Farmington Hills, MI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 18-171
- Trigger
- interferes with business or blocks passage
- Warning required
- must be asked to leave first
- Civil fine
- up to $500
- Misdemeanor penalty
- $500 fine and/or 90 days jail
- Adopted
- Ord. No. C-4-87, 1987
Summary
Farmington Hills bars standing or idling in or about a store or business when it interferes with normal operations or blocks pedestrians and vehicles, under City Code Sec. 18-171. No citation issues until the person refuses to leave after being asked by the owner, an employee or police; refusal escalates from a $500 civil fine to a misdemeanor.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to be found standing or idling in or about any store, shop or business or commercial establishment and/or its premises, if such standing and/or idling in or about the above-described locations causes interference or disorder of the normal course of business of the store, shop, business or commercial establishment or in any way tends to hinder or impede the passage of pedestrians or vehicles en route to or from the establishment or premises. No person shall be issued a citation under this section unless the person fails to leave any of the above-described locations after having been requested to leave by the lawful owner or occupant or by a representative of the owner or occupant or a duly authorized police officer.(b)Any person who violates this section shall be liable to pay a civil fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Section 18-171, adopted by Ordinance No. " Subsection (a) makes it unlawful to stand or idle in or about a store, shop, or business or commercial establishment and its premises if that standing or idling interferes with or disorders the normal course of business, or hinders or impedes pedestrians or vehicles going to or from the establishment. Critically, the section builds in a warning requirement: "No person shall be issued a citation under this section unless the person fails to leave any of the above-described locations after having been requested to leave" by the lawful owner, an occupant, a representative of either, or a police officer.
A first refusal to leave draws a civil fine under subsection (b) of up to $500. Subsection (c) escalates: anyone who fails to leave within a reasonable time after a police officer's request, following a civil citation, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 and up to 90 days in the county jail, or both. The section cross-references separate loitering bans on school property (Sec. 18-372) and in park parking lots (Sec. 167.
Violations & Fines
A first violation is a civil infraction carrying a fine of not more than $500 under subsection (b). If the person still will not leave after a police officer's follow-up request, subsection (c) makes continued presence a misdemeanor: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 90 days, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for loitering in Farmington Hills without warning?
What is the penalty for refusing to leave after a loitering warning?
Does the loitering law apply to public sidewalks generally?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Farmington Hills
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