Farmington Hills, MI Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

Section 18-338, added in 1985 and amended through 1998, defines an "open house party" broadly as a social gathering at a residence, motel or hotel room, apartment, condominium or other dwelling, including its curtilage, or a hall or meeting room, held by people other than the owner, a person with rights of possession, or their immediate family. Subsection (b) targets the adult who controls that space: no adult with control of the residence or premises may allow such a gathering to proceed if alcoholic liquor (anything over one-half of one percent alcohol by weight) or an unlawful controlled substance is possessed or consumed there by a minor, where the adult "knew or reasonably should have known" and "failed to take reasonable steps to prevent" it.

"Adult" is defined in this section as seventeen years of age or older, and "minor" means anyone not legally permitted to possess alcohol under state law. Subsection (c) exempts legally protected religious observances and educational activities. Penalties escalate under subsection (d): a first violation carries a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both; subsequent violations raise the potential jail exposure to not more than 90 days while keeping the same $500 fine cap.