Lansing, MI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

01, titled 'Prowling; loitering in public parking facilities and overhead pedestrian walkways,' sits in Chapter 660, 'Offenses Relating to Property,' of the Lansing Codified Ordinances. It creates two distinct prohibitions. Subsection (a) bars prowling about the premises of another person at nighttime without the owner's or lawful occupant's authority or permission; the section doesn't define 'prowl' further, leaving the term to its ordinary meaning of moving about furtively or suspiciously near someone's property after dark. Subsection (b) separately bars 'unwarranted loitering' in any parking lot or parking garage, whether publicly or privately owned, or in any overhead pedestrian walkway, whether open or closed; this reaches Lansing's downtown parking ramps and skywalks connecting buildings over city streets, not just outdoor lots.

Because the section covers both public and private parking facilities, it applies equally to a City-owned ramp and a private garage attached to an office building or a bank. The ordinance was adopted by Ordinance No. 788 on August 15, 1988 and hasn't been amended since. 02, which separately covers unlawfully remaining on another's premises without permission, so a person loitering in a parking garage after being told to leave can be charged under either or both sections depending on the facts. 01(b) in the City's downtown parking structures and connected skywalks, where loitering complaints concentrate around late-night hours.