Mich. Comp. Laws § § 125.541

Hearing; testimony; determination to close proceedings or order building or structure demolished, made safe, or properly maintained; failure to appear or noncompliance with order; hearing; enforcement; reimbursement and notice of cost; lien; remedies.

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

Operative Text

Mich. Comp. Laws § § 125.541
Sec. 141.

(1) At a hearing prescribed by section 140, the hearing officer shall take testimony of the enforcing agency, the owner of the property, and any interested party. Not more than 5 days after completion of the hearing, the hearing officer shall render a decision either closing the proceedings or ordering the building or structure demolished, otherwise made safe, or properly maintained.

(2) If the hearing officer determines that the building or structure should be demolished, otherwise made safe, or properly maintained, the hearing officer shall enter an order that specifies what action the owner, agent, or lessee shall take and sets a date by which the owner, agent, or lessee shall comply with the order. If the building is a dangerous building under section 139(j), the order may require the owner or agent to maintain the exterior of the building and adjoining grounds owned by the owner of the building including, but not limited to, the maintenance of lawns, trees, and shrubs.

(3) If the owner, agent, or lessee fails to appear or neglects or refuses to comply with the order issued under subsection (2), the hearing officer shall file a report of the findings and a copy of the order with the legislative body of the city, village, or township not more than 5 days after the date for compliance set in the order and request that necessary action be taken to enforce the order. If the legislative body of the city, village, or township has established a board of appeals under section 141c, the hearing officer shall file the report of the findings and a copy of the order with the board of appeals and request that necessary action be taken to enforce the order. A copy of the findings and order of the hearing officer shall be served on the owner, agent, or lessee in the manner prescribed in section 140.

(4) The legislative body or the board of appeals of the city, village, or township, as applicable, shall set a date not less than 30 days after the hearing prescribed in section 140 for a hearing on the findings and order of the hearing officer. The legislative body or the board of appeals shall give notice to the owner, agent, or lessee in the manner prescribed in section 140 of the time and place of the hearing. At the hearing, the owner, agent, or lessee shall be given the opportunity to show cause why the order should not be enforced. The legislative body or the board of appeals of the city, village, or township shall either approve, disapprove, or modify the order. If the legislative body or board of appeals approves or modifies the order, the legislative body shall take all necessary action to enforce the order. If the order is approved or modified, the owner, agent, or lessee shall comply with the order within 60 days after the date of the hearing under this subsection. For an order of demolition, if the legislative body or the board of appeals of the city, village, or township determines that the building or structure has been substantially destroyed by fire, wind, flood, deterioration, neglect, abandonment, vandalism, or other cause, and the cost of repair of the building or structure will be greater than the state equalized value of the building or structure, the owner, agent, or lessee shall comply with the order of demolition within 21 days after the date of the hearing under this subsection. If the estimated cost of repair exceeds the state equalized value of the building or structure to be repaired, a rebuttable presumption that the building or structure requires immediate demolition exists.

(5) The cost of demolition includes, but is not limited to, fees paid to hearing officers, costs of title searches or commitments used to determine the parties in interest, recording fees for notices and liens filed with the county register of deeds, demolition and dumping charges, court reporter attendance fees, and costs of the collection of the charges authorized under this act. The cost of the demolition, of making the building safe, or of maintaining the exterior of the building or structure or grounds adjoining the building or structure incurred by the city, village, or township to bring the property into conformance with this act shall be reimbursed to the city, village, or township by the owner or party in interest in whose name the property appears.

(6) The owner or party in interest in whose name the property appears upon the last local tax assessment records shall be notified by the assessor of the amount of the cost of the demolition, of making the building safe, or of maintaining the exterior of the building or structure or grounds adjoining the building or structure by first class mail at the address shown on the records. If the owner or party in interest fails to pay the cost within 30 days after mailing by the assessor of the notice of the amount of the cost, the city, village, or township shall have a lien for the cost incurred by the city, village, or township to bring the property into conformance with this act. The lien shall not take effect until notice of the lien has been filed or recorded as provided by law. A lien provided for in this subsection does not have priority over previously filed or recorded liens and encumbrances. The lien for the cost shall be collected and treated in the same manner as provided for property tax liens under the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.1 to 211.157.

(7) In addition to other remedies under this act, the city, village, or township may bring an action against the owner of the building or structure for the full cost of the demolition, of making the building safe, or of maintaining the exterior of the building or structure or grounds adjoining the building or structure. A city, village, or township shall have a lien on the property for the amount of a judgment obtained under this subsection. The lien provided for in this subsection shall not take effect until notice of the lien is filed or recorded as provided by law. The lien does not have priority over prior filed or recorded liens and encumbrances.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Michigan MCL § 125.541 establishes a structured process by which a hearing officer evaluates dangerous or poorly maintained buildings and can order demolition, safety repairs, or exterior upkeep. If an owner, agent, or lessee fails to comply with such an order, the matter escalates to the local legislative body or a board of appeals, which holds a second hearing and can approve, modify, or reject the order. When a municipality carries out the required work itself after noncompliance, it may recover those costs through a lien on the property or a civil court judgment against the owner, with the lien treated similarly to a property tax lien under Michigan law.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under MCL § 125.541, property owners who receive a hearing officer's order to demolish, repair, or maintain a building are generally expected to act within the deadlines specified in that order—typically 60 days after a legislative body or board of appeals hearing, or as few as 21 days when a structure has been substantially destroyed and demolition costs exceed the state equalized value. Operators who do not comply risk the municipality performing the work and then billing them for all associated costs, including hearing fees, title searches, and demolition charges. Those unreimbursed costs can become a lien on the property, collected in the same manner as property tax liens, and the municipality may also pursue a separate court judgment for the full amount.

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

For Tenants

MCL § 125.541 gives tenants and other interested parties the right to provide testimony at the initial hearing before a hearing officer, making it a formal opportunity to place concerns about a building's condition on the record. If an order is issued and the owner does not comply, the law requires a second hearing before the local legislative body or board of appeals, where interested parties may again have the opportunity to participate and show cause. Tenants who believe a building is dangerous or improperly maintained may wish to contact their local municipal enforcing agency, consult a tenant-rights organization, or review the full process outlined in MCL § 125.541 to understand what enforcement options exist at the local level.

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

MCL section 14
Not yet ingested
section 140 of the time and place of the hearing. At the hearing
Not yet ingested
1893 PA 206
Not yet ingested
MCL § 211.1
Not yet ingested
MCL § 211.157
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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