L'anse Township, Michigan
L'anse Township is a Michigan township in Baraga County, home to about 3,600 people.
L'Anse Township spreads across a big, scenic piece of Baraga County, reaching from the shore of Keweenaw Bay up into the rugged Huron Mountains. It holds some genuinely remarkable ground. Mount Arvon, the highest point in all of Michigan at 1,979 feet, is reached by a long, rough logging-road drive out of the village of L'Anse, ending with a short blazed trail and a mailbox at the wooded summit. Down off US-41, the Sturgeon River drops into a dark, sheer-walled gorge at Canyon Falls — an easy walk and a striking sight that's earned the nickname the 'Grand Canyon of the U.P.'
Population
~3,600
Type
township
Home tax rate
27.7–41.8 mills
School districts
2
What would you like to know?
Explore L'anse Township
What it's like — the place, local stories, and what's worth knowing about the community.
Get to know it →Moving or buying here?
The property-tax pop-up, the homebuyer calculator, school-district rates, and the local rules to check.
See the practical stuff →Get to know it
About L'anse Township
There's history on the water too. A few miles north of L'Anse, on a bear-shaped point in Keweenaw Bay, sits Pequaming — an old lumber town that Henry Ford bought whole in 1923 to feed his factories with wood, now one of the U.P.'s most atmospheric ghost towns.
On the practical side: most homes and camps outside the villages run on a well and septic, so have both checked before buying. Baraga County levies no city income tax — it has no cities at all — but village residents pay an extra layer of property tax, townships can add special assessments, and Michigan sends two tax bills a year. The notes below cover each.
More about L'anse Township
Porch Note
Canyon Falls, the 'Grand Canyon of the U.P.'
An easy walk off US-41 leads to Canyon Falls, where the Sturgeon River drops into a dark, sheer-walled gorge that's earned it the nickname the 'Grand Canyon of the Upper Peninsula.'
Read this note →Porch Note
How Baraga County got its name: the Snowshoe Priest
Baraga County is named for Bishop Frederic Baraga, the 'Snowshoe Priest' who walked hundreds of winter miles to reach scattered villages, learned Ojibwe, and wrote its first dictionary. A towering shrine to him overlooks Keweenaw Bay near L'Anse.
Read this note →Porch Note
Mount Arvon, the top of Michigan
Tucked in the Huron Mountains of Baraga County, Mount Arvon is the highest point in Michigan -- a quiet, forested summit at the end of a rough logging road, with a mailbox at the top for visitors to sign.
Read this note →Porch Note
Pequaming, the town Henry Ford bought
On a bear-shaped point jutting into Keweenaw Bay, the old lumber town of Pequaming was bought whole by Henry Ford in 1923 to feed his car factories with wood. Today it's one of the U.P.'s most striking ghost towns.
Read this note →Porch Note
Canyon Falls and the 'Grand Canyon of Michigan'
A short walk off US-41 near L'Anse leads to a fifteen-foot plunge into a box-walled gorge — the start of the 'Grand Canyon of Michigan,' which downstream runs a mile wide and 300 feet deep.
Read this note →The practical stuff
Moving or buying in L'anse Township
The seller's tax bill may not be your tax bill.
2025 property-tax snapshot
- Primary home (PRE)
- 27.7287 mills - 41.8497 mills
- Other property / non-homestead
- 45.7287 mills - 59.8497 mills
- School districts available
- 2 in L'anse Township
One mill means $1 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Rate rows come from the official 2025 Michigan Treasury report. Last reviewed June 8, 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.
What buyers in L'anse Township should know
Michigan property taxes start with Taxable Value, not the price you paid for the home. Local millage rates are applied to that number.
While the same owner keeps the home, Proposal A caps how much Taxable Value can rise each year. When the home sells, that cap usually comes off. This is called uncapping.
After uncapping, the buyer's Taxable Value usually moves closer to State Equalized Value, or SEV. SEV is often about half of the home's market value.
Bottom line: a longtime owner may have been taxed on an older, capped number. After you buy, the taxable number may reset higher, and your first full-year tax bill may be much higher than the seller's.
In L'anse Township, your rate can vary by parcel. The school district tied to the property matters, and 2 school districts cover L'anse Township.
For a primary home with PRE, Michigan's main-home exemption, rates currently run about 27.7 to 41.8 mills. Without PRE, non-homestead rates run about 45.7 to 59.8 mills. The calculator uses the exact local rates.
If this will be your main home, make sure the Principal Residence Exemption, or PRE, is handled with the local assessor. PRE is Michigan's main-home property tax exemption. It can remove up to 18 school operating mills. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes usually use the non-homestead rate instead.
School districts in this area
L'anse Area Schools
Primary home (PRE) 27.7287 mills · non-homestead 45.7287 mills
L'anse Area Schools (Village of L Anse)
Primary home (PRE) 41.8497 mills · non-homestead 59.8497 mills
Local rules and costs to check
Note-sized practical catches tied to L'anse Township: taxes, property rules, permits, local costs, or other things worth checking before you decide.
Porch Note
Is there a city income tax in Baraga County?
There's no city income tax in Baraga County -- and there couldn't be one, since the county has no cities at all, just the villages of L'Anse and Baraga. The nearest is Grayling, well over a hundred miles away.
Read this note →Porch Note
What to know about well and septic in Baraga County
Outside the villages, most of Baraga County is on private well and septic. Michigan has no statewide septic code, and the local health department doesn't require an inspection when a property is sold -- though it offers one that some home loans and buyers ask for.
Read this note →Porch Note
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.
Read this note →Porch Note
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.
Read this note →Nearby places
Other Michigan Porch pages in Baraga County — handy when you're comparing local tax rates, school districts, or nearby communities.
Next steps
What to check next for L'anse Township
Get oriented here, then choose the next practical guide, calculator, or nearby place.
County
Open Baraga County
See the county page for other cities, townships, villages, local notes, and the county-wide tax snapshot.
Open county page →Calculator
Run a buyer tax estimate
Use the Michigan homebuyer tax calculator if you want to compare a different place or school district.
Open calculator →Tax break
Understand PRE
Learn who qualifies for the primary-home tax break and how the deadlines work.
Read PRE guide →Questions buyers ask
Is this an exact number? +
No. It is a strong estimate based on Michigan's published 2025 tax rates for your area. Your actual bill depends on what the local assessor decides your home is worth, called the SEV. Use this to plan your budget, not to lock in an exact figure.
When will my higher tax kick in? +
The first calendar year after you close. Close in June 2026, and the seller's tax bill usually comes through for 2026. Your new popped-up bill arrives in 2027.
What's PRE? +
PRE is Michigan's primary-home tax break. If you own the home and live there as your main home, it can remove up to 18 mills of local school operating tax from the bill. Rentals, vacation homes, and second homes do not get it. File Form 2368 with the local assessor by June 1 for the summer bill or November 1 for the winter bill.
What are mills? +
Mills are the tax rate. One mill means $1 of tax for every $1,000 of Taxable Value. A 40-mill rate means about $40 per $1,000 of Taxable Value. Different areas have different rates because county, city or township, school, library, public safety, parks, and other local taxes are stacked together.
What's the inflation multiplier? +
It is the yearly number Michigan uses to cap Taxable Value increases while the same owner keeps the home. Think of it as the speed limit for Taxable Value. For the 2026 tax year, the multiplier is 1.027, or 2.7%. When a home sells, that cap usually resets.
Are there ways to avoid the pop-up? +
A few, mostly family transfers. Parent to child, spouse to spouse, sibling to sibling, and some grandparent transfers may avoid the reset if the home stays residential. For family transfers, talk to a Michigan real estate attorney.
Why is my number different from the tax history on a listing? +
Most tax history pages show what the current owner paid. That is often based on a protected, lower taxable value. This calculator estimates what your taxable value becomes after Michigan's uncapping rule.
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