Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 257 / Act 300 of 1949
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.727c (2026)

“Citation” defined; numbering, form, and parts of citation; modification and optional use of citation; complaint signed by police officer as made under oath; conditions.

✓ current as of July 2026
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MICHIGAN VEHICLE CODE


Act 300 of 1949


257.727c “Citation” defined; numbering, form, and parts of citation; modification and optional use of citation; complaint signed by police officer as made under oath; conditions.

Sec. 727c.

    (1) As used in this act, "citation" means a complaint or notice upon which a police officer shall record an occurrence involving 1 or more vehicle law violations by the person cited. Each citation shall be numbered consecutively, be in a form as determined by the secretary of state, the attorney general, the state court administrator, and the director of the department of state police and shall consist of the following parts:

    (a) The original which shall be a complaint or notice to appear by the officer and shall be filed with the court in which the appearance is to be made.

    (b) The first copy which shall be retained by the local traffic enforcement agency.

    (c) The second copy which shall be delivered to the alleged violator if the violation is a misdemeanor.

    (d) The third copy which shall be delivered to the alleged violator if the violation is a civil infraction.

    (2) With the prior approval of the state officials enumerated in subsection (1), the citation may be appropriately modified as to content or number of copies to accommodate law enforcement and local court procedures and practices. Use of this citation for other than moving violations is optional.

    (3) For purposes of this act, a complaint signed by a police officer shall be treated as made under oath if the violation alleged in the complaint is either a civil infraction or a misdemeanor or ordinance violation for which the maximum permissible penalty does not exceed 93 days in jail or a fine, or both, and occurred or was committed in the signing officer's presence or under circumstances permitting the officer's issuance of a citation under section 625a or 728(8), and if the complaint contains the following statement immediately above the date and signature of the officer:

    "I declare under the penalties of perjury that the statements above are true to the best of my information, knowledge, and belief."

History: Add. 1967, Act 212, Eff. Nov. 2, 1967 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 510, Eff. Aug. 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1979, Act 66, Eff. Aug. 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1983, Act 172, Eff. Mar. 29, 1984 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 73, Eff. Oct. 1, 1999

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1984–2017 · leading case: City of Plymouth v. McIntosh, 804 N.W.2d 859 (Mich. Ct. App. 2010).
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City of Plymouth v. McIntosh, 804 N.W.2d 859 (Mich. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 4× “MCL 257.727c, which addresses citations under the Michigan Vehicle Code, provides: (1) As used in this act, “citation” means a complaint or notice upon which a police officer shall record an occurrence involving 1 or more vehicle law violations by the person cited.”
People v. Pitts, 564 N.W.2d 93 (Mich. Ct. App. 1997). “Further, under MCL 257.727c(1)(a); MSA 9.2427(3)(1)(a), the citation itself serves as the formal complaint.”
People v. Ferency, 351 N.W.2d 225 (Mich. Ct. App. 1984). “) MCL 257.727c; MSA 9.2427(3). In this case, the police officer swore to the citation, which was thereafter placed in the district court file.”
Denishio Johnson v. Curt Vanderkooi (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “” In fact, the majority of the references to the use of the P&P procedures involve its use during the issuance of citations that do not result in arrest; the issuance of these citations would involve, absent bad faith on the part of the issuing officer, at least a good-faith…”
Denishio Johnson v. Curt Vanderkooi (Mich. Ct. App. 2017). “” In fact, the majority of the references to the use of the P&P procedures involve its use during the issuance of citations that do not result in arrest; the issuance of these citations would involve, absent bad faith on the part of the issuing officer, at least a good-faith…”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.727c(1)(a) — 1 case
People v. Pitts, 564 N.W.2d 93 (Mich. Ct. App. 1997). “Further, under MCL 257.727c(1)(a); MSA 9.2427(3)(1)(a), the citation itself serves as the formal complaint.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.727c(3) — 1 case
City of Plymouth v. McIntosh, 804 N.W.2d 859 (Mich. Ct. App. 2010). “MCL 257.727c, which addresses citations under the Michigan Vehicle Code, provides: (1) As used in this act, “citation” means a complaint or notice upon which a police officer shall record an occurrence involving 1 or more vehicle law violations by the person cited.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.