Law Library

This is an introduction to some aspects of researching Michigan statutes, which are the laws enacted by the Michigan Legislature.

A bill passed by the Michigan House and Senate and approved by the Governor becomes either a public act that has general applicability, or a local act (not discussed here) which affects a particular area of the state.

The public acts enacted during one year are numbered consecutively. For example, those enacted in 1994 are identified as P.A. 1994, No. 1, No. 2 and so forth.  Both the act number and the year are necessary to identify a public act because each year the act numbers begin with number one.

Session Laws

The public acts are published in numerical order, first unbound and later in permanent bound volumes. These volumes are called session laws.

1. as individual slip laws,
2. in the Michigan Legislative Service (West),
3. in the Advance Legislative Service (LexisNexis)
4. in annual volumes called the Public and Local Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan  (the session laws of Michigan), and
5. since 1997, on the Internet at http://legislature.mi.gov

Compilations

Public acts of a general and permanent nature are compiled (i.e., codified) into a subject arrangement of statutory law. Each chapter covers one area of law, such as motor vehicles (chapter 257) or public health (chapter 333). Public acts dealing with appropriations are not compiled, and neither are local acts.

The following versions of the compiled laws are used to find Michigan statutes currently in force.

     1.   The Michigan Compiled Laws   ( MCL) of 1979

This was the last printed compiled version of the statutes published by the State of Michigan. The annual Public and Local Acts  update the MCL.

        2.     The Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated (MCLA )

  This is a commercially published (by West Group) version of the MCL with annotations (references to other sources of information and summaries of court decisions). Cumulative annual pocket part supplements update both the law and the annotations. The annotations are further updated several times a year by "Interim Annotation Service" pamphlets. The MCLA is complemented by the Michigan Legislative Service, which publishes new public acts in numerical order.

     3.       The Michigan Compiled Laws Service (MCLS)

This is another commercially published (by LexisNexis) version of the Michigan statutes, containing statutory law organized by subject matter. Cumulative annual pocket parts and quarterly pamphlets update the law and the annotations.  The set is complemented by the Advance Legislative Service, which contains new public acts in numerical order.

     4.    The Michigan Compiled Laws online at http://legislature.mi.gov

"The Michigan Legislature Website is a free service of the Legislative Internet Technology Team in cooperation with the Michigan Legislative Council, the Michigan House of Representatives, and the Michigan Senate.  The information obtained from this site is not intended to replace official versions of that information and is subject to revision. The Legislature presents this information, without warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy of the information, timeliness, or completeness."

     5.    The Michigan Statutes Annotated (MSA)

Formerly published by Lexis Law Publishing, MSA contained Michigan statutory law organized by subject matter, but used a different numbering scheme from that of the MCL and MCLA.  MSA is no longer updated, nor is it cited in documents filed with or issued by Michigan courts.

To Find a Current Michigan Statute

When you know the public act number (e.g., P.A. 1994, No. 1 or 1994 PA 1)

a.        If the public act was enacted after 1948, find it in the Public and Local Acts and you will see the MCL section numbers, or

b.       Use the tables volumes of the MCLA or MCLS.  Look for your act under the appropriate year to see which compiled laws sections have incorporated it.

c.        Finally, find those sections of law in the appropriate volume of the MCLS or MCLA.  The spine of each volume tells which sections are included.  Don't forget to look in the pocket part of each volume for updates.   In both the MCLS and the MCLA, a section of law may be followed by annotations consisting of history notes, references to other sources of information about the law, and/or summaries of court decisions and attorney general opinions that have interpreted the law.

When you want to find the law on a certain subject (e.g., worker's compensation), c onsult the "General Index" to the MCLA or the MCLS.  The appropriate subject heading will refer you to one or more sections of law.

When you know the popular name of the statute (e.g., Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act), consult the "Popular Name Table" at the end of the "General Index" in the MCLA.  Popular names of acts appear in the index to the MCLS.

When looking for a statutory definition of a word or phrase, look under "Words and Phrases" in the MCLA "General Index."  Look under "Defined Terms" in the MCLS index.

Finding Current Statutes Online on the Michigan Legislature Website

When you know the Michigan Compiled Laws section number, type in the number - do not use "MCL," spaces, or letters or numbers in parenthesis - in the "MCL Section" box.

When you want to find the law on a certain subject (e.g., "inland lakes")

a.        Type in a word or phrase in the "MCL Key Word Search" box.

b.       A list of MCL sections using that word or phrase will appear.  To further refine the search, use the search box that appears at the top of the list.

When you know the public act number (e.g., P.A. 1994, No. 1 or 1994 PA 1), use the "Public Act MCL Search" link to find where the sections of the public act have been codified.  This will retrieve the act as it currently appears in the Michigan Compiled Laws.

When you know the popular name of the statute (e.g., Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act), type in all or part of the name in the "MCL Key Word Search" box.

To Check for Amendments

1.         Always be aware of the dates of coverage of the volume you are using. Look for coverage information on the title page, and find the copyright date on the back of the title page .

2.         Next, look in the pocket part supplement in the back of the volume. Every year each bound volume gets a new cumulative pocket part that contains any changes in the law or annotations since the volume was printed. The front page of the pocket part gives the coverage date.

3.         The annotations may be further updated. When using the MCLA look for the paper Interim Update Service volumes. In the MCLS see the paper Advance Legislative Service.

4.         Finally, there are tables showing which sections of law have been amended by public acts during the current year.

a.          In the MCLS see the "Table of MCLS Sections Affected " in the Advance Legislative Service.

b.       For the MCLA check Table 1 in the latest issue of the Michigan Legislative Service.

c.          A "Michigan Compiled Laws Table" on the Internet at http://legislature.mi.gov/, "MCL Tables."

5.         Once you have identified a recent amendment by its public act number, find the full text in the Michigan Legislative Service, the Advance Legislative Service or on the Michigan Legislature Website.

Update 08/03/2009