General law villages are governed under the provisions of the General Law Village Act of 1895, which provide a framework for the governance of villages in Michigan, which like cities had formerly been incorporated by acts of the state legislature. The act brought all existing villages under its provisions eliminating their special act status. General law villages can make basic changes to their local laws, but are prohibited from changing their form of government. While the act has provisions for governance of a general law village, the Home Rule Villages Act of 1909 superseded the General Law Village Act of 1895 as it related to the incorporation of villages. Thus, all settlements seeking to become villages must first incorporate as home rule villages, and can then choose to adopt the provisions of the General Law Village Act as their charter.