324.30308 Adoption of wetlands ordinance by local unit of government; availability of wetland inventory; completion of inventory map; notice; enforceable presumptions not created; processing wetland use applications.

Sec. 30308.

    (1) Prior to the effective date of an ordinance authorized under section 30307(4), a local unit of government that wishes to adopt such an ordinance shall complete and make available to the public at a reasonable cost an inventory of all wetland within the local unit of government, except that a local unit of government located in a county that has a population of less than 100,000 is not required to include public lands on its map. A local unit of government shall make a draft of the inventory map available to the public, shall provide for public notice and comment opportunity prior to finalizing the inventory map, and shall respond in writing to written comments received by the local unit of government regarding the contents of the inventory. A local unit of government that has a wetland ordinance on December 18, 1992 has until June 18, 1994 to complete an inventory map and to otherwise comply with this part, or the local unit of government shall not continue to enforce that ordinance. Upon completion of an inventory map or upon a subsequent amendment of an inventory map, the local unit of government shall notify each record owner of property on the property tax roll of the local unit of government that the inventory maps exist or have been amended, where the maps may be reviewed, that the owner's property may be designated as a wetland on the inventory map, and that the local unit of government has an ordinance regulating wetland. The notice shall also inform the property owner that the inventory map does not necessarily include all of the wetlands within the local unit of government that may be subject to the wetland ordinance. The notice may be given by including the required information with the annual notice of the property owner's property tax assessment. A wetland inventory map does not create any legally enforceable presumptions regarding whether property that is or is not included on the inventory map is or is not a wetland.

    (2) A local unit of government that adopts a wetland ordinance shall process wetland use applications in a manner that ensures that the same entity makes decisions on site plans, plats, and related matters, and wetland determinations, and that the applicant is not required to submit to a hearing on the application before more than 1 local unit of government decision making body. This requirement does not apply to either of the following:

    (a) A preliminary review by a planning department, planning consultant, or planning commission, prior to submittal to the decision making body if required by an ordinance.

    (b) An appeal process that is provided for appeal to the legislative body or other body designated to hear appeals.