Clinton Township is Michigan's most populous township, with a July 2025 Census estimate of about 101,000 residents. It sits in Macomb County north of Detroit and takes its name from the Clinton River, which was renamed in 1824 for DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor closely associated with the Erie Canal. That mix of big-suburb scale and an old waterway name gives the township its own footing in Metro Detroit.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 31.4 to 37.4 mills for a primary home. 5 school districts cover the community, so the parcel and PRE status decide the final bill.
Practical directory
Common home and paperwork paths
Start with the Michigan guide that matches the job. For a parcel, bill, permit, or recorded document in Clinton Township, confirm the final answer with the local or county office shown farther down this page.
- Delinquent property tax Get help before the redemption date Find the foreclosing unit, exact payoff, assistance programs, counseling, and legal-help paths.
- Utility shutoff or past-due bill Work the utility-help sequence Call the provider, apply for emergency relief, use 2-1-1, and ask about household protections.
- Essential home repair Find repair or weatherization help Match the repair, household, service area, and rural status to programs that may actually fit.
- Home and estate Handle a home after someone dies Keep the property stable, find the deed and authority to act, and choose the right estate or title path.
- Manufactured home Transfer or repair the home title Start with the Secretary of State path for a sale, missing title, lien, or legal affixture to land.
- Buying rural or waterfront land Check the parcel before closing Work through access, survey, buildability, well, septic, wetlands, title, and local office checks.
Who handles what
Send the question to the right office
Start local for a parcel, tax bill, permit, or housing rule. Move to the county or a district when the record or service covers more than one community.
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Assessment, PRE, current tax bill, or Board of Review
Clinton Township assessor or treasurer
Start with the Clinton Township office shown on the assessment notice or tax bill. The assessor handles value and exemptions; the treasurer handles the current summer or winter bill.
Michigan property-tax basics -
Rental registration, building permit, or code problem
Clinton Township building, rental, or code office
The enforcing agency can be the municipality, county, or state, and electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work may go to different places.
Find the official permit jurisdiction ↗ Michigan homeowner guide -
Marriage license, local record, deed, or delinquent tax
Macomb County offices
The clerk, register of deeds, and county treasurer handle different parts of this work. The county page separates them for you.
Open the official Macomb County site ↗ Getting married in Michigan -
Private well, septic system, local health, or trial court
County, district, or court finder
A health district or court can serve more than one community. The county page links to the official statewide finders.
Find the local health department ↗ Michigan well and septic guide
The practical stuff
Buying, owning, or selling in Clinton Township
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 31.3747 mills - 37.3747 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 48.7974 mills - 55.1547 mills
- School districts available
- 5 in Clinton Township
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed July 12, 2026.
What these local words mean
- Primary home (PRE)
- A home you own and live in as your main home. PRE stands for Principal Residence Exemption and can lower the school operating tax.
- Non-homestead
- Property that is not treated as the owner's main home, such as a rental, vacation home, or second home.
- Assessor
- The local office that estimates and records property values and exemptions.
- Treasurer
- The local office that collects property tax payments and can confirm bill timing.
Michigan homebuyer tax calculator
See the tax bill after you buy.
Where is the house?
Pick the county, city or township, and school district. We use the official 2025 tax rates published by Michigan Treasury.
Not sure of the school district? Check the property listing. It is usually under "Schools."
Need to double-check the exact parcel? Use the official state estimator at treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimator or call the local treasurer. Rates can change across city, township, village, and school district lines, so the exact parcel matters.
Why a buyer's property-tax bill can change after a sale
In Michigan, property tax isn't figured on what you paid — it's figured on the home's Taxable Value, with the local millage rates applied to that number. While one owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how fast that Taxable Value can climb. When the home sells, the cap usually comes off — this is called uncapping — and the Taxable Value resets toward the State Equalized Value, or SEV, which tends to run about half of a home's market value.
That reset is the part that catches buyers: a longtime owner may have been paying on an old, capped number, so the year after you buy, yours can jump to the new one — and your first full-year bill can land well above what the seller was paying. In Clinton Township, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 5 school districts cover Clinton Township. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 31.4 to 37.4 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 48.8 to 55.2 mills. The calculator above turns those local rates into your actual number.
If this will be your main home, make sure that PRE is filed with the local assessor — it can lift up to 18 school-operating mills off the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes stay on the higher non-homestead rate.
The tax reset is the big one, but it isn't the whole checklist. Out here, a home beyond city water and sewer usually comes with a private well and septic system worth testing before you close. It's also worth checking whether the address sits in a floodplain, and whether you'll owe a city income tax where you live or work. The buying-a-home guide walks through the rest.
School districts in this area
Chippewa Valley Schools
Primary home (PRE) 33.0147 mills · non-homestead 51.0147 mills
Clintondale Comm Schools
Primary home (PRE) 37.3747 mills · non-homestead 55.1547 mills
Fraser Public School
Primary home (PRE) 31.3747 mills · non-homestead 49.3747 mills
L Anse Creuse Public S
Primary home (PRE) 31.3747 mills · non-homestead 48.7974 mills
Mt Clemens Communit
Primary home (PRE) 37.2403 mills · non-homestead 54.6183 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to Clinton Township: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Do any Macomb County cities have a local income tax?
Macomb County has no city income tax in any of its cities or townships, so property tax is the main local tax to watch.
Local check
Can you park on the street overnight? Often not
Many metro Detroit suburbs restrict overnight street parking, and snow emergencies can bring stricter temporary bans.
Local check
Why is car insurance so expensive around here?
Michigan auto insurance is still expensive, and metro Detroit addresses can move rates by hundreds of dollars a month.
Local check
Can you run an Airbnb here? Your city or township decides
Michigan leaves short-term rental rules to each city or township, so Airbnb and Vrbo rules can change from one community to the next.
Stories & local context
Get to know Clinton Township
On the money side, there's some good news: Macomb County has no city income tax, so your paycheck isn't trimmed for living or working here. A few everyday things still come down to your exact address and the local rules — whether you can run a short-term rental, what car insurance runs in this part of Metro Detroit, and where overnight street parking is allowed. The notes below walk through each of those.
Two property-tax details are worth knowing before you buy. Michigan sends most owners two bills a year, a summer one and a winter one, rather than a single yearly bill. And like other townships, Clinton Township can add special assessments for local improvements on top of your regular taxes. The notes below have the specifics.
Featured local story
A Lenape-Moravian village stood here in 1782
David Zeisberger and Christian Lenape families established New Gnadenhutten on the Clinton River in 1782, where they found traces of an even older Native town.
Read the story →-
Clinton Township started a canal meant to cross Michigan
An 1827 company planned to join the Clinton and Kalamazoo rivers, turning a village in today's Clinton Township into the east end of a route to Lake Michigan.
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The shortcut river built to hold back floods
The Army Corps built the 2.5-mile Clinton River Spillway in 1950 to send floodwater toward Lake St. Clair before it reached Mount Clemens.
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The Clinton River starts as a web, not a line
Main, Middle, North, Stony, Paint, and Red Run branches connect Oakland and Macomb communities before the Clinton reaches Lake St. Clair.
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Clinton Township is Michigan's most populous township
The township label hides a city-sized suburb: Census estimated 101,374 residents in 2025, and the community takes its name from the Clinton River.
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The general behind the name Macomb
Macomb County and Macomb Township are named for Alexander Macomb, the Detroit-born general who won the Battle of Plattsburgh and led the entire U.S. Army.
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to Clinton Township. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with Clinton Township — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare Clinton Township with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for Clinton Township
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Macomb County See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot. Open county page →
- Homeowner Keep the house on track Use one calm directory for tax notices, insurance, contractors, permits, records, and repairs. Open homeowner guide →
- Seller Plan the Michigan closing Walk through disclosure, title, transfer tax, PRE rescission, and the records worth keeping. Open seller guide →
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