Mich. Comp. Laws § 560.109 — MI Code / Chapter 560 / Act Act-288-of-1967 / Section 560.109
Approval or disapproval of proposed division; requirements; exemption from platting requirements; notice of transfer; form; sale of unplatted land; statement contained in deed; ordinance; approval not determination of compliance; effect of failure to comply.
Status: in_force

Sec. 109.

(1) A municipality shall approve or disapprove a proposed division within 45 days after the filing of a complete application for the proposed division with the assessor or other municipally designated official. However, a municipality with a population of 2,500 or less may enter into an agreement with a county to transfer to the county authority to approve or disapprove a division. An application is complete if it contains information necessary to ascertain whether the requirements of section 108 and this section are met. The assessor or other municipally designated official, or the county official, having authority to approve or disapprove a proposed division, shall provide the person who filed the application written notice whether the application is approved or disapproved and, if disapproved, all the reasons for disapproval. A complete application for a proposed division shall be approved if, in addition to the requirements of section 108, all of the following requirements are met:

(a) Each resulting parcel has an adequate and accurate legal description and is included in a tentative parcel map showing area, parcel lines, public utility easements, accessibility, and other requirements of this section and section 108. The tentative parcel map shall be a scale drawing showing the approximate dimensions of the parcels.

(b) Each resulting parcel has a depth of not more than 4 times the width or, if an ordinance referred to in subsection (5) requires a smaller depth to width ratio, a depth to width ratio as required by the ordinance. The municipality or county having authority to review proposed divisions may allow a greater depth to width ratio than that otherwise required by this subdivision or an ordinance referred to in subsection (5). The greater depth to width ratio shall be based on standards set forth in the ordinance referred to in subsection (5). The standards may include, but need not be limited to, exceptional topographic or physical conditions with respect to the parcel and compatibility with surrounding lands. The depth to width ratio requirements of this subdivision do not apply to a parcel larger than 10 acres, unless an ordinance referred to in subsection (5) provides otherwise, and do not apply to the remainder of the parent parcel or parent tract retained by the proprietor.

(c) Each resulting parcel has a width not less than that required by an ordinance referred to in subsection (5).

(d) Each resulting parcel has an area not less than that required by an ordinance referred to in subsection (5).

(e) Each resulting parcel is accessible.

(f) The division meets all of the requirements of section 108.

(g) Each resulting parcel that is a development site has adequate easements for public utilities from the parcel to existing public utility facilities.

(h) The division does not isolate a cemetery so that it does not meet the requirements of either section 102(j)( i ) or ( ii ).

(i) One of the following are satisfied:

( i ) All property taxes and special assessments due on the parcel or tract subject to the proposed division for the 5 years preceding the date of the application have been paid, as established by a certificate from the county treasurer of the county in which the parcel or tract is located. If the date of the application is on or after March 1 and before the local treasurer of the local tax collecting unit in which the parcel or tract is located has made his or her return of current delinquent taxes, the county treasurer shall include with his or her certification a notation that the return of current delinquent taxes was not available for examination. The official having authority to approve or disapprove the application shall not disapprove the application because the county treasurer's certification includes such a notation. The county treasurer shall collect a fee for a certification under this subdivision in an amount equal to the fee payable under section 1(2) of 1895 PA 161, MCL 48.101, for a certificate relating to the payment of taxes under section 135 of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.135.

( ii ) If property taxes or special assessments due on the parcel or tract subject to the proposed division have not been paid, the unpaid property taxes or special assessments have been apportioned by the township or city assessing officer as provided by section 53 of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.53. Any apportioned property taxes or special assessments are a lien against the parcels or tracts as apportioned by the assessing officer and shall be treated in the same manner as property taxes and special assessments of the year of the original assessment for the purpose of collection and sale for delinquent taxes under the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.1 to 211.155.

(2) The right to make divisions exempt from the platting requirements of this act under section 108 and this section can be transferred, but only from a parent parcel or parent tract to a parcel created from that parent parcel or parent tract. A proprietor transferring the right to make a division pursuant to this subsection shall within 45 days give written notice of the transfer to the assessor of the city or township where the property is located on a form prescribed by the state tax commission. The form shall include substantially the following questions in the mandatory information portion of the form:

(a) "Did the parent parcel or parent tract have any unallocated divisions under the land division act, 1967 PA 288, MCL 560.101 to 560.293?"

(b) "Were any unallocated divisions transferred to the newly created parcel? If so, state whether all were transferred or, if not, how many?"

(3) A person shall not sell a parcel of unplatted land unless the deed contains a statement as to whether the right to make further divisions exempt from the platting requirements of this act under this section and section 108 is proposed to be conveyed. The statement shall be in substantially the following form: "The grantor grants to the grantee the right to make [insert "zero", a number, or "all"] division(s) under section 108 of the land division act, 1967 PA 288, MCL 560.108.". In the absence of a statement conforming to the requirements of this subsection, the right to make divisions under section 108(2), (3), and (4) stays with the remainder of the parent tract or parent parcel retained by the grantor.

(4) All deeds for parcels of unplatted land within this state executed after March 31, 1997 shall contain the following statement: "This property may be located within the vicinity of farm land or a farm operation. Generally accepted agricultural and management practices which may generate noise, dust, odors, and other associated conditions may be used and are protected by the Michigan right to farm act.".

(5) The governing body of a municipality or the county board of commissioners of a county having authority to approve or disapprove a division may adopt an ordinance setting forth the standards authorized in subsection (1)(b), (c), and (d). The ordinance may establish a fee for a review of an application under this section and section 108. The fee shall not exceed the reasonable costs of providing the services for which the fee is charged.

(6) Approval of a division is not a determination that the resulting parcels comply with other ordinances or regulations.

(7) Compliance with this section is not a requirement for a deed to be received for record or recorded by a register of deeds.

History: Add. 1996, Act 591, Eff. Mar. 31, 1997; Am. 1997, Act 87, Imd. Eff. July 28, 1997; Am. 2012, Act 525, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2012; Am. 2017, Act 196, Eff. Mar. 13, 2018; Am. 2019, Act 23, Eff. Sept. 16, 2019