Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 324 / Act 451 of 1994
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 324.80207 (2026)

Liability of personal watercraft owner; negligence; presumption of consent.

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NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT


Act 451 of 1994


324.80207 Liability of personal watercraft owner; negligence; presumption of consent.

Sec. 80207.

    The owner of a personal watercraft is liable for any injury occasioned by the negligent operation of the personal watercraft, whether the negligence consists of a violation of the statutes of this state, or in the failure to observe the ordinary care in the operation that the rules of the common law require. The owner is not liable unless the personal watercraft is being used with his or her expressed or implied consent. It shall be rebuttably presumed that the personal watercraft is being operated with the knowledge and consent of the owner if it is driven at the time of the injury by his or her son, daughter, spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, or other immediate member of the owner's family.

History: Add. 2000, Act 229, Imd. Eff. June 27, 2000

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Act 451

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NREPA
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 2002–2007 · leading case: Van Guilder v. Collier, 650 N.W.2d 340 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002).
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Van Guilder v. Collier, 650 N.W.2d 340 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002). “See MCL 324.80207. 4 Statutes governing off-road recreational vehicles were included in the mvc, MCL 257.”
Allred v. Broekhuis, 519 F. Supp. 2d 693 (W.D. Mich. 2007). “§ 324.80207 (Supp.2007). Defendants contend that the legislature’s failure to amend the ORV section of the NREPA to extend liability to ORV accidents caused by ordinary negligence evidences a legislative intent to allow tort liability to attach within the context of ORV…”
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