Charter township

A Charter Township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. In general, a township in Michigan, like a county, is a statutory unit of government, in that they only have those powers expressly provided for or implied by state law.

On the other hand, cities and villages in Michigan are vested with home rule powers, meaning that they can do almost anything not prohibited by law.

In 1947, the state legislature created a special charter township status, which grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation of a township's land by cities and villages. As of 2001, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan.