Michigan's 83 counties are divided into villages, townships, charter townships, and cities. Collectively these units are known as Minor Civil Divisions. The differences between them relate to the degree of power they have over their administrative structure, their taxing powers, territorial integrity, and authority over services (Verberg, 1990). When it comes to matters of property taxes and voting, all state residents look to either their city or township. A city may annex land from a general law township, but a township may not annex land from a city. The U.S. Bureau of Census collects population data on all forms of minor civil divisions, including villages and recognized unincorporated places.
Civil Townships, Charter Townships, General Law Townships & Survey Townships. What is the deal with Michigan's Townships?
Any land that isn't within city limits receives its sub-county administration and services from a civil township. Michigan is the only state in the United States to have two types of civil townships: general law townships and charter townships. Charter status gives the township some power over borders and taxing. To date, 138 of Michigan's 1,240 civil townships have utilized the Charter Township Act of 1947 to become a charter township (see list below). A survey township, on the other hand, is not a local unit of government. It refers to the Public Land Survey System which was used to measure and define Michigan's land areas. From the 1820s to the 1850s Federal surveyors marked out 6-mile by 6-mile survey townships across the whole state, excepting those areas that had been surveyed previously by the French (generally around old settlements such as Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie). Survey townships have a numbering system that radiates from a central point where Michigan's Meridian and Baseline meet on the border between Ingham and Jackson Counties. Many rural properties utilize this system to describe land parcels in their legal land description, such as "the northeast quarter of Section 13, Township 4 North, Range 2 West." These (usually) 36-square mile units were a convenient bounding system for defining sub-county governments. Many of the 1,240 civil townships in Michigan follow the exact boundaries of their corresponding survey township. In less populated parts of the state civil townships might comprise several survey townships.
Michigan's 138 Charter Townships. Source: Michigan Township Association, October 2017
Township...............................County
Adrian................................ Lenawee
Allendale.............................. Ottawa
Almer...................................Tuscola
Ann Arbor........................Washtenaw
Au Sable................................. Iosco
Augusta...........................Washtenaw
Bangor......................................Bay
Bath..................................... Clinton
Bedford...............................Calhoun
Benton.................................Berrien
Berlin...................................Monroe
Big Rapids...........................Mecosta
Blackman.............................Jackson
Bloomfield...........................Oakland
Brandon...............................Oakland
Breitung........................... Dickinson
Bridgeport.......................... Saginaw
Brighton.......................... Livingston
Brownstown...........................Wayne
Buena Vista........................ Saginaw
Caledonia................................ Kent
Caledonia....................... Shiawassee
Calumet............................ Houghton
Canton...................................Wayne
Cascade................................... Kent
Chesterfield.........................Macomb
China..................................St. Clair
Chocolay...........................Marquette
Clayton............................... Genesee
Clinton................................Macomb
Coloma.................................Berrien
Commerce............................Oakland
Comstock......................... Kalamazoo
Cooper............................. Kalamazoo
Delhi................................... Ingham
Delta......................................Eaton
DeWitt.................................. Clinton
East Bay.....................Grand Traverse
East China............................St. Clair
Elmwood.............................Leelanau
Emmett...............................Calhoun
Eureka.............................. Montcalm
Fenton................................ Genesee
Filer.................................. Manistee
Flint................................... Genesee
Flushing............................. Genesee
Fort Gratiot..........................St. Clair
Frenchtown...........................Monroe
Fruitport...........................Muskegon
Gaines.....................................Kent
Garfield..................... Grand Traverse
Genesee..............................Genesee
Genoa..............................Livingston
Georgetown.......................... Ottawa
Grand Blanc........................Genesee
Grand Haven........................ Ottawa
Grand Rapids............................Kent
Grass Lake.......................... Jackson
Grayling............................. Crawford
Green.................................Mecosta
Green Oak........................Livingston
Gun Plain.............................Allegan
Hampton.................................. Bay
Haring................................ Wexford
Harrison.............................Macomb
Hastings.................................Barry
Highland............................. Oakland
Holland............................... Ottawa
Huron................................... Wayne
Independence..................... Oakland
Ironwood............................ Gogebic
Jamestown........................... Ottawa
Kalamazoo.......................Kalamazoo
Kinross............................. Chippewa
Lake.................................... Berrien
Lansing...............................Ingham
Larkin................................ Midland
Lincoln................................ Berrien
Lowell.....................................Kent
Lyon................................... Oakland
Madison............................. Lenawee
Marquette........................ Marquette
Meridian..............................Ingham
Midland.............................. Midland
Milford............................... Oakland
Monitor.................................... Bay
Monroe................................Monroe
Montrose............................Genesee
Mt. Morris...........................Genesee
Mundy................................Genesee
Muskegon.........................Muskegon
Niles................................... Berrien
Northville............................. Wayne
Oakland.............................. Oakland
Oneida.................................Eaton
Orion................................Oakland
Oronoko.............................Berrien
Oscoda................................ Iosco
Oshtemo....................... Kalamazoo
Owosso........................ Shiawassee
Oxford..............................Oakland
Pennfield..........................Calhoun
Pere Marquette....................Mason
Pittsfield......................Washtenaw
Plainfield.............................. Kent
Plymouth............................Wayne
Polkton.............................. Ottawa
Port Huron........................St. Clair
Portage.......................... Houghton
Portsmouth.............................Bay
Raisin.............................. Lenawee
Redford..............................Wayne
Royal Oak.........................Oakland
Rutland............................... Barry
Saginaw........................... Saginaw
Sandstone.........................Jackson
Shelby..............................Macomb
Sheridan..........................Newaygo
South Haven..................Van Buren
Springfield........................Oakland
St. Joseph..........................Berrien
Superior.......................Washtenaw
Tallmadge.......................... Ottawa
Texas............................ Kalamazoo
Union............................... Isabella
Van Buren...........................Wayne
Vienna............................. Genesee
Washington.......................Macomb
Waterford.........................Oakland
Watertown.........................Clinton
Watervliet..........................Berrien
West Bloomfield.................Oakland
White Lake.......................Oakland
Williams.................................Bay
Windsor...............................Eaton
York ............................Washtenaw
Ypsilanti.......................Washtenaw
Zeeland................................Ottawa
Sources:
Schaetzl, Randall. The Michigan Survey. http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/Survey.html
Official Repository - Boundary Changes. Michigan Department of State, 2017. http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1638_8733_8750---,00.html
Townships in Michigan. Michigan Township Association, 2017. https://www.michigantownships.org/mitownships.asp
VerBurg, Kenneth. Managing the Modern Michigan Township, 2nd edition. Published in East Lansing, MI. by Michigan State University Department of Natural Resources in 1990.
