Sources checked:
Quick answer. Michigan: deposit capped at 1.5 months of rent; deposit returned within 30 days; one-month notice to end month-to-month; 7-day notice for unpaid rent; $45 eviction filing fee; $7,000 small claims limit. 20 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 3 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 1.5 months' rent
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 1 month
- Unpaid rent notice
- 7 days
- Filing fee
- $45
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- 10 days
- Small claims limit
- $7,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: MCL 554.602, 554.604, 554.609, 554.613.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
-
ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than one and one-half months' rent (554.602).
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.602, Security deposit; amount, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days after occupancy ends: mail a notice of damages with an itemized list and a check or money order for the difference (554.609).
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.609, Itemized list of damages, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
An itemized list of damages with the estimated cost of repair of each item, mailed with any balance (554.609).
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.609, Itemized list of damages, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
None stated in Act 348 of 1972 (MCL 554.601 to 554.616), read in full.
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL Act 348 of 1972 (Landlord and Tenant Relationships), full act, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
In a regulated financial institution, unless the landlord files a cash or surety bond with the Secretary of State (554.604).
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.604, Disposition; bond, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedPenalty the law states
A landlord who claims damages must sue within 45 days after occupancy ends; failing to comply waives the claimed damages and makes the landlord liable for double the amount retained (554.613).
Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.613, Action for damages, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (5 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | One month's notice by either side; where rent is paid at intervals under 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough, and the tenancy ends at the end of such a period. | Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134, checked November 2026 (MCL 554.134(1)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | One month's notice by either side; where rent is paid at intervals under 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough, and the tenancy ends at the end of such a period. | Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134, checked November 2026 (MCL 554.134(1)) |
| Rent increase notice | No rent increase notice period in MCL 554.134 as read; Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 4/25/2024) says there is no Michigan statute on the notice required to change rent or other terms. Check the lease. | Sources: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134; Nolo (secondary source): State Rules on Notice Required to Change or Terminate a Month-to-Month Tenancy, 50-state chart (updated 4/25/2024), checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | A written 7-day notice to quit. | Source: Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134, checked November 2026 (MCL 554.134(2)) |
| Entry notice | No entry notice statute: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) lists Michigan as 'No statute'. Check the lease. | Source: Nolo (secondary source): State Laws on Landlord's Access to Rental Property, 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025), checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134. Not in MCL 554.134. Check the lease. |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (8 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: A written 7-day notice to quit.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
-
ConfirmedCourt
Summary eviction proceedings are brought in district court.
allows for summary eviction proceedings to be brought in district court
Source: Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Chapter 4, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedFiling fee
$45 for a claim for possession, plus a supplemental fee when money is also claimed.
$45 for claim for possession of premises
Source: Michigan Courts: District Court Fee and Assessments Table (April 2025), checked November 2026
-
- The tenant's answer or appearance
-
ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
The tenant needs to appear in court on the date and time on the summons.
it is very important that the tenant appear in court on the date and time specified in the Summons.
Source: Michigan Legislature: A Practical Guide for Tenants and Landlords (Rev. 3/2026), checked November 2026
-
- Hearing or trial
-
ConfirmedHearing after filing
The tenant must appear within 10 days of the summons date, and the summons is served at least 3 days before trial (the earliest date here assumes the summons issues and is served on the filing day).
Within 10 days of the issuance date of the summons in all other proceedings.
Source: Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Summons and Complaint, checked November 2026
-
- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
-
ConfirmedJudgment to writ
The landlord can apply for the order of eviction once the time in the judgment runs out, at least ten days after the possession judgment.
at least ten days after the possession judgment is entered.
Source: Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction, checked November 2026
-
- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
-
Not confirmedWrit to lockout
Not confirmed — check Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
A court officer or bailiff of the court, the sheriff or a deputy, or local law enforcement carries out the order.
a court officer appointed by or a bailiff of the issuing court, the sheriff or a deputy sheriff of the county
Source: Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction, checked November 2026
-
- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
-
ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
No order of eviction may enter if the tenant pays the landlord the amount in the possession judgment, with taxed costs, within the time allowed.
must not be entered if the tenant, within the time provided, pays to the landlord the amount due
Source: Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. Local: Detroit (2022) have their own right-to-counsel laws.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
-
Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
-
A pending rental assistance application can pause the case: the court rules allow a stay of up to 28 days in total.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Judgment | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Sunday, March 14, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: A local legal aid office.
More: Michigan eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
-
ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$7,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
The court can't order more than $7,000 through a judgment, even if the claim is worth more.
Filing fee to start a case: $30 to $70.
Source: Michigan courts: small claims information (DC 84 info, rev. 6/26), checked November 2026
More: Michigan small claims court
Still to confirm
- Late fee limits: check Michigan Legislature: MCL 554.134
- Writ to lockout: check Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Michigan Judicial Institute: Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Benchbook, Orders of Eviction
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Michigan?
No more than one and one-half months' rent (554.602).
How long does a Michigan landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days after occupancy ends: mail a notice of damages with an itemized list and a check or money order for the difference (554.609). What goes with it: An itemized list of damages with the estimated cost of repair of each item, mailed with any balance (554.609).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Michigan?
From the landlord: One month's notice by either side; where rent is paid at intervals under 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough, and the tenancy ends at the end of such a period. From the tenant: One month's notice by either side; where rent is paid at intervals under 3 months, notice equal to the interval between payments is enough, and the tenancy ends at the end of such a period.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Michigan?
A written 7-day notice to quit.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Michigan?
No entry notice statute: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) lists Michigan as 'No statute'. Check the lease.
How long does an eviction case take in Michigan?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: 3 to 10 days. Judgment to writ: 10 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
What does it cost to file an eviction case in Michigan?
$45 for a claim for possession, plus a supplemental fee when money is also claimed.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords