How to Fill Out a Notice to Quit in Michigan: DC 100a/b/c

To fill out a Notice to Quit in Michigan, use the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) form that matches your reason for ending the tenancy — DC 100c for terminating a tenancy, DC 100a when the tenant owes rent, or DC 100b for property damage or a health hazard — complete every required field, sign and date it, and fill in the Certificate of Service only on the day you actually deliver it to the tenant. All three forms are free on the Michigan Courts website under landlord-tenant forms.1Michigan Courts. Landlord Tenant and Land Contract Forms

Choose the Form That Matches Your Reason

Michigan uses different forms for different eviction grounds, and picking the wrong one hands the tenant a defense.

If the issue is unpaid rent, do not use DC 100c. Courts treat the nonpayment demand and the notice to quit as distinct legal instruments, and filing on the wrong one is one of the most common reasons cases get dismissed.

How Much Notice You Have to Give

The notice period depends on the reason. You can always give more time, never less.

If you serve the notice by first-class mail, the clock does not start the day you drop it in the mailbox. The service date is the next regular mail delivery day after mailing, so build that extra day into your calculation.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718

Filling Out DC 100c, the Notice to Quit

The SCAO instructions label each field with a letter. Work through them in order.2Michigan Courts. Instructions for Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property

Field A — Tenant’s name and delivery address. Write the tenant’s full name and the address where you will deliver the notice. This might be the rental property or a different address where the tenant receives mail or conducts business.

Field B — Your name. Print the landlord’s name on the designated line.

Field C — Reason for the notice. This is where DC 100c differs from the nonpayment form. The checkboxes are tied to specific subsections of MCL 554.134: termination of an at-will tenancy under subsection (1), nonpayment under subsection (2), year-to-year termination under subsection (3), or drug activity under subsection (4). Check the box that matches your situation. If none fits, check “other” and write a clear explanation of the ground for termination.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 554.134

Field D — Rental property address. Write the complete street address of the rental property, including any unit number. If it matches the mailing address in Field A, write “Same as mailing address.”

Field E — Move-out date. Enter the date the tenant must be out. Calculate it by adding the correct notice period to the date you plan to serve the notice. For a month-to-month tenancy, the move-out date should be at least one full rental period from the service date.

Field F — Signature block. Date the notice, sign it, and include your address and phone number.

Field G — Certificate of Service. Leave this blank until you actually deliver the notice. On the day you serve it, write in the date, the name of the person who received it, check the box describing how you delivered it, and sign.

Filling Out DC 100a, the Nonpayment Demand

The layout mirrors DC 100c, with two important differences in the middle fields.3Michigan Courts. Instructions for Demand for Possession, Nonpayment of Rent

Fields A and B work the same way: tenant’s name and delivery address, then your name printed.

Field C — Amount owed. Enter the exact amount of rent due. Do not include late fees, damages, or accelerated rent from a lease acceleration clause. Michigan law excludes accelerated debt from the amount you can claim in a nonpayment demand, and adding fees or damages is one of the quickest ways to have the notice thrown out.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5714

Field D — Property address. The complete rental property address, or “Same as mailing address” if it matches Field A.

Field E — Notice period. Check the box before “7 days” unless your lease or applicable law requires longer. If a longer period applies, check the alternative box and fill in the number of days.

Field F is the signature block, and Field G is the Certificate of Service — again, filled in only when you deliver the notice.

Filling Out DC 100b, the Damage or Health Hazard Demand

DC 100b is used when the tenant has caused serious, ongoing physical damage or allowed a continuing health hazard, and the problem was discovered within the past 90 days.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5714 The form asks you to identify whether the issue is property damage, a health hazard, or both. Check the appropriate option, write in the property address, and give the tenant seven days to fix the problem or move out.4Michigan Courts. Form DC 100b – Demand for Possession Damage/Health Hazard to Property Print and sign your name, date the form, and complete the Certificate of Service when you actually deliver it.

Required Elements on Every Notice

Whichever form you use, MCL 600.5716 requires certain elements. Missing any of them gives the tenant grounds to challenge the notice.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5716

  • Written format. Oral notices do not count.
  • The tenant’s name, addressed to the person in possession.
  • The full street address of the rental property, including any unit number.
  • The reason for the notice.
  • How many days the tenant has to fix the problem or move out.
  • The exact dollar amount owed, if the notice is for nonpayment.
  • Your signature, the date, and your address.

How to Serve the Notice

A perfectly completed form fails if you serve it the wrong way. Michigan law allows four methods and only four.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718

  • Personal delivery. Hand the notice directly to the tenant. This is the most straightforward method and the hardest to dispute.
  • Substitute delivery. Give the notice to a responsible member of the tenant’s household or an employee at the rental property, with a request that they pass it along.
  • First-class mail. Mail it to the tenant’s address. Remember the service date shifts to the next regular mail delivery day after mailing.
  • Electronic service. Email is allowed only if the tenant previously agreed in writing to accept electronic service, and that agreement must have been confirmed by an exchange of electronic messages: one party sends the agreement, the other replies to it electronically. A landlord cannot refuse to enter a lease because a prospective tenant declines electronic service.

Methods that will invalidate service: slipping the notice under the door, taping it to the front entrance, leaving it on the porch, or sending it by certified mail, which requires a signature and can be refused.3Michigan Courts. Instructions for Demand for Possession, Nonpayment of Rent

As soon as you deliver the notice, fill in the Certificate of Service on your copy: the date, who received it, and the method. Keep that copy. You will need it to file an eviction complaint.

Check Federal Rules Before You File

Two federal rules can override Michigan’s notice timeline.

Active-Duty Military Tenants

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects tenants on active duty in any branch of the military, including reservists on federal active duty and National Guard members on federal orders for more than 30 days.10Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative. Financial and Housing Rights Before filing, you can verify a tenant’s status through the Department of Defense’s SCRA website, which issues certificates of active-duty status.11Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) Website. Welcome to SCRA If the tenant is covered, additional protections apply, including a potential stay of proceedings.

Federally Subsidized Housing

If your property participates in certain HUD programs, including public housing, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, and Section 202/811 programs, a federal rule requires at least 30 days’ written notice before filing an eviction for nonpayment, even though Michigan’s baseline is seven. As of early 2026, HUD has indefinitely postponed a proposal to revoke this requirement, so the 30-day rule remains in effect. Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Vouchers are not covered by this particular rule.12National Low Income Housing Coalition. HUD 30-Day Notice Proposal Will Not Take Effect Until After Rule is Finalized

Mistakes That Get Cases Dismissed

Michigan judges see the same errors over and over, and any one of them can send you back to the start.

  • Using DC 100c when the issue is unpaid rent. Nonpayment requires DC 100a.
  • Including late fees, damages, or accelerated rent in the amount owed on a nonpayment demand. Only actual rent due belongs on the form.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5714
  • Serving by taping to the door, sliding under the door, or certified mail. None of these meet the statute.3Michigan Courts. Instructions for Demand for Possession, Nonpayment of Rent
  • Filing the court complaint before the notice period has actually expired. If you served by mail, the service date is the next delivery day, not the day you mailed it.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718
  • Leaving the notice unsigned, undated, missing your address, or missing a full description of the rental property.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5716
  • Delivering the notice correctly but forgetting to complete the Certificate of Service. Without that record, proving proper service becomes your word against the tenant’s.

Count the days carefully. If a seven-day notice is served by mail on a Monday, the service date is Tuesday, and the seven-day period runs through the following Monday. You cannot file until the day after that period expires.