Active Eaton County Petitions

Petition Process


As there can be many different scenarios involved in the petition process, please contact the Drain Commissioner’s Office to discuss the process.  We will provide you with the forms required for the best procedure for you to follow.

Steps to Approving an Order of Determination


After receiving a petition, the Drain Commissioner may appoint 3 people from outside the drainage district to serve as a Board of Determination. Notices are mailed to the entire drainage district with the information that a meeting will be held to discuss the necessity of undertaking improvements to the drain. If the Board of Determination believes that it is necessary to improve the drain, they sign an Order of Necessity instructing the Drain Commissioner to develop a project to improve the drain  If they do not fine it necessary to improve the drain, nothing further happens and a new petition cannot be submitted for one year.  There are no county general fund monies designated to county drains.  All funds to maintain and improve drains are assessed back to the drainage district in the form of a special assessment on the winter taxes.

Below is a list of current active Eaton County Petitions.  Petitions can be submitted to the Drain Office by either landowners within the drainage district or by municipalities that are either partially or fully within the drainage district.  The Eaton County Drain Commissioner cannot do any project above the scope allowed within the Drain Code without a petition.  Drain Code only allows the drain commissioner to maintain the drain as it was established.  It cannot be deepened, widened, lengthened or up-sized without a petition.  Further, the Drain Commissioner can only spend $5,000 per mile of the drain each year in maintenance without a resolution from an effected municipality or unless the maintenance is deemed emergent in nature.

  • Allison Heights Drain
  • Belaire Hills - Establishment of a Drain
  • Bentley and DePue Drain
  • Brown Drain
  • Burns Village Extension Drain
  • Churchill and McClintic Drain
  • Cooper, Frost and Reynolds Drain
  • Cummings Drain
  • Dillon Drain
  • Glen No. 2 Drain
  • Higby Drain
  • Hobart Drain
  • Lee Drain
  • Lemon Drain
  • McCreery Drain
  • McGilvra Drain
  • Munson Drain
  • Potter Drain (Benton Township)
  • Trumbull Drain
  • Watson & Watson: Chris J. Drive Branch
  • Watson No. 2 Drain
  • Woodview Estates Drain