Local Government Law Bulletin December 10, 2020 Alexander P. Henderson

State Implements Revisions to Uniform Citation Forms

Beginning on February 12, 2021, civil infraction and misdemeanor citation forms issued by municipalities will be required to contain certain language that was not previously included on standard citation forms. In accordance with recent revisions approved by the State, the following language will be required on citation forms:

“If you are not able to pay due to financial hardship, contact the court immediately to request a payment alternative.”

The approved revisions also remove the social security number field box from citation forms, in compliance with Michigan Court Rules regarding the protection of personal identifying information.

February 11, 2021 is the last day that municipalities may use their existing stock of citation forms that do not contain the above-quoted language. Therefore, it is recommended that municipalities place orders for the newly-revised citation forms early enough to ensure that they have stock of such forms available to use as soon as the notice language requirement goes into effect on February 12.

How to Obtain Citation Forms with the New Revisions

Municipalities can order stock of the revised citation forms from various different vendors. The Michigan Judiciary’s website provides a list of vendors from whom citation forms may be ordered, which can be found at the following link: https://courts.michigan.gov/Administration/SCAO/Forms/Pages/Uniform-Law-Citation-Printers.aspx. The Michigan State Court Administrator has indicated that the listed vendors have been notified of the required revisions.

When placing an order for new citation forms, local government entities should review the information to be imprinted with their forms, such as department and court information, and advise the vendor of any updates or corrections needed for such information to be current and accurate.

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