HOUSE BILL No. 5451

 

November 8, 2007, Introduced by Rep. Bennett and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1967 PA 288, entitled

 

"Land division act,"

 

by amending sections 102, 117, and 118 (MCL 560.102, 560.117, and

 

560.118), section 102 as amended by 1996 PA 591 and sections 117

 

and 118 as amended by 2004 PA 525.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 102. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Department" means the department of environmental

 

quality.

 

     (b) "Detroit consumer price index" means the most

 

comprehensive index of consumer prices available for the Detroit

 

area from the United States department of labor, bureau of labor

 

statistics.

 

     (c) (a) "Plat" means a map or chart of a subdivision of land.


 

     (d) (b) "Land" means all land areas occupied by real property.

 

     (e) (c) "Preliminary plat" means a map showing the salient

 

features of a proposed subdivision submitted to an approving

 

authority for purposes of preliminary consideration.

 

     (f) (d) "Division" means the partitioning or splitting of a

 

parcel or tract of land by the proprietor thereof or by his or her

 

heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives,

 

successors, or assigns for the purpose of sale, or lease of more

 

than 1 year, or of building development that results in 1 or more

 

parcels of less than 40 acres or the equivalent, and that satisfies

 

the requirements of sections 108 and 109. Division does not include

 

a property transfer between 2 or more adjacent parcels, if the

 

property taken from 1 parcel is added to an adjacent parcel; and

 

any resulting parcel shall not be considered a building site unless

 

the parcel conforms to the requirements of this act or the

 

requirements of an applicable local ordinance.

 

     (g) (e) "Exempt split" means the partitioning or splitting of

 

a parcel or tract of land by the proprietor thereof or by his or

 

her heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives,

 

successors, or assigns that does not result in 1 or more parcels of

 

less than 40 acres or the equivalent. For a property transfer

 

between 2 or more adjacent parcels, if the property taken from 1

 

parcel is added to an adjacent parcel, any resulting parcel shall

 

not be considered a building site unless the parcel conforms to the

 

requirements of this act or the requirements of an applicable local

 

ordinance.

 

     (h) (f) "Subdivide" or "subdivision" means the partitioning or


 

splitting of a parcel or tract of land by the proprietor thereof or

 

by his or her heirs, executors, administrators, legal

 

representatives, successors, or assigns for the purpose of sale, or

 

lease of more than 1 year, or of building development that results

 

in 1 or more parcels of less than 40 acres or the equivalent, and

 

that is not exempted from the platting requirements of this act by

 

sections 108 and 109. "Subdivide" or "subdivision" does not include

 

a property transfer between 2 or more adjacent parcels, if the

 

property taken from 1 parcel is added to an adjacent parcel; and

 

any resulting parcel shall not be considered a building site unless

 

the parcel conforms to the requirements of this act or the

 

requirements of an applicable local ordinance.

 

     (i) (g) "Parcel" means a continuous area or acreage of land

 

which can be described as provided for in this act.

 

     (j) (h) "Tract" means 2 or more parcels that share a common

 

property line and are under the same ownership.

 

     (k) (i) "Parent parcel" or "parent tract" means a parcel or

 

tract, respectively, lawfully in existence on the effective date of

 

the amendatory act that added this subdivision.

 

     (l) (j) "Accessible", in reference to a parcel, means that the

 

parcel meets 1 or both of the following requirements:

 

     (i) Has an area where a driveway provides vehicular access to

 

an existing road or street and meets all applicable location

 

standards of the state transportation department or county road

 

commission under Act No. 200 of the Public Acts of 1969, being

 

sections 247.321 to 247.329 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1969 PA

 

200, MCL 247.321 to 247.329, and of the city or village, or has an


 

area where a driveway can provide vehicular access to an existing

 

road or street and meet all such applicable location standards.

 

     (ii) Is served by an existing easement that provides vehicular

 

access to an existing road or street and that meets all applicable

 

location standards of the state transportation department or county

 

road commission under Act No. 200 of the Public Acts of 1969 1969

 

PA 200, MCL 247.321 to 247.329, and of the city or village, or can

 

be served by a proposed easement that will provide vehicular access

 

to an existing road or street and that will meet all such

 

applicable location standards.

 

     (m) (k) "Development site" means any parcel or lot on which

 

exists or which is intended for building development other than the

 

following:

 

     (i) Agricultural use involving the production of plants and

 

animals useful to humans, including forages and sod crops; grains,

 

feed crops, and field crops; dairy animals and dairy products;

 

poultry and poultry products; livestock, including breeding and

 

grazing of cattle, swine, and similar animals; berries; herbs;

 

flowers; seeds; grasses; nursery stock; fruits; vegetables;

 

Christmas trees; and other similar uses and activities.

 

     (ii) Forestry use involving the planting, management, or

 

harvesting of timber.

 

     (n) (l) "Forty acres or the equivalent" means 40 acres, a

 

quarter-quarter section containing not less than 30 acres, or a

 

government lot containing not less than 30 acres.

 

     (o) (m) "Lot" means a measured portion of a parcel or tract of

 

land, which is described and fixed in a recorded plat.


 

     (p) (n) "Outlot", when included within the boundary of a

 

recorded plat, means a lot set aside for purposes other than a

 

development site, park, or other land dedicated to public use or

 

reserved to private use.

 

     (q) (o) "Proprietor" means a natural person, firm,

 

association, partnership, corporation, or combination of any of

 

them that holds an ownership interest in land whether recorded or

 

not.

 

     (r) (p) "Governing body" means the legislative body of a city

 

or village or the township board of a township.

 

     (s) (q) "Municipality" means a township, city, or village.

 

     (t) (r) "County plat board" means the register of deeds, who

 

shall act as chairperson, the county clerk, who shall act as

 

secretary, and the county treasurer. If the offices of county clerk

 

and register of deeds have been combined, the chairperson of the

 

board of supervisors shall be a member of the plat board and shall

 

act as chairperson. In a county where a board of auditors is

 

authorized by law such board may elect to serve on the county plat

 

board by adopting a resolution so ordering. A copy of the recorded

 

resolution shall be sent to the state treasurer.

 

     (u) (s) "Public utility" means all persons, firms,

 

corporations, copartnerships, or municipal or other public

 

authority providing gas, electricity, water, steam, telephone,

 

sewer, or other services of a similar nature.

 

     (v) (t) "Caption" means the name by which the plat is legally

 

and commonly known.

 

     (w) (u) "Replat" means the process of changing, or the map or


 

plat which changes, the boundaries of a recorded subdivision plat

 

or part thereof. The legal dividing of an outlot within a recorded

 

subdivision plat without changing the exterior boundaries of the

 

outlot is not a replat.

 

     (x) (v) "Surveyor" means a professional surveyor licensed

 

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

 

Public Acts of 1980, being sections 339.2001 to 339.2014 of the

 

Michigan Compiled Laws 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2001 to 339.2014.

 

     (y) (w) "Engineer" means a civil engineer who is a

 

professional engineer licensed under article 20 of the occupational

 

code, Act No. 299 of the Public Acts of 1980, being sections

 

339.2001 to 339.2014 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1980 PA 299, MCL

 

339.2001 to 339.2014.

 

     (z) (x) "Government survey" means the land surveyed,

 

subdivided and monumented by the United States public land survey.

 

     (aa) (y) "Michigan coordinate system" means the system defined

 

in Act No. 9 of the Public Acts of 1964, being sections 54.231 to

 

54.239 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1964 PA 9, MCL 54.231 to

 

54.239.

 

     (bb) (z) "Alley" means a public or private right of way shown

 

on a plat which provides secondary access to a lot, block, or

 

parcel of land.

 

     (cc) (aa) "Health department" means the department, of

 

environmental quality, a city health department, a county health

 

department, or a district health department, whichever has

 

jurisdiction.

 

     (dd) (bb) "Public sewer" means a sewerage system as defined in


 

section 4101 of part 41 (sewerage systems) of the natural resources

 

and environmental protection act, Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of

 

1994, being section 324.4101 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1994 PA

 

451, MCL 324.4101.

 

     (ee) (cc) "Public water" means a system of pipes and

 

structures through which water is obtained and distributed to the

 

public, including wells and well structures, intakes, and cribs,

 

pumping stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, storage tanks and

 

appurtenances, collectively or severally, actually used or intended

 

for use for the purpose of furnishing water to the public for

 

household or drinking purposes.

 

     (ff) (dd) "Topographical map" means a map showing existing

 

physical characteristics, with contour lines at sufficient

 

intervals to permit determination of proposed grades and drainage.

 

     (gg) (ee) "Flood plain" means that area of land adjoining the

 

channel of a river, stream, water course, lake, or other similar

 

body of water which will be inundated by a flood which can

 

reasonably be expected for that region.

 

     Sec. 117. (1) The proprietor shall submit 2 copies of the

 

preliminary plat to the department of environmental quality, if any

 

of the subdivision lies wholly or in part within the floodplain of

 

a river, stream, creek, or lake. The department of environmental

 

quality, within 30 days after receipt of the preliminary plat,

 

shall approve it, approve it subject to conditions, or reject it.

 

If the preliminary plat is approved, the department of

 

environmental quality shall note its approval on the copy to be

 

returned to the proprietor. If the department of environmental


 

quality approves the preliminary plat subject to conditions or

 

rejects the preliminary plat, the department shall give the reasons

 

for rejection and requirements for approval in writing to the

 

proprietor and to each of the other officers and agencies to which

 

the proprietor was required to submit the preliminary plat under

 

sections 113 to 115 and 117 to 119. The determination of a

 

floodplain area shall be based on rules specified in section

 

105(f).

 

     (2) The preliminary plat submittal to the department of

 

environmental quality under subsection (1) shall be accompanied by

 

a fee of $500.00 $1,750.00 to cover the administrative cost of the

 

department's preliminary plat review. If the department of

 

environmental quality determines that engineering computations are

 

required to establish the limits of the floodplain on a preliminary

 

plat, the department shall assess an additional fee of $1,500.00

 

$2,500.00 to cover the department's cost of establishing those

 

limits.

 

     (3) The department shall adjust the fees under subsection (2)

 

in 2010 and every fifth year thereafter by an amount determined by

 

the state treasurer to reflect the cumulative annual percentage

 

change in the Detroit consumer price index, rounded to the nearest

 

dollar.

 

     (4) (3) The department of environmental quality shall forward

 

fees collected under this section to the state treasurer for

 

deposit in the land and water management permit fee fund created in

 

section 30113 of the natural resources and environmental protection

 

act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.30113.


 

     Sec. 118. (1) The proprietor shall submit 3 copies of the

 

preliminary plat to the health department having jurisdiction, if

 

public water and public sewers are not available and accessible to

 

the land proposed to be subdivided.

 

     (2) The health department, within 30 days after receipt of the

 

preliminary plat, shall approve it, approve it subject to

 

conditions, or reject all or any portion of the proposed

 

subdivision preliminary plat that is not suitable. If the

 

preliminary plat is approved, the health department shall note its

 

approval on the copy to be returned to the proprietor. If all or

 

any portion of the preliminary plat is approved subject to

 

conditions or is rejected, the health department shall give its

 

reasons for rejection and requirements for approval in writing to

 

the proprietor, the governing body, and each of the other officers

 

and agencies to which the proprietor was required to submit the

 

preliminary plat under sections 113 to 115 and 117 to 119.

 

     (3) The preliminary plat submittal to the health department

 

under subsection (1) shall be accompanied by a state filing fee of

 

$300.00 plus $20.00 for each lot. The plat filing fee shall be

 

payable to the city, county, or district health department having

 

jurisdiction or to the state of Michigan if the submittal is to the

 

department. Filing fees shall be forwarded by the city, county, or

 

district health department to the department not more than 90 days

 

following the date of preliminary plat submittal to the health

 

department.

 

     (4) The department shall forward filing fees collected under

 

this section to the state treasurer for deposit into the on-site


 

wastewater treatment program fund created in section 5003 of the

 

natural resources and environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451,

 

MCL 324.5003.

 

     (5) The department shall annually adjust the fees under

 

subsection (3) by an amount determined by the state treasurer to

 

reflect the cumulative annual percentage change in the Detroit

 

consumer price index, rounded to the nearest dollar.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5450(request no.

 

02661'07) of the 94th Legislature is enacted into law.