Michigan No-Fault Law, section by section › MCL 500.3102
Nonresident owner or registrant of motor vehicle or motorcycle to maintain security for payment of benefits; operation of motor vehicle or motorcycle by owner, registrant, or other person without security; penalty; failure to produce evidence of security; rebuttable presumption.
In plain terms
A nonresident may not operate an out-of-state vehicle or motorcycle in Michigan for more than 30 days in a calendar year without maintaining no-fault security. Driving, or knowingly permitting driving, without the required security is a misdemeanor punishable by a $200 to $500 fine, up to a year in jail, or both, and failing to produce proof of insurance when cited creates a rebuttable presumption that the vehicle was uninsured.
How this section works in practice
Section 3102 covers two situations. The first is a nonresident who drives an out-of-state vehicle in Michigan: after an aggregate of 30 days in a calendar year, that person must maintain the same no-fault security a Michigan driver carries. The second is the criminal side of driving without insurance. An owner or registrant who drives an uninsured vehicle, or lets someone else drive it, commits a misdemeanor, as does any person who drives knowing the owner has no coverage. The penalty is a fine between $200 and $500, up to one year in jail, or both.
Subsection (3) creates a rebuttable presumption: if you cannot produce proof of insurance when cited, the vehicle is presumed uninsured in the prosecution. The presumption can be rebutted with the policy itself, so a driver who simply left the card at home is not automatically guilty. The civil consequences of driving uninsured are much heavier than the fine: section 3113 strips the uninsured owner of PIP, section 3135 bars an uninsured owner-driver from recovering pain and suffering, and section 3177 lets the insurer that paid benefits recover them from the uninsured owner.
Text of MCL 500.3102
Sec. 3102.
(1) A nonresident owner or registrant of a motor vehicle or motorcycle not registered in this state shall not operate or permit the motor vehicle or motorcycle to be operated in this state for an aggregate of more than 30 days in any calendar year unless he or she continuously maintains security for the payment of benefits pursuant to this chapter.
(2) An owner or registrant of a motor vehicle or motorcycle with respect to which security is required, who operates the motor vehicle or motorcycle or permits it to be operated upon a public highway in this state, without having in full force and effect security complying with this section or section 3101 or 3103 is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person who operates a motor vehicle or motorcycle upon a public highway in this state with the knowledge that the owner or registrant does not have security in full force and effect is guilty of a misdemeanor. A person convicted of a misdemeanor under this section shall be fined not less than $200.00 nor more than $500.00, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.
(3) The failure of a person to produce evidence that a motor vehicle or motorcycle has in full force and effect security complying with this section or section 3101 or 3103 on the date of the issuance of the citation, creates a rebuttable presumption in a prosecution under subsection (2) that the motor vehicle or motorcycle did not have in full force and effect security complying with this section or section 3101 or 3103 on the date of the issuance of the citation.
History: Add. 1972, Act 294, Eff. Mar. 30, 1973 ;-- Am. 1975, Act 329, Eff. Mar. 31, 1976 ;-- Am. 1979, Act 145, Imd. Eff. Nov. 13, 1979 ;-- Am. 1980, Act 446, Imd. Eff. Jan. 15, 1981 ;-- Am. 1987, Act 187, Eff. Mar. 30, 1988 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 79, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1990
Source: MCL 500.3102 at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 15, 2026.
Sections this one refers to
- MCL 500.3101: Who Must Carry No-Fault Insurance
- MCL 500.3103: Motorcycle Coverage Requirements
Sections that refer to this one
- MCL 500.3114: Priority: Which Insurer Pays PIP
- MCL 500.3177: Recovery From Uninsured Owners
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
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