Foster Swift has a reputation as one of the premier municipal law firms in Michigan. Our lawyers regularly represent townships, cities, villages, counties and libraries in many different roles. We are actively involved in the Michigan Townships Association and the Michigan Municipal League, and our lawyers have been deeply involved in municipal issues for decades. Some of our municipal practice specialties include:
- Ordinance drafting and enforcement
- Land use, zoning and land division
- Election law issues, millage elections, and ballot language
- Annexation defense and detachment representation
- Property taxes and Tax Tribunal proceedings
- Development and extension of municipal sewer and water systems
- Municipal finance, special assessments, installment purchases, and bond issuer's counsel
- First Amendment questions and privacy issues
- Municipal litigation
- Appeals
- Labor relations and employment law
- Condemnation
- Environmental regulation and compliance
- Utility franchises and telecommunications
- Contracts, licensing issues and operating policies
- Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act issues
- Creation and representation of municipal authorities
Our firm is on the cutting edge of municipal law. Our monthly publications keep our clients up-to-date on new developments in municipal law. Several of our lawyers are acknowledged municipal law experts that are frequently called upon to teach at education programs for municipal officials and other municipal lawyers.
Recent Blog Posts
Publications & Alerts
- MDHHS Changes Gathering Limits for Public Meetings, Municipal Law e-blast, April 1, 2021
- Court of Appeals Holds Nuisance Claims Must Be Brought within Six Years, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, March 8, 2021
- Indoor, In-Person Public Meetings Remain Prohibited Through At Least March 29, 2021, Foster Swift Municipal Law News E-blast, February 11, 2021
- Update! Zoning Medical Marijuana Caregivers, Foster Swift Municipal Law News E-blast, February 4, 2021
- In-Person Public Meetings Remain Prohibited Under Latest MDHHS Order, Foster Swift Municipal Law News E-blast, January 29, 2021
- New Legislation Requires Refund of Excess Proceeds from Tax Foreclosure Sales, Foster Swift Municipal Law News E-blast, December 22, 2020
Events
- Marijuana Petitions Ballot Proposals, Michigan Municipal League (MML), September 24, 2021
- Zoning and land uses: Regulation of small houses, Airbnb rentals, vacation rentals, backyard chickens and drones, MTA-UP North Summit, July 31, 2018
- WEBINAR: Property Tax Exemptions: What Every Assessor Needs to Know Webinar, September 20, 2017
- Social Networking and Human Resources Hot Topics, Michigan Municipal Treasurers Association, April 27, 2017
- Medical Marijuana: What’s Legal, What’s Not, and What Can We Do?, March 6, 2017
- Legal Essentials for Municipal Officials, January 18, 2017
- WEBINAR | Millage Proposals and Campaign Finance Issues, March 29, 2016
News
- Foster Swift Best Lawyers® 2022 "Ones to Watch", August 19, 2021
- Thibodeau Receives 3 in 10 Award, Grand Rapids Bar Association, August 10, 2021
- Resource Published to Help Organizations Link to Trending Legal Issues, Foster Swift Business & Tax Law News, November 17, 2020
- Foster Swift Listed in "Best Law Firms" 2021, Best Lawyers, November 5, 2020
- Foster Swift Attorneys Named to 2021 Best Lawyers in America©, August 20, 2020
- Dickinson Receives GRBA 3 in 10 Award, July 21, 2020
- Foster Swift Participates at the 2020 MTA Conference, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, February 16, 2020