Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 324 / Act 451 of 1994
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701 (2026)

Definitions.

✓ current as of July 2026
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NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT


Act 451 of 1994


324.63701 Definitions.

Sec. 63701.

    As used in this part:

    (a) "Active cell-unit" means a cell-unit set forth in the approved progressive cell-unit mining and reclamation plan provided for in section 63706(1), in which vegetation and topsoil have been removed in preparation for sand dune mining or sand removal has been initiated after the date of issuance of the sand dune mining permit. Vegetation removal does not preclude the removal of marketable forest products from a cell-unit, if the removal maintains the ground cover and topsoil within the cell-unit in stable condition.

    (b) "Administratively complete" means an application for a sand dune mining permit that is determined by the department to satisfy all of the conditions of this part and rules promulgated under this part.

    (c) "Barrier dune" means the first landward sand dune formation along the shoreline of a Great Lake or a sand dune formation designated by the department.

    (d) "Beneficiation" means to process sand for any of the following purposes, but does not include the drying process:

    (i) Regulating the grain size of the desired product.

    (ii)  Removing unwanted constituents.

    (iii)  Improving the quality and purity of the desired product.

    (e) "Cell-unit" means a subunit of the total sand dune mining project as determined in size and location by the operator. A cell-unit shall not exceed 10 acres in size for sand dune mining operations that commence operation after March 31, 1977 or for the expansion of sand dune mining operations that existed before March 31, 1977. A cell-unit shall not exceed 30 acres in size for operations that existed before March 31, 1977.

    (f) "Conformance bond" means a surety bond that is executed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state, cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, or other securities that are filed by an operator to ensure compliance with this part, rules promulgated under this part, or conditions of a sand dune mining permit.

    (g) "Environmental elements" means the biological, physical, and chemical characteristics of the environment, including but not limited to the following:

    (i) Watersheds.

    (ii)  Water bodies.

    (iii)  Forests.

    (iv)  Existing areas maintained for public recreation.

    (v)  Shorelands.

    (vi)  Habitat areas.

    (h) "Great Lakes" means any of the Great Lakes that have a shoreline within this state.

    (i) "Interim cell-unit status" means a cell-unit as set forth in an approved progressive cell-unit mining and reclamation plan provided for in section 63706(1), in which all sand dune mining and reclamation within the cell-unit has been completed, but the vegetation has not sustained itself through 1 full growing season. A cell-unit placed in interim cell-unit status is required to retain the conformance bond provided in section 63712 until reclassification by the department as provided in section 63712(5). Each sand dune mining activity shall be limited to no more than 3 cell-units in interim cell-unit status at any 1 time.

    (j) "Operator" means an owner or lessee of mineral rights or any other person engaged in or preparing to engage in sand dune mining activities with respect to mineral rights within a sand dune area.

    (k) "Sand dune area" means that area designated by the department that includes those geomorphic features composed primarily of sand, whether windblown or of other origin and that lies within 2 miles of the ordinary high-water mark on a Great Lake as defined in section 32502, and includes critical dune areas as defined in part 353.

    (l)  "Sand dune mining" means the removal of sand from sand dune areas for commercial or industrial purposes, or both. The removal of sand from sand dune areas in volumes of less than 3,000 tons is not sand dune mining if the removal is a 1-time occurrence and the reason the sand is removed is not for the direct use for an industrial or commercial purpose. However, the removal of any volume of sand that is not sand dune mining within a critical dune area as defined in part 353 is subject to the critical dune protection provisions of part 353. The department may authorize in writing the removal of more than 3,000 tons of sand without a sand dune mining permit issued pursuant to section 63704 for a purpose related to protecting an occupied dwelling or other structure from property damage related to the migration of sand or the instability of sand. This removal may be for more than 1 occurrence, but a written authorization from the department is required for each removal.

    (m) "Water table" means the surface in an unconfined aquifer at which the pressure is atmospheric. The water table is found at the level at which water stands in wells that penetrate the aquifer.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995

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Act 451

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NREPA
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 8 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2002–2025 · leading case: Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 684 N.W.2d 847 (Mich. 2004).
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Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 684 N.W.2d 847 (Mich. 2004). · cites it 8× “In 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied defendant TechniSand permission to mine critical dunes because it was ineligible for a permit under the sand dune mining act1 (SDMA), MCL 324.63701 et seq. One year later, following Governor Engler’s…”
Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 655 N.W.2d 263 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002). · cites it 6× “(mepa), MCL 324.63701 et seq. (the sand dime mining act [sdma]), and MCL 324.”
Anglers of the Ausable, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 488 Mich. 69 (Mich. 2010). · cites it 2× “MCL 324.63701 et seq. The dune that was to be mined had previously been designated as a protected dune that could not be mined unless one of two exceptions contained in the SDMA applied.”
Nat'l Wildlife Fed'n v. Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co., 684 N.W.2d 800 (Mich. 2004). · cites it 2× “" Further, in the other case referenced, Preserve the Dunes, in which this same majority has also allegedly "assaulted MEPA," this Court addressed the following specific legal question — whether MEPA authorizes a collateral action to challenge the Department of Environmental…”
Preserve the Dunes, Inc. v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 690 N.W.2d 487 (Mich. Ct. App. 2004). “MCL 324.63702(1); MCL 324.35301(c). Plaintiff filed suit under MEPA, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief prohibiting TechniSand’s proposed mining activities in that area.”
Port Sheldon Beach Ass'n v. Dept of Env't Quality (Mich. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “664, recodified at MCL 324.63701 to MCL 324.63714.1 Relevant to this appeal, the SDPMA 1 The Legislature amended the original SDPMA in 1989 to regulate other activities within the sand dune areas (in addition to mining).”
Saugatuck Dunes Coastal All. v. Degle (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 2× “” MCL 324.63701(h) defines “Great Lakes,” and Subsection (k) defines “sand dune area,” but it appears uncontested that the Van Horns’ property is within a “Great Lakes sand dunes area” and thus subject to MCL 3234.”
Preserve the Dunes Inc v. Dept of Env't Quality (Mich. 2004). · cites it 3× “In 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied defendant TechniSand permission to mine critical dunes because it was ineligible for a permit under the sand dune mining act1 (SDMA), MCL 324.63701 et seq. One year later, following Governor Engler’s…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701(1) — 1 case
Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 684 N.W.2d 847 (Mich. 2004). “In 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied defendant TechniSand permission to mine critical dunes because it was ineligible for a permit under the sand dune mining act1 (SDMA), MCL 324.63701 et seq. One year later, following Governor Engler’s…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701(h) — 1 case
Saugatuck Dunes Coastal All. v. Degle (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “” MCL 324.63701(h) defines “Great Lakes,” and Subsection (k) defines “sand dune area,” but it appears uncontested that the Van Horns’ property is within a “Great Lakes sand dunes area” and thus subject to MCL 3234.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701(j) — 1 case
Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 655 N.W.2d 263 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002). “(mepa), MCL 324.63701 et seq. (the sand dime mining act [sdma]), and MCL 324.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701(k) — 1 case
Saugatuck Dunes Coastal All. v. Degle (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “” MCL 324.63701(h) defines “Great Lakes,” and Subsection (k) defines “sand dune area,” but it appears uncontested that the Van Horns’ property is within a “Great Lakes sand dunes area” and thus subject to MCL 3234.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.63701(l) — 2 cases
Preserve the Dunes, Inc v. Dep't of Env't Quality, 684 N.W.2d 847 (Mich. 2004). “In 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied defendant TechniSand permission to mine critical dunes because it was ineligible for a permit under the sand dune mining act1 (SDMA), MCL 324.63701 et seq. One year later, following Governor Engler’s…”
Preserve the Dunes Inc v. Dept of Env't Quality (Mich. 2004). “In 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied defendant TechniSand permission to mine critical dunes because it was ineligible for a permit under the sand dune mining act1 (SDMA), MCL 324.63701 et seq. One year later, following Governor Engler’s…”
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