Our Feed

We are involved in our communities, our profession, and our clients' associations and activities.

Can the Township handle its own code enforcement without having its Township attorney involved in each case?

Yes. Townships can explore implementing civil infraction notices and citations as penalties. Townships using civil infraction notices and citations have two potential avenues to provide enforcement without involving the Township attorney with each issue. For the first option, the Township can establish a violations bureau that allows the Township to issue municipal civil notice violations for ordinance violations. A Township resident or property owner can then admit responsibility and resolve the violation notice at the Township Hall with designated Township staff. A second option would be to issue a municipal civil infraction citation (different than a notice). The citation would be filed with the local district court as opposed to processed at the Township Hall. The Township can process the citation before the district court in the informal hearing process and receive a favorable result in many instances. Only if a formal hearing is requested by either party would the Township need to rely on its Township attorney. This can be a very efficient and economical means to enforce local ordinances.

Recent Articles & Announcements

  1. Can two ordinance violations be ...

    Generally, yes; however, this may depend on the specific preference of the district court. It is a good idea to call and ask the district co...

    Read More
  2. Municipal Civil Infraction Citat...

    Municipalities and their residents want to ensure that ordinances are enforced to promote the general welfare of the community. The process ...

    Read More
  3. Zoning it Out? – Applying Mich...

    Many townships often want to know the limits of Michigan law with respect to the standards applicable to zoning to avoid excluding certain l...

    Read More
Talk to an Attorney
Request a Consultation

At Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC, we’ve been helping municipalities, franchised businesses, employers, and more with their legal needs since 2008. We’d love to learn how we can help you, too.