McMillan Township is home to Newberry, the Luce County seat and the county's only incorporated community. Michigan's Legislature recognized Newberry as the Moose Capital of Michigan in 2002. That title is civic identity, not a wildlife census or a promise that you will see a moose. Newberry grew up as a lumber town in the late 1800s and remains a practical base for schools, health care, shops, and trips into the surrounding U.P. woods.
At a glance
State millage data currently shows about 25.7 to 45.3 mills for a primary home. 2 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 McMillan 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
McMillan Township assessor or treasurer
Start with the McMillan 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
McMillan 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
Luce 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 Luce 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 McMillan Township
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 25.677 mills - 45.2806 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 43.3204 mills - 62.924 mills
- School districts available
- 2 in McMillan 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 McMillan Township, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 2 school districts cover McMillan Township. For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 25.7 to 45.3 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 43.3 to 62.9 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
Tahquamenon Area SC
Primary home (PRE) 25.677 mills · non-homestead 43.3204 mills
Tahquamenon Area SC (Village of Newberry)
Primary home (PRE) 45.2806 mills · non-homestead 62.924 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to McMillan Township: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Local check
Does Newberry have a city income tax?
Luce County has no local income tax -- Newberry is a village, not a city, and only Michigan cities can levy one.
Local check
Wells, septic systems, and what to check before you buy
Most homes in Luce County's townships rely on a private well and septic system, and the county has no point-of-sale inspection rule, so it's buyer beware.
Local check
Live in a Michigan village? You pay an extra layer of property tax
Michigan village residents usually pay village property taxes on top of township taxes, so the village boundary can change a buyer's total rate.
Local check
Buying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxes
Michigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
Stories & local context
Get to know McMillan Township
North of Newberry, the Upper and Lower Tahquamenon falls sit in McMillan Township. The DNR calls the 200-foot-wide, 50-foot-tall Upper Falls Michigan's largest waterfall and one of the largest in the eastern United States. Its amber water comes from tannins in the surrounding swamps. West of Newberry, Dollarville Flooding has a public campground, boardwalk, and wildlife-viewing access; EGLE says DNR has planted manoomin there since 2016. The township also reaches Luce County's remote Lake Superior shore and the restored Crisp Point Lighthouse.
A few practical notes for buyers. Newberry sits inside the township as a village, so village residents pay an extra layer of property tax, but there's no local income tax. Homes outside the village usually run on private wells and septic systems, the township can add special assessments, and Michigan splits property taxes into summer and winter bills. The notes below cover each one.
Featured local story
Crisp Point Lighthouse and the Shipwreck Coast
Luce County's remote Lake Superior shore holds Crisp Point Lighthouse, the Two-Hearted River, and Muskallonge Lake State Park along the old Shipwreck Coast.
Read the story →-
How Luce County got its name
Luce County was carved from Chippewa and Mackinac counties in 1887 and named for Cyrus G. Luce, the farmer who was serving as Michigan's governor at the time.
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Newberry, Michigan's Moose Capital
Newberry is Luce County's county seat and only incorporated community. Its Moose Capital title is official, but it is not a promise that a moose will appear.
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Newberry's iron and timber beginnings
Newberry sprang up in 1882 around a charcoal-iron furnace and a sawmill, named for a Detroit railroad man who likely never visited -- a logging boomtown whose story still lives in two local museums.
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Tahquamenon Falls from the Newberry side
The Upper and Lower falls are in Luce County north of Newberry. DNR calls the Upper Falls Michigan's largest waterfall and one of the largest in the eastern United States.
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Manoomin, Michigan's official native grain
Michigan enacted its manoomin designation in 2023. The law names wild rice as the official native grain and recognizes its wetland and Indigenous cultural importance.
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Crisp Point: The Light That Was Nearly Lost to the Lake
A lonely tower on a remote stretch of Lake Superior that nearly slid into the lake — saved by stubborn volunteers and relit in 2013.
More local threads
Nearby places
The closest Michigan Porch pages to McMillan Township. Open one to read it, or put it side by side with McMillan Township — tax rates, school districts, and city income tax.
Compare McMillan Township with a neighbor →Next steps
What to check next for McMillan Township
Use the county office map for records and services, or follow the home path that matches what you are doing now.
- County Open Luce 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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