Kalamazoo, MI Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

City Code § 36-283, Manner of crossing roadway at other than marked crosswalk, requires that any pedestrian who crosses outside a marked crosswalk travel by a route at right angles to the curb, or by the shortest route to the opposite curb, and bars crossing diagonally from corner to corner. A companion rule, § 36-284, Crossing or entering street in dangerous manner or contrary to warning device, separately makes it unlawful to cross or enter a public street in a manner that endangers the pedestrian or anyone else lawfully using the street, or in a manner specifically forbidden by a lawful warning device or marking.

Both sections sit in Chapter 36, the Traffic Code, alongside § 36-280's rule that a driver must yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks at intersections, meaning the right-of-way pedestrians enjoy at a corner does not extend to a diagonal or mid-block crossing covered by § 36-283. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety enforces both sections. Under § 36-25, Violations generally, most Chapter 36 offenses, including §§ 36-283 and 36-284, are processed as civil infractions under the Michigan Vehicle Code (1949 PA 300) rather than as misdemeanors, since neither section appears on the chapter's short list of provisions that remain criminal misdemeanors.

A civil infraction under § 36-25B carries a fine of not more than $100 plus costs, set under MCLA § 257.907 of the Michigan Vehicle Code. The City added a related pedestrian rule in 2024: § 36-290 bars pedestrians, including those on skates, skateboards, scooters or bicycles, from stopping, standing or traveling within a marked work zone area, with violations processed the same way as § 36-25 civil infractions.