How to Update Your Mailing Address for Blight Tickets
Category: Operational Guide
Problem: "I never got the mail."
In Detroit, the Department of Appeals and Hearings (DAH) does not maintain its own address database. They pull data from the City Assessor.
If you bought a house and recorded the deed, but failed to file a Property Transfer Affidavit (PTA) with the Assessor, the city is legally mailing tickets to the previous owner.
The "Constructive Notice" Trap
Under the law, mailing a ticket to the address on record counts as "Service." It does not matter if you didn't get it. It matters that they mailed it to where you should have been listed.
How to Fix Your Address (Step-by-Step)
You cannot just call the DAH and ask them to change it. You must fix the root record.
1. The Form: L-4260 You must file Michigan Department of Treasury Form L-4260 (Property Transfer Affidavit).
- Where to file: Detroit Office of the Assessor (Coleman A. Young Municipal Center).
- Cost: If filed more than 45 days after purchase, there may be a penalty fee ($200).
2. The "Corrective" PTA If you already own the home but the address is wrong (e.g., going to the rental property instead of your office), you can file a "Corrective" PTA to update the mailing address without triggering a transfer tax event.
3. The Lag Time Warning: Even after filing, it can take 3-6 months for the Assessor's database to sync with the DAH system.
- Strategy: During this "Gap Period," you are vulnerable. You must use digital monitoring because the mail will still go to the wrong place.