Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 287.277 (2026)

Identification and location of unlicensed dogs; public nuisance; list; commencement of proceedings.

✓ current as of July 2026

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DOG LAW OF 1919

Act 339 of 1919

287.277 Identification and location of unlicensed dogs; public nuisance; list; commencement of proceedings.

Sec. 17.

The county treasurer may, based on records of the dogs actually licensed in each city or township of the county and any report under section 16, identify and locate all unlicensed dogs. A dog required to be licensed under this act that is unlicensed is a public nuisance. The county treasurer shall immediately list all unlicensed dogs identified under this section and shall deliver copies of the list to the prosecuting attorney of the county. Upon receipt of the name of an owner of an unlicensed dog from the county treasurer, the prosecuting attorney shall commence proceedings against the owner of the dog as required by this act.

History: 1919, Act 339, Eff. Aug. 14, 1919 ;-- Am. 1925, Act 322, Eff. Aug. 27, 1925 ;-- CL 1929, 5261 ;-- Am. 1933, Act 79, Imd. Eff. May 19, 1933 ;-- CL 1948, 287.277 ;-- Am. 1967, Act 197, Eff. Nov. 2, 1967 ;-- Am. 1968, Act 38, Eff. Jan. 1, 1969 ;-- Am. 1972, Act 349, Imd. Eff. Jan. 9, 1973 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 390, Imd. Eff. Nov. 30, 1998 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 32, Imd. Eff. Mar. 11, 2014

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases, 1970–2020 · leading case: Whitman v. City of Burton, 850 N.W.2d 621 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

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Whitman v. City of Burton, 850 N.W.2d 621 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “542 (barring bands from playing the national anthem “as a part or selection of a medley of any kind” or with any “embellishments of national or other melodies” and the anthem’s use “for dancing or as an exit march”); and MCL 750.”

Michigan Wolfdog Ass'n, Inc. v. St. Clair Cnty., 122 F. Supp. 2d 794 (E.D. Mich. 2000). “§§ 287.277 - 287.280. Sexual sterilization would cause irreparable harm, at least to the animals.”

Youngblood v. Jackson Cnty., 184 N.W.2d 290 (Mich. Ct. App. 1970). “The ultimate enforcement of the licensing provisions of the dog law lies with the county, MCLA 1970 Cum Supp § 287.277 (Stat Ann 1970 Cum Supp § 12.527), but the authority to kill unlicensed dogs must be exercised with some judgment, Finley v.”

Nikita Smith v. City of Detroit, Mich. (6th Cir. 2018). “Mich. Comp. Laws § 287.277 . The law provides the process for notifying owners of unlicensed dogs of the proceedings: (1) A district court magistrate or the district or common pleas court shall issue a summons5 .”

People of Michigan v. Robert Arthur Johnson Jr (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). “Pursuant to MCL 287.262, it is unlawful for the owner of a dog to permit the dog to stray, and it is unlawful to own a dog aged 6 months or older without licensing the dog.”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.