Highways: other; failing to remove an obstruction in the right of way; prohibit from being used as evidence of abandonment. Amends sec. 20 of 1925 PA 368 (MCL 247.190).
Key claim: HB6044 amends Michigan’s 1925 highway act to prohibit a property owner’s failure to remove an obstruction from a road right-of-way from being used as evidence of abandonment.
Abstract
(HB6044 · 103rd Legislature) Highways: other; failing to remove an obstruction in the right of way; prohibit from being used as evidence of abandonment. Amends sec. 20 of 1925 PA 368 (MCL 247.190). Latest action (2026-06-09): Bill Electronically Reproduced 06/04/2026
Why this matters
Right-of-way abandonment doctrine determines whether public road corridors remain available for future maintenance, widening, or reconnection. By narrowing what counts as evidence of abandonment, the bill would make it harder for adjacent landowners to convert unused right-of-way into private claims, preserving the state’s long-term footprint for road and infrastructure use.