Ottawa County, MI Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ottawa County § 400.3.1.15(a)
- Scope
- Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission property only
- Rule
- Skateboards/scooters/skates allowed only where Commission permits
- Also barred
- Blocking traffic, careless use risking injury or damage
- Bicycles
- Restricted to roadways, parking areas, designated paths/trails
- Penalty
- Civil infraction fine up to $100 plus costs
Summary
Code of Ottawa County § 400.3.1.15(a) allows skateboards, scooters, and roller skates on Commission Park Property only where the Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission specifically allows them, and bars using any of these devices, or a bicycle, to block traffic or in a careless manner that could injure someone or damage property.
a) No person, while on Commission Park Property shall: i. Use a bicycle, tricycle, or other similar conveyance except upon roadways, parking areas, and designated paths or trails. ii. Use a skateboard, scooter, roller-skates, or similar device except where it is specifically allowed by the Commission. iii. At any time obstruct vehicle or pedestrian traffic into, out of, or through Commission Park Property by the use of a bicycle, skateboard, roller-skates, or similar devices. iv. At any time use a bicycle, skateboard, roller-skates, or similar device in a careless manner which may result in injury to a person or damage to property.
Full Breakdown
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners' park rules treat skateboards, scooters, and roller-skates as restricted-use devices rather than freely allowed equipment. 15(a) of the Rules and Regulations in Parks ordinance states that no person on Commission Park Property shall use a skateboard, scooter, roller-skates, or similar device except where it is specifically allowed by the Commission, meaning riders need to confirm a given park or area permits the activity before using one. The same subsection bars using a bicycle, tricycle, or similar conveyance except on roadways, parking areas, and designated paths or trails, and it prohibits obstructing vehicle or pedestrian traffic into, out of, or through Commission Park Property with any of these devices, or using them in a careless manner which may result in injury to a person or damage to property.
The rule sits inside the same ordinance that covers watercraft, sports, and hobbies at county parks, and reaches only Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission property, not sidewalks, streets, or business districts elsewhere in the county, which are regulated, if at all, by the city or township with jurisdiction. 18(a)(i).
Violations & Fines
Riding a skateboard, scooter, or roller-skates on Commission Park Property outside an area the Commission has specifically allowed, blocking traffic with the device, or using it carelessly in a way that could injure someone or damage property, is a municipal civil infraction under § 400.3.1.15(a) and § 400.3.1.17(a): a fine up to $100 plus costs of prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard at an Ottawa County park?
Are bicycles treated the same as skateboards under the park rule?
What is the fine for violating the skateboard rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ottawa County
Compare Ottawa County to another location·View the Michigan public conduct overview
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