Buying Vacant Land in Wayne County, Michigan: The Detroit Land Bank Authority

What the Detroit Land Bank Authority is

The Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) is the public authority that took over Detroit's inventory of tax-foreclosed and otherwise city-owned vacant land and structures, with a mandate to return that property to productive private use. Across all of its vacant-land programs combined, the DLBA has sold more than 30,000 lots to date, and more than 88% of those sales have gone to Detroit residents specifically -- a genuinely large-scale, ongoing disposition program rather than a small pilot effort.

The Side Lot program: $100 for up to 5,000 square feet of adjacent vacant land

The DLBA's best-known program, Side Lots, launched in 2014 and lets an eligible homeowner purchase up to 5,000 square feet of vacant land directly adjacent to their own property for a flat $100, as long as the homeowner is current on their own property taxes. The program has sold more than 25,000 side lots to date -- with total Side Lot sales covering roughly 1,887 acres, or about 3 square miles of land, at an average of just over 4,078 square feet per lot -- and the DLBA reports the program has generated an estimated $500,000 in additional property-tax revenue for the city as those formerly vacant, non-tax-generating lots return to productive, taxed private use. As of recent reporting, more than 21,500 additional side lots remain available citywide, so this is very much an active, ongoing program rather than one that's run its course.

Other DLBA vacant-land programs

Side Lots is the DLBA's highest-volume program, but it isn't the only one. The authority's broader vacant-land disposition efforts (detailed in the DLBA's own memo to the Detroit City Planning Commission) include options beyond simple adjacent-lot purchases, and the DLBA separately runs a Buy Back program that has helped Detroiters earn deeds to properties -- more than 100 Detroiters earned deeds through the Buy Back program in a single recent summer period, according to the City of Detroit's own reporting. If a side lot doesn't fit your situation -- for instance, if the vacant parcel you're interested in isn't directly adjacent to property you already own -- it's worth checking the DLBA's current program list directly rather than assuming Side Lots is the only path in.

What to check before buying through the DLBA

• Confirm you meet the specific program's eligibility rules before applying -- Side Lots requires that your own property taxes be current, and other DLBA programs may carry different requirements.
• Verify the exact lot boundaries and square footage through the DLBA's own listing and Wayne County GIS data before assuming a specific adjacent parcel is the one being sold -- vacant urban lots don't always have visually obvious boundaries on the ground.
• Ask about any use restrictions or deed conditions attached to a DLBA-sold lot, since land-bank sales nationally (including this project's other urban land-bank pages) commonly carry conditions such as a minimum holding period, an owner-occupancy requirement, or a resale-price restriction -- confirm Detroit's current specific terms directly with the DLBA rather than assuming.
• Check the zoning designation on any vacant lot directly with Detroit's Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) before assuming a particular future use (e.g., a garden, an accessory structure, or eventual redevelopment) is permitted as-of-right.