Royal Oak, MI Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Adopted in 1987 and rewritten in 1997, Chapter 612 defines the Downtown Business Area as the district bounded by and including Main Street north from Lincoln Avenue to Fifth Street, east to Troy Street, north to Eleven Mile Road, west to West Street, south to Lincoln Avenue and east back to Main Street, and the Civic Center Area as the area bounded by and including Williams Street north from Third Street to Eleven Mile Road, east to Phillips Place, south to Third Street and west to Williams Street.

Section 612-3 prohibits operating a skateboard, defined as a single wheeled platform with no steering mechanism, anywhere within those two mapped areas, and a police officer who catches a violation may impound the skateboard itself and hold it as evidence pending prosecution. Section 612-4 adds a second, narrower ban: in-line skates, roller blades and roller skates cannot be used anywhere in the Civic Center Area, and none of the three may be used in any City parking structure or parking deck anywhere in Royal Oak, extending the restriction beyond downtown to protect vehicles and pedestrians in City-owned parking facilities.

The ordinance is enforced by the Royal Oak Police Department, and violations are treated as civil infractions rather than criminal charges. Skateboarding is not banned citywide: outside the Downtown Business Area, the Civic Center Area and municipal parking structures, riding a skateboard on a public sidewalk or street is not addressed by Chapter 612.