Michigan’s DC 100c eviction notice, formally the Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property, is the written notice a landlord serves before filing a non-rent eviction in district court. To use it correctly, pick it only when the reason isn’t unpaid rent or a health hazard, write a move-out date that respects Michigan’s minimum notice periods, deliver it by one of four legal methods, and keep proof of service. A wrong date, the wrong form, or the wrong delivery method can get the whole case dismissed.
When the DC 100c Is the Right Form
The DC 100c covers possession cases that don’t involve back rent. If the tenant owes rent, you need the DC 100a, which gives seven days to pay or leave.1Michigan Courts. Demand for Possession Nonpayment of Rent If the issue is a health hazard or serious damage to the property, use the DC 100b instead.2Michigan Courts. Demand for Possession Damage/Health Hazard to Property Serving the wrong form for the actual reason is one of the fastest ways to lose the case before a judge looks at the merits.
The DC 100c is the correct choice when:3Ottawa County, MI. Recover Possession (Landlord)
- A fixed-term lease has expired and the tenant hasn’t left.
- You’re terminating a month-to-month or at-will tenancy under MCL 554.134.
- The tenant broke a lease term that the lease itself identifies as grounds for eviction.
- The tenant, or someone under the tenant’s control, caused or threatened physical injury to another person on the property and police were notified, under MCL 600.5714(1)(e).
How Much Notice You Have to Give
The move-out date on the form has to respect the minimum notice period for the type of tenancy and reason:
- Month-to-month or at-will tenancy: one month’s notice. If rent is paid more often than every three months, the notice period only needs to equal the interval between rent payments, so a weekly tenant gets one week.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 554.134 – Termination of Estate at Will or by Sufferance or Tenancy From Year to Year
- Year-to-year tenancy: one full year’s notice to quit.5Michigan Courts. Bases for the Initiation of Summary Proceedings
- Holdover after a fixed-term lease: no additional waiting period beyond the lease’s expiration, though a short written notice still creates a clear record.
- Physical injury or threats under MCL 600.5714(1)(e): seven days after service.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 600.5714 – Summary Proceedings to Recover Possession of Premises
MCL 554.134 says the notice isn’t void just because the termination date falls in the middle of a rental period, but the tenancy won’t actually end until a period equal to the payment interval has run. Building that buffer into the move-out date avoids arguments later.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 554.134 – Termination of Estate at Will or by Sufferance or Tenancy From Year to Year
If the property went through foreclosure, give notice equal to at least one rental period or whatever the lease requires, unless the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act calls for 90 days.7Michigan Courts. Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property
Filling Out the Form, Section by Section
Download the current version (revised October 2024) from courts.michigan.gov.7Michigan Courts. Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property The lettered sections on the official form map to the official instructions:8Michigan Courts. Instructions for Form DC 100c Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property
Section A — Tenant name and delivery address. Write the tenant’s name and the address where you’ll actually deliver the notice. That’s often the rental property, but it can be a different address where the tenant receives mail.
Section B — Landlord name. Print or type the landlord’s full name, or the management company’s name if one is involved.
Section C — Reason. Check MCL 554.134(1) for a month-to-month or at-will tenancy, or MCL 554.134(3) for a year-to-year tenancy. For a lease violation or a physical-threats case, check “other” and briefly state the reason.
Section D — Property description. Enter the complete rental address, including unit number. If it’s the same as the delivery address in Section A, you can write “Same as mailing address.”
Section E — Move-out date. Count the required notice period from the day you plan to serve, and make sure this date falls on or after that minimum.
Section F — Signature block. Date and sign, then add your address and phone. The date here establishes when the notice period starts running.
Serving the Notice Legally
Michigan law recognizes only four ways to deliver the DC 100c. Anything else can invalidate the notice.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718 – Demand for Possession or Payment; Service; Definitions
- Personal delivery to the tenant. Cleanest method, hardest to dispute.
- Delivery at the property to a family member, household member, or employee of the tenant old enough and responsible enough to pass it along.
- First-class mail to the rental address. The service date is not the day you drop it in the mailbox; it’s the next regular mail delivery day.
- Electronic service, but only if the tenant previously agreed in writing to receive notices this way. You’ll need to list the electronic address used.
Taping the notice to the door, sliding it under the door, or giving a verbal warning does not count. Some landlords post a copy as a backup along with mailing, but posting alone is not valid service under MCL 600.5718.
The Mailing-Day Trap
If you mail the notice on a Monday, the service date is Tuesday — the next regular delivery day — and the notice period starts running from Tuesday, not Monday.9Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 600.5718 – Demand for Possession or Payment; Service; Definitions Filing the eviction case a single day too early because of this miscount is enough to get it dismissed.
Completing the Certificate of Service
After delivering the notice, fill out Section G on the back of the form. Record the date of service, the name of the person you handed it to, check the box for the method you used, and sign.8Michigan Courts. Instructions for Form DC 100c Notice to Quit to Recover Possession of Property This is your proof of proper service if the case goes to court. Fill it out the same day while the details are fresh.
Mistakes That Get Cases Dismissed
Michigan district courts are strict about procedural compliance. The errors that come up most often:
- Using the wrong notice form. A DC 100c served when the real issue is unpaid rent or a health hazard will not survive. Match the form to the actual reason.
- Filing before the notice period runs out, especially after forgetting the extra mailing day.
- Serving the notice by a method that isn’t one of the four in MCL 600.5718.
- Filing the complaint without attaching a copy of the DC 100c and the completed Certificate of Service.
- Stating one reason on the notice and a different reason in the complaint. The two should track each other.
Once the move-out date on the notice has passed and the tenant hasn’t left, the next step is filing a Summons (DC 104) and a Complaint to Recover Possession of Property (DC 102c) in the district court for the property’s location, with the DC 100c and Certificate of Service attached.10Michigan Legal Help. Going to Court in an Eviction Case Changing the locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities on your own is not legal in Michigan; only a court order followed by a writ of restitution makes a physical eviction lawful.