Revitalization in Michigan

Author(s): Center for Community Progress

Code enforcement that is used equitably, efficiently, and effectively is one of the most promising approaches to vacant, abandoned, and deteriorating properties at work in the United States today. Revitalization in Michigan: A Guide to Transforming VAD Properties through Code Enforcement is an overview of how Michigan communities can use code enforcement to reduce vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties. Michigan code enforcement includes provisions for things like property maintenance, nuisance abatement, transfer of property ownership, and demolition — and local leaders can use all of them to prevent and reduce vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated property.

Whether you are a local elected official, a member of building department staff, or a community leader striving to improve the condition of properties in your area, we hope this guide will help you enhance or expand your community’s code enforcement efforts. This guide includes information on the suite of code enforcement tools that are currently available in Michigan and is designed to help you assess which tools may be best suited for your community. This guide summarizes ten different code enforcement tools that we group accordingly into three general categories: (1) Compelling Compliance: Traditional Enforcement Tools, (2) Preventing Neglect: Proactive Regulation of Specific Property Types, and (3) Taking Action: Additional Enforcement Tools. We are not Michigan attorneys; the information summarized and the analysis included in this guide are not legal advice and are not intended to substitute for guidance and expertise of local legal counsel.