Farmington Hills, MI Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Section 18-8 of the general offenses chapter makes it unlawful for any person to loiter, remain or wander about in a public place for the purpose of aggressive begging. The ordinance defines aggressive begging through five specific tactics rather than banning panhandling itself: touching the solicited person without consent; blocking the path of the person solicited or the entrance to a building or vehicle; following behind, alongside or ahead of someone who has walked away after being solicited; using abusive language during a solicitation or after a refusal, or making a statement, gesture or communication that would make a reasonable person fearful or feel compelled to donate; and soliciting a patron at a sidewalk cafe without the cafe operator's permission.

Because the prohibition is tied to these specific coercive behaviors rather than the act of asking for money, ordinary panhandling that does not involve touching, blocking, following, threats or unauthorized sidewalk-cafe solicitation is not reached by this section. Section 18-8 traces to the city's 1981 Code § 80.250 and was last amended by Ordinance No. C-1-2014. Michigan law separately classifies a person who violates this kind of provision as a disorderly person under MCL 750.167(1)(h), which the city Code cites as a state-law cross-reference. A violation charged as a disorderly person offense under state law, rather than solely a municipal civil infraction, can carry criminal penalties including up to 90 days in jail, distinct from the civil-infraction track used for most Chapter 17 nuisance violations.