Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 257 / Act 62 of 1956
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.951 (2026)

Uniform traffic code; promulgation; adoption by reference; parking lot; entry upon private road; violation as misdemeanor or civil infraction; civil sanctions; processing of civil infraction; designating parking space for persons with disabilities; provisions relating to driving under influence or with impaired ability; “vehicle code” defined.

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UNIFORM TRAFFIC CODE


Act 62 of 1956


257.951 Uniform traffic code; promulgation; adoption by reference; parking lot; entry upon private road; violation as misdemeanor or civil infraction; civil sanctions; processing of civil infraction; designating parking space for persons with disabilities; provisions relating to driving under influence or with impaired ability; “vehicle code” defined.

Sec. 1.

    (1) A city, township, or village may adopt by reference a code or ordinance for the regulation of traffic within cities, townships, and villages that has been promulgated by the director of the department of state police. The director of the department of state police may promulgate a uniform traffic code in compliance with the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.

    (2) A city, township, or village, with the consent of, or at the request of, a person who is in charge of a parking lot, whether or not that parking lot is open to the general public, may contract with that person for the city, township, or village to enforce provisions of the uniform traffic code or ordinance adopted under this section in that parking lot. A peace officer may enter upon a private road that is accessible to the general public to enforce provisions of an ordinance adopted under this section if signs meeting the requirements of the Michigan manual on uniform traffic control devices are posted on the private road. The owner or person in charge of the private road is responsible for the posting of signs under this subsection. This subsection does not affect a contract entered into between a city, township, or village and the person in charge of a private road before July 20, 2006. As used in this subsection, "person" means an individual, corporation, association, partnership, or other legal entity.

    (3) A uniform traffic code promulgated by the director of the department of state police under this section must specify whether a person who violates a particular provision of the code is guilty of a misdemeanor or is responsible for a civil infraction. The director may establish civil sanctions for civil infractions, except that a civil sanction in excess of that prescribed in the vehicle code is in conflict with that act and is void to the extent of the conflict. The uniform traffic code must not impose a criminal penalty for an act or omission that is a civil infraction under the vehicle code.

    (4) Violation of a provision designated a civil infraction in the uniform traffic code must be processed in the same manner as a civil infraction under the vehicle code.

    (5) Notwithstanding the requirements of the uniform traffic code, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a sign designating a parking space for persons with disabilities must be 12 inches by 18 inches or larger and must be either blue or white and at a minimum contain the international symbol of access in contrasting colors of either blue or white in the center of the sign. A sign designating a parking space for persons with disabilities that is erected or replaced on or after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this sentence must be 12 inches by 18 inches or larger and must use the design adopted under section 102a of the persons with disabilities civil rights act, 1976 PA 220, MCL 37.1102a, must not include the word "handicapped", and may include a word providing instruction, such as "reserved".

    (6) The provisions of the uniform traffic code promulgated under this act that relate to driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or driving with impaired ability must be identical to the provisions of sections 625 to 625m of the vehicle code, MCL 257.625 to 257.625m.

    (7) For purposes of this section, "vehicle code" means the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923.

    

    

History: 1956, Act 62, Eff. Aug. 11, 1956 ;-- Am. 1978, Act 514, Eff. Aug. 1, 1979 ;-- Am. 1979, Act 117, Imd. Eff. Oct. 17, 1979 ;-- Am. 1988, Act 121, Imd. Eff. May 6, 1988 ;-- Am. 1993, Act 225, Imd. Eff. Nov. 5, 1993 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 69, Imd. Eff. May 4, 1998 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 297, Imd. Eff. July 20, 2006 ;-- Am. 2022, Act 182, Eff. Oct. 23, 2022

AdminRule Notes:

    R 28.1001 et seq. of the Michigan Administrative Code.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1977–2025 · leading case: People v. Pomeroy, 355 N.W.2d 98 (Mich. 1984).
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People v. Pomeroy, 355 N.W.2d 98 (Mich. 1984). · cites it 2× “15b of the Uniform Traffic Code for municipalities, MCL 257.951; MSA 9.2651, the wording of which parallels § 625b.”
People v. Pomeroy, 276 N.W.2d 904 (Mich. Ct. App. 1979). · cites it 2× “" [2] See MCL 257.951 et seq.; MSA 9.2651 et seq. Section 5.”
Oshtemo Charter Twp. v. Kalamazoo Cnty. Road Comm'n, 302 Mich. App. 574 (Mich. Ct. App. 2013). “See MCL 257.951. Lansing Sch Ed Ass’n v Lansing Bd of Ed (On Remand), 293 Mich App 506, 512-513 ; 810 NW2d 95 (2011).”
Robinson Twp. v. Ottawa Cnty. Bd. of Road Commissioners, 319 N.W.2d 589 (Mich. Ct. App. 1982). “2426” which grants power to "local authorities and county road commissions * * * [to] prohibit the operation of trucks or other commercial vehicles” within their jurisdiction; (3) MCL 257.951; MSA *411 9.2651, allowing a township to adopt by reference the Michigan Vehicle Code.”
People v. Pomeroy, 329 N.W.2d 697 (Mich. 1982). “MCL 257.951; MSA 9.2651. 3 MCL 257.36; MSA 9.”
City of Huntington Woods v. City of Oak Park, 874 N.W.2d 214 (Mich. Ct. App. 2015). “*112 (f) A civil fine imposed upon a person for violation of a provision of a code or an ordinance regulating the operation of a commercial vehicle adopted by a city, township, or village pursuant to section 1 of 1956 PA 62 , MCL 257.951, shall be paid to the county treasurer…”
Molony-Vierstra v. Michigan State Univ., 301 N.W.2d 18 (Mich. Ct. App. 1980). · cites it 4× “I would reverse. NOTES [*] Circuit judge, sitting on the Court of Appeals by assignment.”
People v. Poyma, 283 N.W.2d 707 (Mich. Ct. App. 1979). “MCL 257.951; MSA 9.2651 authorizes cities to adopt the Uniform Traffic Code by reference, stating: "Any city, township or village is hereby authorized to adopt by reference any code or ordinance for the regulation of traffic within cities, townships and villages which has been…”
Molony-Vierstra v. Michigan State Univ., 331 N.W.2d 473 (Mich. 1983). “This statutory provision requires a parking, traffic, or pedestrian ordinance to "be in substantial conformity” with the Uniform Traffic Code that the Department of State Police has promulgated pursuant to MCL 257.951; MSA 9.2651. At the time of the incident that forms the basis…”
City of East Lansing v. Yocca, 369 N.W.2d 918 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). · cites it 3× “On July 16, 1981, pursuant to the provisions of MCL 257.951 et seq.; MSA 9.2651 et seq., the city adopted by reference the March, 1981, edition of the UTC for cities, townships, and villages by passing Ordinance No.”
Katrina White v. Domenico Pace (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “Under MCL 257.951(1), municipalities “may adopt by reference a code or ordinance for the regulation of traffic .”
City of Farmington Hills v. Betrus, 377 N.W.2d 832 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). “Pursuant to MCL 257.951; MSA 9.2651, the Uniform Traffic Code may be adopted by reference.”
Show all 13 citing cases →
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.951(1) — 2 cases
Katrina White v. Domenico Pace (Mich. Ct. App. 2025). “Under MCL 257.951(1), municipalities “may adopt by reference a code or ordinance for the regulation of traffic .”
City of East Lansing v. Yocca, 369 N.W.2d 918 (Mich. Ct. App. 1985). “On July 16, 1981, pursuant to the provisions of MCL 257.951 et seq.; MSA 9.2651 et seq., the city adopted by reference the March, 1981, edition of the UTC for cities, townships, and villages by passing Ordinance No.”
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