Flint, MI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Flint City Code § 31-55
- Where it applies
- streets, sidewalks, public places
- Max penalty
- $500 fine / 90 days jail
- Exempts
- utility work; off-street picketing
Summary
The City of Flint bans loitering, lingering or standing around on streets, sidewalks and other public places when the conduct blocks or interferes with the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
No person, without authority, shall loiter, linger, stay, saunter, delay or stand around, or do any other act so as to block, obstruct, impede or otherwise interfere with the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic upon any public street or highway, sidewalk or any other public place or public building or an business lawfully conducted by anyone in or upon such public street, highway, public sidewalk or other public place or public building, by means of a barricade, object or device, or with his person, all or any of which prevents the free and uninterrupted ingress, egress and regress therein, thereon or thereto. This section shall not apply to persons maintaining, rearranging or constructing public utility facilities in or adjacent to a street or sidewalk, nor shall it apply to persons peacefully picketing upon places other than a public street or highway. (Ord. 2601, passed 4-25-1977; Ord. 2862, passed 12-8-1982)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2016 Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 3821, passed 3-1-2012).
Full Breakdown
Flint City Code § 31-55 makes it unlawful, without authority, to loiter, linger, stay, saunter, delay or stand around, or use a barricade or other object, so as to block, obstruct or impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic on a public street, highway, sidewalk, or other public place or building. The section exempts utility crews maintaining facilities in a street or sidewalk and people peacefully picketing away from a public street or highway. No section-specific penalty is set, so the Code's general penalty applies.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 31-55 carries the Flint Code's general penalty (§ 1-7): up to a $500 fine and/or 90 days imprisonment, at the court's discretion, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all loitering illegal in Flint?
Does the loitering ban apply to protesters?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Flint
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