Michigan Simplified Property Tax Record Fees
New state legislation streamlines how county treasurers charge residents for summer and winter tax bill requests.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Taxes
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a law amending property tax record access requirements, mandating that county treasurers group summer and winter tax bill requests into a single fee structure. This change ensures residents requesting property transcripts or abstracts for specific tax years face a more consistent billing process.
Why it matters
The legislation clarifies the rules county treasurers must follow when providing electronic tax documentation, ensuring that homeowners can access multi-year records without facing redundant service fees. By grouping summer and winter bill requests, the law simplifies the documentation process for property owners and taxpayers managing their records.
The new law mandates that requests for summer and winter tax bills be treated as a single request for fee purposes. The specific impact on total out-of-pocket costs remains unknown as counties establish their fee schedules under the new guidance.
The players
Gretchen Whitmer
The Governor of Michigan who signed the legislation governing property tax record access.
County Treasurers
Local officials responsible for maintaining property tax records and assessing administrative fees for public record requests.
The details
The law amends the requirements for how county treasurers in Michigan handle records requests from the public. Treasurers are now obligated to provide transcripts and abstracts of records for specific tax years requested rather than limiting access to the current tax year only. By consolidating the request for summer and winter tax bills into one unit, the law prevents the imposition of separate administrative fees for bills that cover the same property within a single annual cycle.
Timeline
October 14, 2026: Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the law into effect.
Money Landscape
This legislation updates provisions within the Michigan General Property Tax Act to modernize public access to financial records. It aligns with ongoing efforts to standardize how county-level administrative costs are passed down to households.
If you are requesting property tax transcripts or abstracts from your county treasurer, you should now be charged for summer and winter bills as a single service. Review your local county treasurer’s current fee schedule before submitting requests to ensure your billing matches these updated state requirements.
The takeaway
The new law reduces potential fee duplication when you request multi-season property tax documents from your county. Before requesting records, contact your county treasurer’s office to clarify the current fee schedule and confirm how they are implementing the consolidated billing requirement.
Further reading
For more on managing your liabilities, see our guide to Taxes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bloombergtax.
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