Civil procedure: evictions; pretrial and trial; require pretrial, and allow trial and pretrial to be conducted by magistrate. Amends secs. 5735 & 8511 of 1961 PA 236 (MCL 600.5735 & 600.8511).

HB 4021 modifies Michigan's eviction process by allowing district court magistrates to conduct both pretrial hearings and trials in eviction cases, expanding their authority beyond current limits. It sets specific timeframes: summons must be served 10 days before trial for most evictions (30 days for certain cases under Section 5726), and trials must occur within 7 days of the defendant's appearance unless parties stipulate otherwise. The bill requires magistrates to verbally inform parties of their rights at pretrial hearings as outlined in Michigan court rules. This directly affects tenants and landlords involved in eviction proceedings by changing who handles the case (magistrates instead of only judges) and accelerating the timeline for resolution.