HOUSE BILL No. 4962

 

 

September 14, 2017, Introduced by Rep. Glenn and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending sections 73102, 73104, and 73105 (MCL 324.73102,

 

324.73104, and 324.73105), section 73102 as amended by 1998 PA 546

 

and sections 73104 and 73105 as added by 1995 PA 58.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 73102. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), a person

 

shall not enter or remain upon the property of another person ,

 

other than farm property or a wooded area connected to farm

 

property, to engage in any recreational activity or trapping on

 

that property without the consent of the owner or his or her lessee

 

or agent, if either any of the following circumstances

 

exists:exist:

 

     (a) The property is farm property or a wooded area connected

 

to farm property.


     (b) (a) The property is fenced or enclosed and is maintained

 

in such a manner as to exclude intruders.

 

     (c) (b) The property is posted in a conspicuous manner against

 

entry . The by 1 of the following means:

 

     (i) By posting signs, with a minimum letter height on the

 

posting signs shall be of 1 inch. Each posting sign shall be not

 

less than 50 square inches. , and the The signs shall be spaced to

 

enable a person to observe not less than 1 sign at any point of

 

entry upon the property.

 

     (ii) By making purple paint marks on trees or posts at the

 

property boundary. Each paint mark shall be a vertical line at

 

least 8 inches long, and the bottom of the paint mark shall be

 

between 3 feet and 5 feet above the ground. The paint marks shall

 

be not more than 100 feet apart and shall be placed so that they

 

are readily visible to persons approaching the property.

 

     (2) Except as provided in subsection (4), a person shall not

 

enter or remain upon farm property or a wooded area connected to

 

farm property for any recreational activity or trapping without the

 

consent of the owner or his or her lessee or agent, whether or not

 

the farm property or wooded area connected to farm property is

 

fenced, enclosed, or posted.

 

     (2) (3) On In the case of fenced or posted property or farm

 

property or a wooded area connected to farm property, a fisherman

 

wading or floating a navigable public stream may, without written

 

or oral consent, enter upon the property within the clearly defined

 

banks of the stream or, without damaging farm products, walk a

 

route on the property as closely proximate to the clearly defined


bank as possible when necessary to avoid a natural or artificial

 

hazard or obstruction, including, but not limited to, a dam, deep

 

hole, or a fence or other exercise of ownership by the riparian

 

owner.

 

     (3) (4) A person other than a person possessing a firearm may,

 

unless previously prohibited in writing or orally by the property

 

owner or his or her lessee or agent, enter on foot upon the

 

property of another person for the sole purpose of retrieving a

 

hunting dog. The person shall not remain on the property beyond the

 

reasonable time necessary to retrieve the dog. In an action under

 

section 73109 or 73110, the burden of showing that the property

 

owner or his or her lessee or agent previously prohibited entry

 

under this subsection is on the plaintiff or prosecuting attorney,

 

respectively.

 

     (4) (5) Consent to enter or remain upon the property of

 

another person pursuant to this section may be given orally or in

 

writing. The consent may establish conditions for entering or

 

remaining upon that property. Unless prohibited in the written

 

consent, a written consent may be amended or revoked orally. If the

 

owner or his or her lessee or agent requires all persons entering

 

or remaining upon the property to have written consent, the

 

presence of the person on the property without written consent is

 

prima facie evidence of unlawful entry.

 

     Sec. 73104. A person other than the property owner or the

 

owner's lessee or agent shall not remove, deface, or destroy a sign

 

or poster that has been posted or purple paint mark made pursuant

 

to this part.


     Sec. 73105. A person shall not post a sign or place purple

 

paint marks on property owned by another person or enclose the

 

property of another person to prohibit hunting, fishing, trapping,

 

or other recreational activities on that property without the

 

written permission of the owner of that property or his or her

 

lessee or agent.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.