Frequently Asked Questions

A drainage district is a legally established area of land that drains to a common outlet. Drainage district boundaries are determined by the natural topography of the land and rarely correspond to political boundaries such as townships or counties. Other names for drainage district include watershed and drainage basin.

County drainage districts are separate public corporations with their own financial records. Each drainage district is supported by a Drain Special Assessment that covers the cost of maintaining the drainage system. County drains are not maintained by Clinton County general fund taxes. It becomes necessary to assess the properties and public corporations within the drainage district when the fund balance becomes insufficient to cover the costs of maintenance and improvements on the drain.

The Clinton County Drain Commissioner's Office has maps and aerial photos that can show the location of your property and the county drains within the drainage district. These documents will be available on the Day of Review. Even if your property does not touch the County drain, storm water flows toward this county drain as an outlet regardless of the land's elevation. For more information, please visit the

The law requires that assessments be based on benefit derived as determined by the Drain Commissioner. All properties within the drainage district are assessed considering factors such as size of the parcel, land use, proximity to the drain, location of the property within the district, and other factors. Drainage is considered as an interdependent system with the entire system benefiting from maintenance of the common outlet.

All property owners within a drainage district receive an assessment, unless specifically exempted by law. In addition, the municipality, Clinton County, the Clinton County Road Commission, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (as appropriate) also receive an assessment for a portion of the maintenance costs. The Drain Code does not exempt most nonprofit or religious properties from assessment.

Each notice informs you of a Drain Special Assessment for a different drainage district. Your property can be in multiple drainage districts because storm water moves from smaller watersheds through larger watersheds, ultimately discharging to the Great Lakes. For example, if your property were located in a small watershed that is “nested” inside a larger watershed, you would receive an assessment for each district, should they both be assessed in the same year. For more information. visit the

No, water may flow off your property in more than 1 direction to different drains and drainage districts and all of those drains may be assessed in 1 year.

Appeal of Drain Special Assessments may be made to the Clinton County Probate Court within 10 days after the Day of Review.

This is a time when you are invited to review the records of maintenance and improvement efforts and costs and to discuss your proposed share (apportionment) of these costs. This is also a time to inform the Drain Commissioner's Office of additional maintenance issues.

If you are unable to attend the Day of Review and you have questions regarding your assessment or the assessment process, please call the Clinton County Drain Office. It is possible to make an appointment at times other than the Day of Review, although the appeal period begins after the date of the Day of Review.

Although the work for which you are being assessed may have been completed prior to your purchase of the land, the Drain Code requires that assessments be levied to the property, and assessed to the current owner of record. In most cases, the work performed will benefit the property for years to come.

Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the apportionment is a parcel's percentage of the total project cost. The assessment is the dollar amount to be paid by the landowner.