MSU Extension Planning

This publication is to review things to consider if a municipality (city, village, or township) or county is considering ending its planning and zoning program.

Ending planning and zoning might be done for a number of reasons. In Michigan having a planning commission is optional. Having zoning is also optional. Repeal of planning and zoning may be for a number of reasons:

• Need to transfer a municipal planning and zoning (or just one) program to a joint planning commission
• Need to transfer the township planning and zoning to a county planning and zoning program
• Political desire to not have planning or zoning (so the community does not have zoning)
• Budget consideration that makes it necessary to cut planning and zoning
• A county that no longer wishes to have a county planning function, or county-wide zoning.

The important consideration is that to end planning and zoning it is not as simple as just ending the activity. There are certain steps that need to be taken such as adoption of an ordinance to repeal the planning commission ordinance, or a similar action to repeal the zoning ordinance. Then there needs to be certain tasks the government administration should decide needs to be assigned to another department to do, or the task needs to no longer be done at all.