Michigan SB 721 (PA 20 of 2024): MRTA Deadline Extended

Quick Answer

Senate Bill 721 became Public Act 20 of 2024. The governor approved it on March 28, 2024, and it took immediate effect the same day. It amended sections 1 and 3 of Michigan's Marketable Record Title Act (MCL 565.101 and 565.103) to move the date for recording a notice of claim from March 29, 2024 to September 29, 2025. For homeowners associations with older recorded restrictions, it bought a year and a half to preserve those restrictions. The deadline was later addressed again by a 2025 amendment, covered in our notice of claim guide.

What the Marketable Record Title Act Does

The MRTA is a title-cleanup law. A person with an unbroken chain of title for 40 years (20 years for mineral interests) is considered to have a marketable record title, free of older interests, claims and charges that depend on acts or events from before that period. An older interest can be preserved by recording a sworn notice of claim within the time the statute allows. See MCL 565.101. For associations, the risk is that recorded restrictions, easements or maintenance obligations that are more than 40 years old could be extinguished if no notice of claim preserves them.

What PA 20 of 2024 Changed

• Section 1 now refers to interests and defects recorded on or before September 29, 2025.
• Section 3 now allows an interest, claim or charge to be preserved by filing a verified notice of claim for record on or before September 29, 2025, or during the applicable 20-year or 40-year period.
• Immediate effect. The act states that it is ordered to take immediate effect, and the enrolled act lists the effective date as March 28, 2024.
• Who can file. A notice may be filed by the claimant or by another person acting for the claimant if the claimant is under a disability, cannot assert the claim, or belongs to a class whose members cannot be identified.

The statute also says that a disability or lack of knowledge does not suspend the running of the 20-year or 40-year period.

Why the Extension Mattered

Before PA 20, the notice-of-claim date was March 29, 2024. The extension prevented a wave of restrictions, road and drain maintenance agreements and similar interests from lapsing on that date and gave associations and their attorneys additional time to record notices. It also gave the Legislature time to revisit the law, which it did the following year.

What Boards Should Take From It

• Check your recording history. Locate your declaration or deed restrictions, the recording date, and any prior notice of claim.
• Do not assume a condominium is at risk. The Condominium Act requires unit deeds to reference the master deed, which generally protects condominium master deeds; HOAs with older documents are the concern. Your attorney can confirm which category you are in.
• Look at the current law, not the 2024 deadline. The 2025 amendment changed the framework again. Read our MRTA notice of claim guide for the current rules and the September 29, 2027 date for some older HOAs.

How APM Helps

APM can pull recorded documents, flag associations with older restrictions, and coordinate with your attorney on recording. See our Michigan resources or contact us.

Source: Enrolled Senate Bill 721, Public Act 20 of 2024 (Michigan Legislature). This article is general information, not legal advice; consult your association's attorney about your documents. Last verified October 24, 2026.