Sec. 134.

(1) If the owner or occupant fails to comply with the order contained in the notice of violation, the enforcing agency may bring an action to enforce this act and to abate or enjoin the violation.

(2) An owner or occupant of the premises upon which a violation exists may bring an action to enforce this act in his or her own name. Upon application by the enforcing agency, or upon motion of the party filing the complaint, the local enforcing agency may be substituted for, or joined with, the complainant in the discretion of the court.

(3) If the violation is uncorrected and creates an imminent danger to the health and safety of the occupants of the premises, or if there are no occupants and the violation creates an imminent danger to the health and safety of the public, the enforcing agency shall file a motion for a preliminary injunction or other temporary relief appropriate to remove the danger during the pendency of the action.

(4) Owners and lienholders of record or owners and lienholders ascertained by the complainant with the exercise of reasonable diligence shall be served with a copy of the complaint and a summons. The complainant shall also file a notice of the pendency of the action with the appropriate county register of deeds office where the premises are located.

(5) The court of jurisdiction shall make orders and determinations consistent with the objectives of this act. The court may enjoin the maintenance of unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary conditions, or violations of this act, and may order the defendant to make repairs or corrections necessary to abate the conditions. The court may authorize the enforcing agency to repair or to remove the building or structure. If an occupant is not the cause of an unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary condition, or a violation of this act, and is the complainant, the court may authorize the occupant to correct the violation and deduct the cost from the rent upon terms the court determines just. If the court finds that the occupant is the cause of an unsafe, unhealthy, or unsanitary condition, or a violation of this act, the court may authorize the owner to correct the violation and assess the cost against the occupant or the occupant's security deposit.

(6) A building or structure shall not be removed unless the cost of repair of the building or structure will be greater than the state equalized value of the building or structure except in urban core cities or local units of government that are adjacent to or contiguous to an urban core city that have adopted stricter standards to expedite the rehabilitation or removal of a boarded or abandoned building or structure that remains either vacant or boarded, or both, and a significant attempt has not been made to rehabilitate the building or structure for a period of 24 consecutive months.

(7) If the expense of repair or removal is not provided for, the court may enter an order approving the expense and placing a lien on the real property for the payment of the expense. The order may establish and provide for the priority of the lien as a senior lien, except as to tax and assessment liens, and except as to a recorded mortgage of first priority, recorded prior to all other liens of record if, at the time of recording of that mortgage or at a time subsequent, a certificate of compliance as provided for in this act is in effect on the subject property. The order may also specify the time and manner for foreclosure of the lien if the lien is not satisfied. A true copy of the order shall be filed with the appropriate county register of deeds office where the real property is located within 10 days after entry of the order to perfect the lien granted in the order.

(8) This act does not preempt, preclude, or interfere with the authority of a municipality to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public through ordinance, charter, or other means.

(9) As used in this section, “urban core cities” means qualified local governmental units as that term is defined in section 2 of the obsolete property rehabilitation act, 2000 PA 146, MCL 125.2782.

History: Add. 1968, Act 286, Eff. Nov. 15, 1968 ;-- Am. 1976, Act 116, Imd. Eff. May 14, 1976 ;-- Am. 2003, Act 80, Imd. Eff. July 23, 2003