Michigan local government websites

• Villages sit inside townships, so village residents also take part in township affairs and pay township taxes. (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))
• A general law township board is the supervisor, clerk, treasurer and two trustees, and larger townships may add two more trustees with voter approval. A charter township board has seven members. (MCL 41.70 (opens in a new tab); MCL 42.5 (opens in a new tab))
• Cities are home rule, fourth class or special charter. Mackinac Island is the only special charter city left. Counties are run by a board of county commissioners. (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))

The trigger is the phrase "official internet presence" in MCL 15.265(4) (opens in a new tab). It covers a site the body maintains "directly or indirectly," so a site run by a vendor or by the county on the body's behalf can count.

• The Attorney General's handbook says the 18 hours aren't met if the public can't reach the notice for any part of that time. A site outage the night before a special meeting is a real problem. (Michigan Attorney General (opens in a new tab))
• The schedule of regular meetings is due within 10 days after the body's first meeting of the calendar or fiscal year, and a change is due within three days after the meeting where it changed. (MCL 15.265 (opens in a new tab))
• Every notice carries the body's name, phone number if it has one, and address, and goes up at its principal office. (MCL 15.264 (opens in a new tab))
• The Act doesn't require an agenda in the notice. (Michigan Attorney General (opens in a new tab))
• Proposed minutes must be available within eight business days after the meeting, and approved minutes within five business days after approval. MCL 15.269 (opens in a new tab) doesn't mention websites.
• A meeting recessed for more than 36 hours can reconvene only after the same kind of notice. (MCL 15.265 (opens in a new tab))

Electronic meetings are narrow now: after 2021 they're generally allowed only to accommodate members absent for military duty, plus a short list of exceptions. When one is held, the website notice has to say why it's electronic, how the public can join with the exact phone number or link, how to reach members, and how people with disabilities can take part. Any agenda goes online at least two hours before. The section was amended in 2025 and 2026, so read the current text of MCL 15.263a (opens in a new tab) with counsel before relying on it.

• The procedures must include a standard form for detailed fee itemization. The DTMB form or one of the body's own both work. (MCL 15.234 (opens in a new tab))
• When a requested record is already on the website, the response must say so and, where practicable, give the exact web address. (MCL 15.234 (opens in a new tab))
• Responses are due within five business days, with one extension of up to 10 business days. A request sent by email counts as received one business day after it was sent. (MCL 15.235 (opens in a new tab))
• Paper copies are capped at 10 cents a sheet. Labor is billed at the hourly wage of the lowest-paid employee able to do the work, in 15-minute increments, plus up to 50% for fringe benefits. (MCL 15.234 (opens in a new tab))
• A deposit of up to half the estimate is allowed only when the estimated fee tops $50. Requesters who show indigency get the first $20 waived. (MCL 15.234 (opens in a new tab))

Sections 4 and 5 were last amended in 2020. Senate bills extending FOIA to the Legislature and governor passed the Senate in 2025 but stalled in the House, so nothing new reached local bodies. Our Michigan FOIA guide walks through the deadlines and the itemization form step by step. (MCL 15.234 (opens in a new tab); Michigan Advance (opens in a new tab))

Township ordinances follow the same pattern. A true copy or a summary is published once in a local newspaper within 30 days after passage, and MCL 41.184 (opens in a new tab) says nothing about websites. A searchable ordinance page helps residents, but it doesn't replace that publication.

Cities, townships, villages, counties and special districts can all get a free .gov domain, and Michigan doesn't require one. A .gov address does make it easier for residents to trust that a notice really came from the local government. (get.gov (opens in a new tab))

• Certification was due by the first Thursday of December, or the first day of a later payment month. Missing it forfeited that month's payment. (Michigan Treasury (opens in a new tab))
• The projected budget report covered the current year and the next, with revenues, expenditures and the assumptions behind them. (Michigan Treasury (opens in a new tab))
• Earlier versions of the program also asked for a citizen's guide and a performance dashboard. The 2023 act lists only the two reports. (Michigan Treasury (opens in a new tab); Michigan Treasury (opens in a new tab))
• Separately, a retirement system with a website must publish its summary annual report there. If the system has no website, the sponsoring local government publishes it on a website. (MCL 38.1140h (opens in a new tab))

These counts are estimates from Census Bureau tables based on July 1, 2021 population figures. DOJ measures "total population" with the most recent decennial Census, so if you're close to 50,000, check your own 2020 figure (28 CFR 35.104 (opens in a new tab)). (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))

Michigan has no separate website accessibility law for local governments. The state's own standard, SOM IT Technical Standard 1360.00.11, requires WCAG 2.1 AA but covers executive branch departments and agencies, not townships, villages, cities or counties. Our ADA Title II deadlines guide covers exemptions and what counts as web content. (State of Michigan digital standards (opens in a new tab))

• Michigan Municipal League (opens in a new tab), including its OMA posting requirements fact sheet (opens in a new tab).
• Michigan Townships Association (opens in a new tab), with ADA website resources (opens in a new tab) for township boards and staff.
• Michigan Association of Counties (opens in a new tab) for county boards and staff.
• Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks (opens in a new tab) for clerks and deputies.
• The Attorney General's OMA and FOIA resources (opens in a new tab), including the Open Meetings Act Handbook updated in March 2026. (Michigan Attorney General (opens in a new tab))

Whatever the route, many Michigan offices already run assessing and tax collection through BS&A, which is based in Bath. The company says a majority of Michigan municipalities use its assessing and property tax software. If yours does, a new website should link cleanly into BS&A Online rather than replace it. (BS&A Software (opens in a new tab))