The Office of the Great Seal is recognized as the official repository, and therefore files and maintains all petitions, resolutions, county board of commission orders and State Boundary Commission orders to alter city, village or township boundaries.

Upon receipt, a job number is assigned and an acknowledgement letter confirming the filing date (effective date) is forwarded to each municipality. The property description is then submitted to the Michigan Department of Transportation for review and mapping purposes in accordance with 1951 PA 51. As soon as the submission is confirmed as complete and accurate, copies are provided to the appropriate state agencies to insure that each municipality receives a proper pro rata distribution of gasoline and motor vehicle weight tax revenue, intangible tax revenue, and state alcoholic liquor tax revenue. These documents are also used to insure the population figures and Act 51 maps are accurate for reporting to the federal government, and to obtain other state funds, monies or grants as they become available.

Boundary changes are published annually in the Michigan Public and Local Acts Manual, available from the Legislative Service Bureau.

The following section specifies the documents required to be filed for each boundary change. All documents must contain matching metes and bounds property descriptions.

Cities

1) By mutual consent - property owner petition, city resolution, adjoining municipality resolution 
2) Adjacent territory owned by city or which consists of fractional platted subdivision lots located adjacent - city resolution, adjoining municipality resolution 
3) Adjacent park or vacant property owned by city and vacant - city resolution

Villages

Home Rule

1) By mutual consent - petition, village resolution, adjoining municipality resolution 
2) By election - petition, every required resolution/affidavit/certificate, and certified copy of Board of Canvassers Certificate

General Law

Village petition/resolution and County Board of Commissioners Order

Charter Townships

Charter township resolution and resolution of adjoining municipality

State Boundary Commission

All documents filed by the State Boundary Commission

Conditional Transfer of Property Agreement

Copy of signed agreement between local units of government

State Boundary Commission Action Required for:

• Annexation of land from Township into a City: petitioned by City resolution; petitioned by owners of at least 75% of the land; petitioned by at least 20% of the registered voters residing on the land; petitioned by at least 1% of the population in the affected township, city or village
• Petition to Incorporate a New Home Rule Village
• Petition to Incorporate a New Home Rule City
• Petition to Consolidate with a City into New Home Rule City