The Insurance Suspension
MCL 500.3102 — a misdemeanor, a fine of $200 to $500, and a presumption if no proof is produced
The owner. An owner or registrant who operates the vehicle, or permits it to be operated, on a public highway without the required security in full force and effect is guilty of a misdemeanor.
The driver who knows. A person who operates a vehicle on a public highway knowing the owner or registrant does not have security in full force and effect is guilty of a misdemeanor.
The penalty. A person convicted is fined not less than $200.00 nor more than $500.00, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.
The presumption. Failing to produce evidence that the vehicle had security in effect on the date of the citation creates a rebuttable presumption, in the prosecution, that it did not.
A visitor's thirty days. A nonresident whose vehicle is not registered in the state may not operate it here for an aggregate of more than 30 days in a calendar year without maintaining the security the chapter requires.
How much coverage the law requires, and anything more that reinstatement takes, are set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a particular charge applies is a question for a licensed Michigan attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- MCL 500.3102 — Operating without security: the misdemeanor and the presumption
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.