Quick Reference Sheet

  pdf Download a PDF version of the County Abandonments Quick Reference Sheet(113 KB)

County Road Abandonment Process

  1. Discuss the abandonment with Road Commission staff.
  2. You must petition the Road Commission to abandon a county road right-of-way. We will provide you with the forms. The required petition signatures may be obtained by either:
    1. Signatures of seven (7) freeholders of land in the township where the abandonment will occur. A husband and wife count as two but must sign separate forms. Under this option you must provide a correct list of the names and mailing addresses of landowners and occupants of each parcel of land abutting the road or portion of road to be abandoned. This information can usually be obtained from the Township Office.

    Or:

    1. Signatures of all owners of record and occupants of land abutting the road or portion of road to be abandoned. You must provide current landowner and occupant information as noted in option (a) above.
  3. Turn in the completed petition and required property ownership information at the Muskegon County Road Commission's office located at 7700 E. Apple Avenue (make sure you sign and have your signature notarized on the petition sheet provided for that purpose). You will be required to pay the abandonment fee at that time.
  4. Road Commission staff will take it from there and keep you advised.

Please Note

A county road abandonment action typically takes two to three months or longer depending on the circumstances of an abandonment request.

The minimum fee for an abandonment action has been set at $150.00. In addition, the petitioners will be responsible for other costs incurred by the Road Commission such as legal ads, title searches, public hearing, etc. These costs will vary as to circumstances, but will generally be in the area of some $800.00 to $1,200.00. Further, your payment of the fee does not guarantee the abandonment request will be approved.

See the document titled "Information for Applicants Requesting County Road Right-of-Way Abandonment" for more information.