recorded prior to all other liens of record if, at the time of recording of that mortgage or at a time subsequent, a certificate of compliance as provided for in this act is in effect on the subject property. The order may also specify the time and manner for foreclosure of the lien if the lien is not satisfied. A true copy of the order shall be filed with the appropriate county register of deeds office where the real property is located within 10 days after entry of the order to perfect the lien granted in the order.

(8) This act does not preempt, preclude, or interfere with the authority of a municipality to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public through ordinance, charter, or other means.

(9) As used in this section, "urban core cities" means qualified local governmental units as that term is defined in section 2 of the obsolete property rehabilitation act, 2000 PA 146, MCL 125.2782.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Michigan's MCL § 125.534 establishes the legal pathways available when a property owner or occupant fails to comply with a housing violation notice. The enforcing agency—or even the owner or occupant themselves—may bring a court action to enforce the state's housing code and stop the violation. Courts are empowered to order repairs, authorize the agency to fix or demolish a structure, and in certain circumstances allow an innocent occupant to make repairs and deduct the cost from rent, or allow an owner to charge repair costs back to an occupant who caused the problem. A lien may be placed on the property to cover repair or removal expenses, and the law preserves local governments' authority to set their own additional standards.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 13, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under MCL § 125.534, property owners who receive a notice of violation and do not comply risk having the enforcing agency—or even their own tenants—initiate court action against them. Compliant operators generally address violations promptly after receiving notice, maintain records of repairs, and ensure that all lienholders of record are kept informed if litigation arises. Owners should also be aware that courts can authorize repair or demolition and place a senior lien on the property for associated costs, making timely remediation a sound operational practice.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

MCL § 125.534 gives occupants who are not the cause of a housing violation the right to bring their own court action to enforce Michigan's housing code, and a court may authorize such a tenant to make necessary repairs and deduct the cost from rent on terms the court finds fair. If a violation goes uncorrected and creates an imminent danger, the enforcing agency is required to seek emergency court relief to protect occupants. Tenants who believe their housing conditions violate the code may consider contacting their local enforcing agency, raising the violation as a defense in any related proceedings, or reaching out to a tenant-rights organization to understand the options available under this provision.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Expression #1
Oct 12, 2026
Current
Oct 12, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

section 2 of the obsolete property rehabilitation act
Not yet ingested
2000 PA 146
Not yet ingested
MCL § 125.2782
Not yet ingested

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

MCL § 125.401
MCL § 125.408
MCL § 125.407
MCL § 125.531
MCL § 125.539
MCL § 125.540
MCL § 125.541c
MCL § 125.541
MCL § 125.539
MCL § 125.541
MCL § 125.402
MCL § 125.525
MCL § 125.467
MCL § 125.541
MCL § 125.402
MCL § 125.541
MCL § 125.534
MCL § 125.531
MCL § 125.532
MCL § 125.495
MCL § 125.543
MCL § 125.526
MCL § 125.527

Related Rules

§ 244.260
Compliance required
§ 14.567
ADOPTED BY REFERENCE
§ 244.340
Sewer and water connections

Source Information

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Fetched:Oct 13, 2026, 02:17 AM UTC