The focus of this guide is on Michigan counties and townships.
In Michigan, urban settlements are governed as cities or villages, as Michigan has no towns, while the governments covering rural areas are generally known as counties and townships.
Michigan has eighty-three counties, the boundaries of which have not changed substantially since 1897, although they were frequently adjusted before that time. Counties might contain multiple cities, charter townships, civil townships, villages, unincorporated communities, and census-designated places. Some cities span multiple counties.
Ninety-six percent of Michigan's land area outside of cities is governed by townships. In Michigan, if you don't live in a city, you live in a township. Currently, Michigan has 1,240 townships, although townships are occasionally incorporated as cities or absorbed by cities.
Townships and Counties are statutory units of government, afforded only those powers expressly provided or reasonably implied by state law, while cities and most villages have home rule powers, which means that they can do almost anything not expressly prohibited by law.
Because of these differences, cities and villages in Michigan are listed in the Cities & Towns category, while counties and townships are in this category. Although Michigan does not have towns, Cities & Towns is a standard category used throughout the Aviva Directory's Local & Global categories.
For the most part, the resources listed in this category, and its subcategories, will include websites representing the county or township governments, while most other resources will be listed in the city or village that is used as its mailing address, given that mail delivered to addresses within a township is often handled by the post office in the nearest city or village, and it could be difficult to determine whether a specific address is within the village limits or outside of it.
The focus of this category is on townships and counties in the state of Michigan.
Categories
CountiesTownships |
Recommended Resources
County Road Association of Michigan
A county road agency is a countywide governmental agency responsible for maintaining safe, efficient roads and bridges. The CRA of Michigan was formed to assist its members in promoting an efficient and safe county road right-of-way in rural and urban areas of the state. County road agencies within the state are listed alphabetically, with telephone numbers and links to their websites. Among the resources available here are a member directory, big information, and others.
https://micountyroads.org/
Under the 1963 Michigan Constitution, county governments in Michigan are agents of the state government for the delivery of services, such as courts, running elections, and oversight of public functions. Counties are also local governments delivering service specific to their jurisdictions. Its services are described on this site, including a chart showing how property taxes within the state’s counties are distributed, including an interactive map of counties within the state.
https://micountymatters.org/
Michigan Association of Counties
Formed in 1898 and incorporated as a non-profit organization, the MAC is a government-sector lobbying association in Michigan and the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Counties. General information about county government is provided, and the MAC board and staff are listed, along with job postings, an overview of its programs and services, conferences, and other events are presented. The benefits of MAC affiliates are included.
https://micounties.org/
Michigan Counties Workers’ Compensation Fund
The MCWCF was founded in 1979 by ten Michigan counties to provide a self-insured program for public entities at a reasonable price, and currently provides workers’ compensation insurance to public agencies throughout the state. Member benefits and services are listed on its website, along with client testimonials, a member list, staff contacts, and a request form for further information. Newsletters, forms, and documents are available for download by member agencies.
https://michigancountieswcf.org/
Michigan Township Participating Plan
Created under Public Act 138 in 1985, the Michigan Township Participating Plan was designed to provide a stable insurance market for governmental entities who were previously paying high prices for limited coverage. The Par Plan is a membership plan that offers property and casualty coverage to small and medium-sized public entities. Membership benefits, its board of directors, committees, risk managers, and claims services are featured, along with financial reports.
http://www.theparplan.com/
Formed as a public service company in 1979, Michigan Township Services was created to supply municipal governments in Western Michigan with trained, state-certified, professional building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical inspectors and permit administration on an as-needed basis, paid by permit fees. Zoning administration and community planning services were added later. Its services are defined, and a list of client townships and cities are featured.
http://www.michigantownshipservices.org/
Michigan Townships Association
The MTA is a non-profit membership organization representing most of Michigan’s townships. The organization offers classes, sponsors educational conferences, and publishes informational material to aid its membership in understanding statutory duties, as well as advocating for member townships before the Michigan Legislature. General information about townships is provided on its site, along with its programs, membership benefits, and marketing opportunities.
https://www.michigantownships.org/
