How long does a Michigan Board of Dentistry investigation take?
There is no single answer, but Michigan builds in some firm timeframes — including a statutory one-year limit on the contested-case process. Here is the sequence, the deadlines, and what typically drives how long a case takes.
Key takeaways
- LARA conducts the investigation; an investigator may interview you, request documents, and retain a standard-of-care expert.
- Roughly 75% of matters are closed at the investigation stage; the investigation itself typically takes several months.
- If an administrative complaint is issued, you have 30 days to answer — and failing to answer is treated as admitting the allegations.
- Once an investigation is initiated, the full process — compliance conference, hearing, and Disciplinary Subcommittee action — must be completed within one year.
- If no settlement is reached at the compliance conference, the hearing must be held within 60 days after it.
Step 1: The investigation
After an allegation is screened and an investigation opened, a LARA investigator gathers the facts. The investigator will typically request a meeting — which you should attend with an attorney — and may or may not follow up with requests for additional documents or a further interview. Where the concern is clinical, LARA may retain an expert to give a professional opinion on whether your conduct met the applicable standard of care.
Step 2: The written report and the violation decision
When the investigation is complete, the investigator prepares a written report that goes to the Board of Dentistry to determine whether the Code has been violated. This part typically takes several months, and it is where most cases end: if the Board finds no substantiated violation, you receive written notice that the investigation has concluded and the file has been closed. Only where a violation is found does the matter move to formal action.
Step 3: The administrative complaint and the 30-day answer
If a violation is found, LARA files an administrative complaint, and the clock starts: you have 30 days from receipt to submit a written answer to the allegations. This deadline is unforgiving — failing to answer in time is treated as an admission of the allegations, and the Disciplinary Subcommittee may then impose sanctions without your input.
Step 4: The compliance conference
After a complaint is issued (and sometimes during the investigation), a compliance conference may be scheduled. You and your attorney meet a member of the Board and an assistant attorney general to try to reach agreement — a Consent Order and Stipulation. The conference is closed to the public and its records are confidential; if agreement is reached, the terms are submitted to the Disciplinary Subcommittee for approval.
Step 5: The hearing (and the 60-day rule)
If no settlement is reached, the case proceeds to a contested-case hearing before a hearings examiner, which must be held within 60 days after the compliance conference (one continuance may be granted for good cause). The hearing resembles a court proceeding — witnesses testify and are cross-examined, exhibits are admitted, and the rules of evidence apply, if less strictly. The examiner prepares recommended findings of fact and conclusions of law for the Disciplinary Subcommittee.
The one-year outer limit
Michigan places a firm cap on the whole thing. By statute, the entire proceedings — compliance conference, hearing, and Disciplinary Subcommittee action — must be completed within one year after the department initiates an investigation. That does not make every case fast, but it does bound how long a contested matter can drag on once it is underway.
So how long does it take?
In practice: the investigation stage commonly runs several months, and around three-quarters of matters close there. A case that proceeds to a complaint, a compliance conference, and a hearing is bounded by the one-year rule once the investigation is initiated. Prompt, well-prepared responses — and early evidence of remediation — tend to shorten and soften the path. For the outcomes, see Michigan dentist discipline.
Related courses
These courses map to what a LARA investigation examines — your records, your insight, and your evidence of remediation:
These are structured ethics and professional-development courses that issue a certificate of completion — they are not accredited continuing education (CE), and completion does not resolve a Board matter. Their value is as documented evidence of insight, reflection, and remediation, which the Board’s disciplinary subcommittee weighs in mitigation when deciding an outcome.