Pontiac, MI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited conduct
- Loitering where drugs are sold, used, or stored
- First offense
- $175-$500 fine and 7-90 days jail
- Second offense
- $300-$500 fine and 30-90 days jail
- Third or later offense
- $400-$500 fine, 60-90 days, plus costs
- Related offense
- Frequenting a drug premises under § 58-93
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 1983, effective January 21, 1992
Summary
In the City of Pontiac, City Code § 58-92 makes it unlawful to "knowingly loiter" about any building, vacant lot, street, store, vehicle or other place where controlled substances are illegally sold, used or stored. It is not a general anti-loitering law; it targets loitering tied to drug activity, and first offenders face a mandatory minimum fine and up to a week in jail.
No person shall knowingly loiter about any building, house, vacant lot, street, curb, lawn, alley, yard, apartment, store, automobile, boat, boathouse, airplane or other place where controlled substances are illegally sold, used, dispensed, furnished, given away or stored.
Full Breakdown
Section 58-92 sits in Division 2 of Pontiac's nuisance article, alongside two related drug-property offenses adopted by the same 1992 ordinance: § 58-91, which bars receiving or admitting anyone into a place for buying, selling, giving away or using a controlled substance, and § 58-93, which bars knowingly attending or frequenting such a place. Section 58-92(b) borrows the state definition of "controlled substance" from the Controlled Substances Act, MCL 333.7101 et seq., and defines "drug paraphernalia" by cross-reference to City Code § 86-117. The loitering location list is broad, covering buildings, vacant lots, streets, curbs, lawns, alleys, yards, apartments, stores, cars, boats, boathouses and airplanes, so the ban follows illegal drug activity rather than a particular type of property.
A related civil track exists too: under §§ 58-88 and 58-89, the city council can separately declare a property that repeatedly hosts drug sales or prostitution a public nuisance and authorize the police department to padlock or board it up for up to a year, with an owner's appeal going to the circuit court under § 58-90 within ten days.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 58-92 carries escalating criminal penalties under § 58-94: a first offense draws a fine of $175.00 to $500.00 and/or seven to 90 days in jail; a second violation draws $300.00 to $500.00 and 30 to 90 days; and a third or subsequent violation draws $400.00 to $500.00 and 60 to 90 days, plus the costs of prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as loitering under Pontiac's drug ordinance?
What is the penalty for a first loitering violation in Pontiac?
Can Pontiac shut down a building where people repeatedly loiter to use drugs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pontiac
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Loitering Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Oakland County handle loitering rules.