Property Maintenance in Flint, MI (2026)
4 verified property maintenance rules for Flint, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Trash Bin Storage
Flint's residential refuse container framework rests on Chapter 39 of the Flint Code of Ordinances (Refuse, Garbage and Weeds) and on the City's curbside contract with Priority Waste. Section 39-12 (Garbage, Waste - Domestic) requires garbage to be drained of free liquids, wrapped, and placed in covered receptacles; it also prohibits placement in uncovered receptacles or burning in unapproved incinerators. Beginning in fall 2024, every City of Flint household was issued one 96-gallon grey trash cart and one 64-gallon blue recycling cart at no cost (60,000+ carts distributed through a $1 million EGLE grant and $3.3 million from The Recycling Partnership).
Flint Trash Bins: City-Issued 96-Gal Grey Cart for Trash + 64-Gal Blue Cart for Recycling (Priority Waste); Covered Containers Required Under § 39-12
Some RestrictionsProperty Blight
Flint enforces blight through Chapter 31, Article III of the Flint Code of Ordinances (Blight Violations), enacted under the Michigan Home Rule City Act (MCL 117.4l and 117.4q). Section 31-81 designates specific Flint Code provisions (including §§ 30-3, 30-7, 30-8, 30-9, 30-11, 30-12, 30-13, 30-15, 30-30.1, 39-1, 39-5, 39-7, 39-9, 39-10, 39-32, 39-43 and 39-43.1, plus §§ 11-1 and 24-1 where they relate to exterior building condition or property maintenance) as 'blight violations' adjudicated as civil infractions by the City's Administrative Hearings Bureau (the 'Blight Court'). Maximum civil fine is $10,000 per violation under MCL 117.4q(7); no incarceration is available before that bureau.
Flint Blight: Chapter 31 Article III Civil Infractions Adjudicated by the Administrative Hearings Bureau (Blight Court) Under MCL 117.4q
Heavy RestrictionsVacant Lot Maintenance
As of May 2026, the City of Flint does NOT have an enacted citywide vacant-property registration ordinance - a proposed registry ($250 fee, 60-day vacancy trigger) was advanced by the Central Park Neighborhood Association and was scheduled for Flint City Council consideration in April 2026 but has not been adopted. Flint instead controls vacant-lot conditions through Section 39-43 (Accumulation of Growth of Weeds, Grass, Harmful Vegetation Deemed Nuisance) and § 39-43.1, enforced as blight violations by the Administrative Hearings Bureau, and routes tax-foreclosed and severely deteriorated parcels to the Genesee County Land Bank Authority under the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Act (Act 258 of 2003, MCL 124.751).
Flint Vacant Lots: No Citywide Vacant-Property Registry Yet (Proposed April 2026); Weeds/Grass Nuisance Under § 39-43 + Genesee County Land Bank Pipeline
Heavy RestrictionsSnow & Sidewalk Clearing
Flint Code Section 42-46 (Duty to Maintain Sidewalks) places the duty on 'every owner, agent or occupant of any lot or parcel of land situated within the City to keep and maintain good and sufficient sidewalks along all streets and avenues in front of or adjacent thereto.' Section 42-46 does not publish a specific hour-based clearance deadline for snow and ice; the underlying duty runs continuously, and Michigan premises-liability case law treats abutting owners and occupants as the responsible parties for safe passage when the City has shifted the duty by ordinance. The City of Flint's Street Maintenance division clears streets but not residential sidewalks.
Flint Snow & Sidewalk Clearing: General Duty Under § 42-46 (Owner/Agent/Occupant); No Specific Hourly Deadline in Code; Michigan State Floor
Some RestrictionsLooking for Genesee County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Flint city rules.
Property Maintenance in Genesee County →