Michigan House Bill HB4118

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/25/25
• Refer: 2/25/25
• Report Pass: 3/20/25
• Engrossed: 5/13/25
• Refer: 5/15/25

Caption

House Bill 4118 of 2025

Summary

HB 4118 amends Michigan’s Drain Code of 1956 to update how drain projects are noticed, reviewed, and financed. The bill revises procedures for apportioning drain construction costs among townships, cities, villages, counties, the state, and individual parcels of land, and it explicitly includes state land under the ownership or control of the Department of Natural Resources in the category of property that may be assessed for benefits from a drain project. It also modernizes notice requirements by requiring online posting of bid advertisements and apportionment information when a drain commissioner maintains an internet presence, while preserving newspaper publication and mailed notice requirements. The bill also makes related changes to the financing of drain districts. It clarifies when additional assessments may be levied to cover deficiencies in drain funds, allows those assessments to be spread over up to seven years, and specifies the limited categories of land exempt from those additional assessments. In addition, it updates provisions governing drainage board planning and cost apportionment for proposed drains and later extensions, including authority to divide projects into sections and to reestablish apportionments for later work.

Impact

HB 4118 would change the Drain Code’s assessment and notice framework by making DNR-controlled state lands subject to drain benefit apportionments and by refining the process for assessing costs against public corporations and landowners. It affects MCL 280.151, 280.154, 280.280, 280.468, and 280.520, and would likely increase the pool of property that can be charged for drain projects where benefits are found. The bill also adds or clarifies digital notice obligations for drain commissioners, which could affect county drain offices and property owners in drainage districts.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill. It was reported from committee unanimously and then passed the House overwhelmingly on third reading, 104-2, with immediate effect. No committee transcript is available, but the strong vote margin indicates the measure was generally viewed favorably and as a technical or administrative update rather than a highly controversial policy change.

Contention

The main substantive point of contention appears to be the bill’s treatment of state-owned land, especially land owned or controlled by the Department of Natural Resources, which would become subject to drain assessments based on benefit. That change could raise concerns about shifting costs to state land holdings and about how benefits are calculated for public lands and highways. Another possible issue is the expanded use of internet posting and the detailed notice requirements, though the bill preserves traditional mailed and newspaper notice methods. The narrow 104-2 House vote suggests only limited opposition, but the record provided does not identify the specific objections.