Livonia, MI Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

Chapter 9.30, the city's narcotic and dangerous substances ordinance, makes it a crime under Section 9.30.070 for anyone to have, possess, deliver, dispense or give away a hypodermic syringe, needle or other instrument for the illegal use of narcotic, dangerous or hallucinatory drugs by injection or any other method of introduction. The prohibition reaches anyone who possesses the syringe for that illegal purpose, so lawful medical use is not covered on its face.

Two separate carve-outs matter for harm reduction. Section 9.30.090(A) exempts licensed medical technicians, nurses, hospitals, physicians, pharmacists and, specifically as to syringes and needles, persons suffering from diabetes, asthma or any other medical condition requiring self-injection. Separately, in the related drug-paraphernalia sale statute, Section 9.30.065(D)(7) exempts an object sold, offered for sale or given away by a state or local governmental agency or by a person specifically authorized by a state or local governmental agency to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, the clause that shields a properly sanctioned needle-exchange or harm-reduction program operating in Livonia.

The Livonia Police Department enforces the chapter, and under Section 9.30.110 any officer is empowered to confiscate and legally dispose of any illegal drug paraphernalia when a violation occurs, meaning syringes seized outside the exemptions are destroyed rather than returned. The chapter does not establish a separate sharps-disposal or take-back program of its own; Livonia's ordinance addresses possession and enforcement, not collection logistics for used sharps.