Michigan · Freedom of Information Act

The Michigan Freedom of Information Act, appeal path and deposit rules included

AccessPoint manages FOIA requests under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231 et seq.) — the 5-business-day clock, the section 13 exemptions, the appeal to the head of the public body then the Circuit Court, and the good-faith fee deposit — pre-configured for Michigan and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Michigan at a glance

Response standard: 5 business days; one extension of up to 10 business days for unusual circumstances (MCL 15.235)
Fee deposit: Good-faith deposit up to 50% when the estimated fee exceeds $50 (MCL 15.234)
Exemptions: The section 13(1) exemptions (MCL 15.243)
Charges: Search and review labour, copying at actual cost, and mailing — no overhead (MCL 15.234)
Oversight: Appeal to the head of the public body, then the Circuit Court
Languages: English

Governing legislation

Michigan Freedom of Information Act

MCL 15.231 et seq.

Access to public records prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a public body in the performance of an official function

FOIA appeals

MCL 15.240

A requester may appeal a denial in writing to the head of the public body, who responds within 10 business days, and may then bring an action in the circuit court — the Court of Claims for a state public body — within 180 days of the final denial

Oversight

Head of the public body, then the Circuit Court (no central FOIA agency)

Michigan has no central FOIA commissioner. A requester appeals a denial first to the head of the public body, who must respond within 10 business days, and may then sue in the circuit court — the Court of Claims for a state body — within 180 days. A prevailing requester may recover attorney's fees, and a court may assess punitive damages for an arbitrary and capricious denial. The Attorney General publishes guidance only.

Built for Michigan

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

FOIA request lifecycle

Intake to release under the Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231) — the 5-business-day response, the single 10-business-day extension, and the deposit-and-estimate step — all on Microsoft 365.

Appeal to the head, then court

A denied requester appeals in writing to the head of the public body, who has 10 business days to answer, and may then sue in the circuit court (the Court of Claims for a state body). AccessPoint assembles the appeal record and tracks each deadline.

The 5-business-day clock

Respond within 5 business days by granting, denying, or issuing one notice extending the time by no more than 10 business days. Failure to respond is a final denial. Every deadline is computed against the Michigan holiday calendar and reminded for you.

Section 13 exemptions and redaction

Apply the section 13(1) exemptions (MCL 15.243) line by line, separating exempt from non-exempt material, on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record — release the rest.

Fees and the good-faith deposit

Charge only search, examination, review, and redaction labour, copying at actual cost, and mailing — no overhead. When the estimate tops $50, require a good-faith deposit of up to 50%, with an itemized estimate (MCL 15.234).

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

Appeal in-house first, deposit up front

In Michigan, you appeal a denial to the head of the public body before any judge sees it — and a large request can require a deposit to start.

Michigan's FOIA builds two gates the coordinator has to manage. On the remedy side, MCL 15.240 sends a denied requester first to the head of the public body — a written appeal stating the word 'appeal' — who has 10 business days (extendable once by 10) to uphold, reverse, or split the denial before any circuit-court action, or Court of Claims action for a state body, within 180 days. On the cost side, MCL 15.234 lets the body require a good-faith deposit of up to 50% once the estimated fee tops $50. AccessPoint tracks the 5-day clock, the appeal, and the deposit together.

Appeal to the head A written appeal to the head of the public body, answered within 10 business days.

Then the Circuit Court A civil action in circuit court — the Court of Claims for a state body — within 180 days.

Good-faith deposit Up to 50% up front, with an itemized estimate, once the fee exceeds $50.

Configured out of the box

Installing the us-mi-foia configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check

The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (MCL 15.231 et seq.) as the legal-authority and citation spine
The Michigan state-holiday calendar and the 5-business-day (plus one 10-business-day extension) due-date rules
The section 13(1) exemptions (MCL 15.243), colour-coded for redaction
The MCL 15.234 fee model — search and review labour, actual-cost copies, mailing, and the good-faith deposit
FOIA correspondence templates with statutory wording, including the extension and deposit notices
The two-step appeal workflow — a written appeal to the head of the body, then a circuit-court or Court of Claims action
Deposit and estimate tracking, including the 50%-over-$50 trigger and the 45-day balance rule
Michigan timeliness tracking against the 5-business-day deadline and the 180-day suit window

Michigan Questions

When must a Michigan public body respond to a FOIA request?

Within 5 business days of receiving the request, by granting it, denying it, granting it in part and denying it in part, or issuing one written notice extending the time by no more than 10 business days for unusual circumstances. A failure to respond in time is treated as a final decision to deny. AccessPoint computes each deadline against the Michigan holiday calendar and flags the extension window.

What makes Michigan different — the appeal and deposit rules?

Yes. Under MCL 15.240 a denied requester appeals first to the head of the public body — a written appeal stating the word 'appeal' — who has 10 business days to respond before any circuit-court action (the Court of Claims for a state body) within 180 days. Separately, under MCL 15.234 the body may require a good-faith deposit of up to 50% once the estimated fee exceeds $50. AccessPoint manages the appeal record and the deposit together.

What can a public body charge?

Only the labour to search for, examine, review, and separate exempt material, the actual cost of copies, and mailing — never overhead. When the estimated fee tops $50 the body may require a good-faith deposit of up to half, with an itemized estimate, and the balance is due within 45 days of the notice (MCL 15.234). AccessPoint computes the charge and issues the estimate and deposit request.

Where does data reside?

Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Michigan Freedom of Information Act in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for Michigan. No credit card required.

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