Michigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 257. Motor Vehicles § 257.253

Sec. 253. (1) The secretary of state, upon receiving a report of a stolen vehicle, shall file the report with the records of the secretary of state and shall not transfer the certificate of title of the vehicle to a person other than the owner's insurance company until officially notified that the vehicle has been recovered.

(2) The secretary of state shall maintain a record of all vehicles stolen or abandoned that have not been reported as recovered and make the record available to every sheriff, the director of the department of state police, and all police departments. The record shall also be made available to proper officials in every state.

(3) It shall be the duty of the secretary of state to file reports of stolen and recovered motor vehicles reported by other states.

(4) In the case of abandoned vehicles, the secretary of state shall check the sheriff's report immediately with the stolen car report file and notify the owner, and the last known lienholder, if any, as shown by the record, by registered mail, that the car is now an abandoned car and held in custody by the officer.