HB-4081, As Passed Senate, June 24, 2003                                    

    REPRINT                                                                     

    SUBSTITUTE FOR                                                              

    HOUSE BILL NO. 4081                                                         

(As Passed the House, April 3, 2003)                                        

                                                                             A bill to amend 1917 PA 167, entitled                                             

"Housing law of Michigan,"                                                  

by amending sections 139, 141, and 142 (MCL 125.539, 125.541, and           

125.542), as amended by 1992 PA 144.                                        

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 139.  As used in sections 138 to 142, "dangerous                       

2   building" means a building or structure that has 1 or more of the           

3   following defects or is in 1 or more of the following                       

4   conditions:                                                                 

5       (a) A door, aisle, passageway, stairway, or other means of                  

6   exit does not conform to the approved fire code of the city,                

7   village, or township in which the building or structure is                  

8   located.                                                                    

9       (b) A portion of the building or structure is damaged by                    

10  fire, wind, flood, deterioration, neglect, abandonment,                     

1   vandalism, or other cause so that the structural strength or                

2   stability of the building or structure is appreciably less than             

3   it was before the  catastrophe damage and does not meet the                

4   minimum requirements of this act or a building code of the city,            

5   village, or township in which the building or structure is                  

6   located for a new building or structure, purpose, or location.              

7       (c) A part of the building or structure is likely to fall,                  

8   become detached or dislodged, or collapse and injure persons or             

9   damage property.                                                            

10      (d) A portion of the building or structure has settled to                   

11  such  an extent that walls or other structural portions of the             

12  building or structure have materially less resistance to wind               

13  than is required in the case of new construction by this act or a           

14  building code of the city, village, or township in which the                

15  building or structure is located.                                           

16      (e) The building or structure, or a part of the building or                 

17  structure, because of dilapidation, deterioration, decay, faulty            

18  construction,  or  the removal or movement of some portion of the           

19  ground necessary for the support, or for other reason, is likely            

20  to partially or completely collapse, or some portion of the                 

21  foundation or underpinning of the building or structure is likely           

22  to fall or give way.                                                        

23      (f) The building, structure, or a part of the building or                   

24  structure is manifestly unsafe for the purpose for which it is              

25  used.                                                                       

26      (g) The building or structure is damaged by fire, wind, or                  

27  flood,  or  is dilapidated or deteriorated and becomes an                   

1   attractive nuisance to children who might play in the building or           

2   structure to their danger,  or  becomes a harbor for vagrants,              

3   criminals, or immoral persons, or enables persons to resort to              

4   the building or structure for committing a nuisance or an                   

5   unlawful or immoral act.                                                    

6       (h) A building or structure used or intended to be used for                 

7   dwelling purposes, including the adjoining grounds, because of              

8   dilapidation, decay, damage, faulty construction or arrangement,            

9   or  otherwise for other reason, is unsanitary or unfit for human           

10  habitation, is in a condition that the health officer determines            

11  is likely to cause sickness or disease, or is likely to injure              

12  the health, safety, or general welfare of people living in the              

13  dwelling.                                                                   

14      (i) A building or structure is vacant, dilapidated, and open                

15  at door or window, leaving the interior of the building exposed             

16  to the elements or accessible to entrance by trespassers.                   

17      (j) A building or structure remains unoccupied for a period                 

18  of 180 consecutive days or longer, and is not listed as being               

19  available for sale, lease, or rent with a real estate broker                

20  licensed under article 25 of the occupational code,  Act No. 299            

21  of the Public Acts of 1980, being sections 339.2501 to 339.2515             

22  of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2401 to                 

23  339.2518.  For purposes of this subdivision, "building or                   

24  structure" includes, but is not limited to, a commercial building           

25  or structure.  This subdivision does not apply to either of the             

26  following:                                                                  

27                                                                               (i) A building or structure  as to which if the owner or                           

1   agent does both of the following:                                           

2       (A) Notifies a local law enforcement agency in whose                        

3   jurisdiction the building or structure is located that the                  

4   building or structure will remain unoccupied for a period of 180            

5   consecutive days.  The notice shall be given to the local law               

6   enforcement agency by the owner or agent not more than 30 days              

7   after the building or structure becomes unoccupied.                         

8       (B) Maintains the exterior of the building or structure and                 

9   adjoining grounds in accordance with this act or a building code            

10  of the city, village, or township in which the building or                  

11  structure is located.                                                       

12      (ii) A secondary dwelling of the owner that is regularly                     

13  unoccupied for a period of 180 days or longer each year, if the             

14  owner notifies a local law enforcement agency in whose                      

15  jurisdiction the dwelling is located that the dwelling will                 

16  remain unoccupied for a period of 180 consecutive days or more              

17  each year.  An owner who has given the notice prescribed by this            

18  subparagraph shall notify the law enforcement agency not more               

19  than 30 days after the dwelling no longer qualifies for this                

20  exception.  As used in this subparagraph, "secondary dwelling"              

21  means a dwelling,  such as including, but not limited to, a                

22  vacation home, hunting cabin, or summer home, that is occupied by           

23  the owner or a member of the owner's family during part of a                

24  year.                                                                       

25      Sec. 141.  (1) At a hearing prescribed by section 140, the                  

26  hearing officer shall take testimony of the enforcing agency, the           

27  owner of the property, and any interested party.  Not more than 5           

1   days after completion of the hearing, the hearing officer shall             

2   render a decision either closing the proceedings or ordering the            

3   building or structure demolished, otherwise made safe, or                   

4   properly maintained.                                                        

5       (2) If the hearing officer determines that the building or                  

6   structure should be demolished, otherwise made safe, or properly            

7   maintained, the hearing officer shall  so order, fixing a time in           

8   the order for enter an order that specifies what action the                

9   owner, agent, or lessee shall take and sets a date by which the             

10  owner, agent, or lessee  to shall comply with the order.  If the           

11  building is a dangerous building under section 139(j), the order            

12  may require the owner or agent to maintain the exterior of the              

13  building and adjoining grounds owned by the owner of the building           

14  including, but not limited to, the maintenance of lawns, trees,             

15  and shrubs.                                                                 

16      (3) If the owner, agent, or lessee fails to appear or                       

17  neglects or refuses to comply with the order issued under                   

18  subsection (2), the hearing officer shall file a report of the              

19  findings and a copy of the order with the legislative body of the           

20  city, village, or township not more than 5 days after                       

21  noncompliance by the owner the date for compliance set in the             

22  order and request that necessary action be taken to enforce the             

23  order.  If the legislative body of the city, village, or township           

24  has established a board of appeals  pursuant to under

25  section 141c, the hearing officer shall file the report of the              

26  findings and a copy of the order with the board of appeals and              

27  request that necessary action be taken to enforce the order.  A             

1   copy of the findings and order of the hearing officer shall be              

2   served on the owner, agent, or lessee in the manner prescribed in           

3   section 140.                                                                

4       (4) The legislative body or the board of appeals of the city,               

5   village, or township, as applicable, shall  fix set a date not             

6   less than 30 days after the hearing prescribed in section 140 for           

7   a hearing on the findings and order of the hearing officer.  and

8   The legislative body or the board of appeals shall give notice to           

9   the owner, agent, or lessee in the manner prescribed in section             

10  140 of the time and place of the hearing.  At the hearing, the              

11  owner, agent, or lessee shall be given the opportunity to show              

12  cause why the order should not be enforced.  The legislative body           

13  or the board of appeals of the city, village, or township shall             

14  either approve, disapprove, or modify the order.  If the                    

15  legislative body or board of appeals approves or modifies the               

16  order, the legislative body shall take all necessary action to              

17  enforce the order.  If the order is approved or modified, the               

18  owner, agent, or lessee shall comply with the order within 60               

19  days after the date of the hearing under this subsection.   In              

20  the case of For an order of demolition, if the legislative body            

21  or the board of appeals of the city, village, or township                   

22  determines that the building or structure has been substantially            

23  destroyed by fire, wind, flood, deterioration, neglect,                     

24  abandonment, vandalism, or other  natural disaster cause, and              

25  the cost of repair of the building or structure will be greater             

26  than the state equalized value of the building or structure, the            

27  owner, agent, or lessee shall comply with the order of demolition           

1   within 21 days after the date of the hearing under this                     

2   subsection.  If the estimated cost of repair exceeds the state              

3   equalized value of the building or structure to be repaired, a rebuttable   

4   presumption that the building or structure requires immediate               

5   demolition exists.

6       (5) The cost of demolition includes, but is not limited to,                 

7   fees paid to hearing officers, costs of title searches or                   

8   commitments used to determine the parties in interest, recording            

9   fees for notices and liens filed with the county register of                

10  deeds, demolition and dumping charges, court reporter attendance            

11  fees, and costs of the collection of the charges authorized under           

12  this act. The cost of the demolition, of making the building                

13  safe, or of maintaining the exterior of the building or structure           

14  ,  or grounds adjoining the building or structure incurred by              

15  the city, village, or township to bring the property into                   

16  conformance with this act shall be reimbursed to the city,                  

17  village, or township by the owner or party in interest in whose             

18  name the property appears.                                                  

19      (6) The owner or party in interest in whose name the property               

20  appears upon the last local tax assessment records shall be                 

21  notified by the assessor of the amount of the cost of the                   

22  demolition, of making the building safe, or of maintaining the              

23  exterior of the building or structure or grounds adjoining the              

24  building or structure by first class mail at the address shown on           

25  the records.  If the owner or party in interest fails to pay the            

26  cost within 30 days after mailing by the assessor of the notice             

27  of the amount of the cost, the city, village, or township shall             

1   have a lien for the cost incurred by the city, village, or                  

2   township to bring the property into conformance with this act.              

3   The lien shall not take effect until notice of the lien has been            

4   filed or recorded as provided by law.  A lien provided for in               

5   this subsection does not have priority over previously filed or             

6   recorded liens and encumbrances.  The lien for the cost shall be            

7   collected and treated in the same manner as provided for property           

8   tax liens under the general property tax act,  Act No. 206 of the           

9   Public Acts of 1893, being sections 211.1 to 211.157 of the                 

10  Michigan Compiled Laws 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.1 to 211.157.                  

11      (7) In addition to other remedies under this act, the city,                 

12  village, or township may bring an action against the owner of the           

13  building or structure for the full cost of the demolition, of               

14  making the building safe, or of maintaining the exterior of the             

15  building or structure or grounds adjoining the building or                  

16  structure.  A city, village, or township shall have a lien on the           

17  property for the amount of a judgment obtained  pursuant to

18  under this subsection.  The lien provided for in this subsection            

19  shall not take effect until notice of the lien is filed or                  

20  recorded as provided by law.  The lien does not have priority               

21  over prior filed or recorded liens and encumbrances.                        

22      Sec. 142.  An owner aggrieved by  any a final decision or                  

23  order of the legislative body or the board of appeals under                 

24  section 141 may appeal the decision or order to the circuit court           

25  by filing a petition for an order of superintending control                 

26  within 20 days from the date of the decision.