§ 700.2501 Will; maker; sufficient mental capacity
§ 700.2502 Execution; witnessed wills; holographic wills
§ 700.2503 Writings intended as wills
§ 700.2504 Self-proved will
§ 700.2505 Witnesses
§ 700.2506 Choice of law as to execution
§ 700.2507 Revocation by writing or by act
§ 700.2508 Revocation by change of circumstances
§ 700.2509 Revival of revoked will
§ 700.2510 Incorporation by reference
§ 700.2511 Testamentary additions to trusts
§ 700.2512 Events of independent significance
§ 700.2513 Separate writing identifying devise of certain types of tangible personal property
§ 700.2514 Contracts concerning succession
§ 700.2515 Deposit of will with court in testator’s lifetime
§ 700.2516 Delivery of will or codicil by custodian
§ 700.2517 Opening of safe deposit box
§ 700.2518 Penalty clause for contest
§ 700.2519 Statutory will

Need help with a review of a will?
Have it reviewed by a lawyer, get answers to your questions and move forward with confidence.
Connect with a lawyer now

Terms Used In Michigan Laws > Chapter 700 > Act 386 of 1998 > Article II > Part 5 - Wills, Will Contracts, and Custody and Deposit of Wills

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Beneficiary: includes , but is not limited to, the following:
  (i) In relation to a trust, a person that is a trust beneficiary as defined in section 7103. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
  • Child: includes , but is not limited to, an individual entitled to take as a child under this act by intestate succession from the parent whose relationship is involved. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Claim: includes , but is not limited to, in respect to a decedent's or protected individual's estate, a liability of the decedent or protected individual, whether arising in contract, tort, or otherwise, and a liability of the estate that arises at or after the decedent's death or after a conservator's appointment, including funeral and burial expenses and costs and expenses of administration. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
  • Conservator: means a person appointed by a court to manage a protected individual's estate. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Court: means the probate court or, when applicable, the family division of circuit court. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Department: means the department of agriculture and rural development. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Depository: means that department of the financial institution which is responsible for managing, investing, and reinvesting funds placed in an investment pool. See Michigan Laws 129.112
  • Descendant: means , in relation to an individual, all of his or her descendants of all generations, with the relationship of parent and child at each generation being determined by the definitions of child and parent contained in this act. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Devise: means , when used as a noun, a testamentary disposition of real or personal property and, when used as a verb, to dispose of real or personal property by will. See Michigan Laws 700.1103
  • Director: means the director of the department or his or her designee. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Estate: includes the property of the decedent, trust, or other person whose affairs are subject to this act as the property is originally constituted and as it exists throughout administration. See Michigan Laws 700.1104
  • Evaluation: means a food safety audit, inspection, or food safety and sanitation assessment, whether announced or unannounced, that identifies violations or verifies compliance with this act and determines the degree of active control by food establishment operators over foodborne illness risk factors. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fiduciary: includes , but is not limited to, a personal representative, funeral representative, guardian, conservator, trustee, plenary guardian, partial guardian, and successor fiduciary. See Michigan Laws 700.1104
  • Financial institution: means an organization authorized to do business under state or federal laws relating to a financial institution and includes, but is not limited to, a bank, trust company, savings bank, building and loan association, savings and loan company or association, credit union, insurance company, and entity that offers mutual fund, securities brokerage, money market, or retail investment accounts. See Michigan Laws 700.1104
  • Financial institution: means a state or nationally chartered bank or a state or federally chartered savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union whose deposits are insured by an agency of the United States government and which maintains a principal office or branch office located in this state under the laws of this state or the United States and which is eligible to be a depository of surplus funds belonging to the state under section 6 of 1855 PA 105, MCL 21. See Michigan Laws 129.112
  • Food: means articles used for food or drink for humans or other animals, chewing gum, and articles used for components of any such article. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Food code: means "Food Code, 2009 Recommendations of the United States Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration" which regulates the design, construction, management, and operation of certain food establishments. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Food establishment: means an operation where food is processed, packed, canned, preserved, frozen, fabricated, stored, prepared, served, vended, sold, or offered for sale. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Food service establishment: means a fixed or mobile restaurant, coffee shop, cafeteria, short order cafe, luncheonette, grill, tearoom, sandwich shop, soda fountain, tavern, bar, cocktail lounge, nightclub, drive-in, industrial feeding establishment, private organization serving the public, rental hall, catering kitchen, delicatessen, theater, commissary, food concession, or similar place in which food or drink is prepared for direct consumption through service on the premises or elsewhere, and any other eating or drinking establishment or operation where food is served or provided for the public. See Michigan Laws 289.1107
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Governing body: means the board of supervisors of a county, the township board of a township, the council, common council, or commission of a city, the council, commission or board of trustees of a village, the board of education or district board of a school district, the county drain commissioner or drainage board of a drainage district, the legislative body of a metropolitan district, the port commission of a port district and, in the case of any other public corporation, the official or official body to whom is designated general governing or legislative powers by law. See Michigan Laws 129.122
  • Governing body: means the legislative body or the official or official body that exercises the general governing powers of a public corporation, or in the case of this state or an agency of this state, the official body designated by law to issue the obligation to be replaced. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Governing body: means the board, council, or other official body that has general governing powers over a local unit. See Michigan Laws 129.142
  • Governing instrument: means a deed; will; trust; funeral representative designation; insurance or annuity policy; account with POD designation; security registered in beneficiary form (TOD); pension, profit-sharing, retirement, or similar benefit plan; instrument creating or exercising a power of appointment or a power of attorney; or dispositive, appointive, or nominative instrument of any similar type. See Michigan Laws 700.1104
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Guardian: means a person who has qualified as a guardian of a minor or a legally incapacitated individual under a parental or spousal nomination or a court appointment and includes a limited guardian as described in sections 5205, 5206, and 5306. See Michigan Laws 700.1104
  • in writing: shall be construed to include printing, engraving, and lithographing; except that if the written signature of a person is required by law, the signature shall be the proper handwriting of the person or, if the person is unable to write, the person's proper mark, which may be, unless otherwise expressly prohibited by law, a clear and classifiable fingerprint of the person made with ink or another substance. See Michigan Laws 8.3q
  • Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. Source: FDIC
  • Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
  • Inspection: means the checking or testing of observable practices against standards established in or adopted by this act, accompanied by a report of findings. See Michigan Laws 289.1109
  • Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
  • Investment pool: means a local government investment pool authorized in section 3. See Michigan Laws 129.142
  • Issue: means an individual's descendant. See Michigan Laws 700.1105
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • License holder: means the person who is legally responsible for the operation of a food establishment including the owner, the owner's agent, or other person operating under apparent authority of the owner and who possesses a valid license to operate a food establishment. See Michigan Laws 289.1109
  • Local unit: means a county, city, village, township, school district, authority, or any other political subdivision organized under the laws of this state. See Michigan Laws 129.112
  • Local unit: means a county, city, village, township, authority created pursuant to state law or municipal charter, special assessment district, municipal board or commission established under state law or municipal charter, or intergovernmental board, commission, or council established pursuant to the urban cooperation act of 1967, Act No. See Michigan Laws 129.142
  • Michigan prudent investor rule: means the fiduciary investment and management rule prescribed by part 5 of this article. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Minor: means an individual who is less than 18 years of age. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Money: means legal tender or a note, draft, certificate of deposit, stock, bond, check, or credit card. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • month: means a calendar month; the word "year" a calendar year; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord". See Michigan Laws 8.3j
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • oath: shall be construed to include the word "affirmation" in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath; and in like cases the word "sworn" shall be construed to include the word "affirmed". See Michigan Laws 8.3k
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Obligation: means evidence of indebtedness including, but not limited to, a bond, refunding bond, revenue bond, note, certificate of indebtedness and other like instrument issued by a public corporation, and any coupon representing interest on the obligation. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Obligations: means any evidence of indebtedness, such as bonds, bills, notes, orders, certificates of indebtedness or other like instruments, issued by a public corporation. See Michigan Laws 129.122
  • Obligor: means either of the following:
  •   (i) A person or entity that has borrowed the proceeds of an obligation from a public corporation and is contractually obligated to make loan repayments sufficient to pay principal of and interest on the obligation. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Parent: includes , but is not limited to, an individual entitled to take, or who would be entitled to take, as a parent under this act by intestate succession from a child who dies without a will and whose relationship is in question. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Participant: means a local unit which has entered into a contract with a financial institution and has placed funds in an investment pool managed by that financial institution. See Michigan Laws 129.112
  • Participating county: means a county that has been authorized by the county governing body to enter into a contract with another local unit pursuant to section 4. See Michigan Laws 129.142
  • Paying agent: means any one of the banks or trust companies or other financial institutions where the obligations or interest coupons are made payable. See Michigan Laws 129.122
  • Paying agent: means either of the following:
  •   (i) For an obligation that is not registered as to payment of principal by or on behalf of the public corporation that issued the obligation, any bank or trust company designated by the public corporation to make payment of principal of or interest on the obligation. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Person: means an individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity. See Michigan Laws 289.1109
  • Person: means an individual or an organization. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Personal representative: includes , but is not limited to, an executor, administrator, successor personal representative, and special personal representative, and any other person, other than a trustee of a trust subject to article VII, who performs substantially the same function under the law governing that person's status. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Petition: means a written request to the court for an order after notice. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Priority foundation item: means a provision in the food code whose application supports, facilitates, or enables 1 or more priority items. See Michigan Laws 289.1109
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • probate register: means the official of the court designated to perform the functions of register as provided in section 1304. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • Proceeding: includes an application and a petition, and may be an action at law or a suit in equity. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Property: means anything that may be the subject of ownership, and includes both real and personal property or an interest in real or personal property. See Michigan Laws 700.1106
  • Public corporation: means any county, city, village, township, charter township, school district, community college district, port district, metropolitan district, drainage district, the state or any officer, agency, commission or department thereof, or any other public or governmental authority or agency within the state with the power to issue obligations. See Michigan Laws 129.122
  • Public corporation: means a body corporate organized pursuant to the laws of this state to carry out a public governmental or proprietary function, including, but not limited to, this state, an agency of this state, or a school district, intermediate school district, city, village, township, county, district, commission, authority, university, college, or any combination of these, which is a corporate entity. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Public health code: means 1978 PA 368, MCL 333. See Michigan Laws 289.1109
  • Regulatory authority: means the department, the local health department, or the authorized representative having jurisdiction over the food establishment. See Michigan Laws 289.1111
  • Replacement obligation: means an obligation and any coupon representing interest in connection with the obligation issued under this act. See Michigan Laws 129.131
  • Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
  • Retail grocery: means an operation that sells or offers to sell food to consumers for off-premises consumption. See Michigan Laws 289.1111
  • Rules: means administrative rules promulgated under this act pursuant to the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24. See Michigan Laws 289.1111
  • seal: shall be construed to include any of the following:
  •   (a) The impression of the seal on the paper alone. See Michigan Laws 8.3n
  • Security: includes , but is not limited to, a note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in an oil, gas, or mining title or lease or in payments out of production under such a title or lease, collateral trust certificate, transferable share, voting trust certificate, or interest in a regulated investment company or other entity generally referred to as a mutual fund or, in general, an interest or instrument commonly known as a security, or a certificate of interest or participation for, a temporary or interim certificate, receipt, or certificate of deposit for, or any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the items listed in this subdivision. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Surplus funds: means money which belongs to or is under the control of the local unit and is available for investment, not being required by law or agreement with bondholders to be segregated and invested in a specified manner. See Michigan Laws 129.112
  • Survive: means that an individual neither predeceases an event, including the death of another individual, nor is considered to predecease an event under section 2104 or 2702. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • terms of the trust: means the manifestation of the settlor's intent regarding a trust's provisions as expressed in the trust instrument or as may be established by other evidence that would be admissible in a judicial proceeding. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
  • Testator: includes an individual of either gender. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • Trust: includes , but is not limited to, an express trust, private or charitable, with additions to the trust, wherever and however created. See Michigan Laws 700.1107
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustee: includes an original, additional, or successor trustee, whether or not appointed or confirmed by the court. See Michigan Laws 700.1107