A Michigan lady bird deed is a deed that lets a homeowner keep a life estate and names who receives the home afterward. The person who receives it is called the beneficiary. It is also called an enhanced life estate deed. Michigan's deed statutes set out how a deed is signed, acknowledged and recorded.[1]
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Michigan law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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A lady bird deed splits ownership of a property into two parts. The owner, called the grantor, signs the deed and keeps a life estate, which is the right to the property for the rest of their life. The beneficiary receives the property after the grantor's death.
The FormsPal template conveys the property to the beneficiary effective on the grantor's death and not sooner, subject to a life estate in favor of the grantor. Its stated intention is to let the property pass to the beneficiary without probate proceedings of any form.
The wording also reserves the grantor's right to revoke the deed, and to sell, lease or mortgage the property, without notice to or consent of the beneficiary.
You can also browse our lady bird deed forms and all deed forms.
People choose a lady bird deed to decide ahead of time who receives a home, while they keep living in it. These are common reasons in practice and are not rules of Michigan law. Michigan's actual deed requirements are in the next section.
In Michigan, land passes by a deed that the owner signs and seals. The owner must be of lawful age. The deed is then acknowledged or proved and recorded as the statute directs.[1] The sections below cover the signing rule, the acknowledgment, and the details a deed must show to be recorded.
Michigan's deed rules are in Chapter 565 of the Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL).[1] Michigan has no statute that sets out the lady bird deed or its effect, because the doctrine comes from common law and not from a statute. For the same reason, no statute says whether the owner may sell or revoke the deed without the beneficiary.
Before you file, ask your county's recording office what it needs.
The owner signs and seals the deed, and the owner must be of lawful age. The owner's lawful agent or attorney may sign for the owner instead. The deed is then acknowledged or proved and recorded as the statute directs, without any other act or ceremony.[1]
A deed for land that is signed in Michigan is acknowledged before a judge, a clerk of a court of record, or a notary public in the state.[2] The statute puts it this way:
Deeds executed within this state of lands, or any interest in lands, shall be acknowledged before any judge, clerk of a court of record, or notary public within this state.
The FormsPal template ends with an acknowledgment block for a notary public.
To be recorded in Michigan, a deed must carry these details:
The FormsPal template has a line for the preparer, a printed name under each signature, and the beneficiary's address.
Build the FormsPal Michigan lady bird deed online or download the PDF, then fill in each part in the order below. The steps follow the template page by page. You can fill in the downloaded PDF with our online PDF editor.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Michigan lady bird deed template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
After you fill in the template, the deed is signed, acknowledged and then recorded.[1] The steps below put those actions in order. The laws section above explains what Michigan requires for each one.
These short answers cover common questions about signing, acknowledging and recording a deed in Michigan. Each answer comes from the Michigan statute cited at its end, so you can check the exact wording.
The deed must be signed and sealed by the owner, who must be of lawful age, or by the owner's lawful agent or attorney. It is then acknowledged or proved and recorded as the statute directs, without any other act or ceremony.[1]
A deed of land executed in Michigan must be acknowledged before one of these officers:
The officer must be within the state.[2]
Yes, if the deed is executed after January 1, 1964. To be recorded, it must contain the name and business address of the person who drafted it.[3.3]
To be recorded, yes. The address of each grantee must be legibly printed, typewritten or stamped on the instrument. It is the street number address where those are in common use, and otherwise the post office address.[3.2]
To be recorded, the name of each person who signs must be legibly printed, typewritten or stamped beneath the original signature or mark. The signature or mark must be in black or dark blue ink.[3.1]
No. A provision for a nonprobate transfer on death in a conveyance, a deed of gift or a similar written instrument is nontestamentary. In plain words, it is not treated as a will.[4]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
