We've all seen people skiing long after dark, boats running at high speed at night without lights, ATV's racing down the gravel roads in the middle of the night, and so forth. On our private lake, whether people are ignorant of the Michigan boating and outdoor recreational vehicle laws, choose to ignore them, or are simply acting recklessly in the moment, it is fairly rare for the sheriff to come out to enforce these laws. However, they do show up from time to time for a lake-wide "safety check", or because someone called them because of a dangerous or reckless driver out there.
So, just to make sure that we are all informed, here is a list of the boating violations in Michigan, along with their respective fines:
VIOLATION |
FEE |
| ALLOW MINOR (12-16 YEARS) TO OPERATE PWC WITHOUT BOATER’S SAFETY | $225 |
| CARELESS OPERATION OF WATERCRAFT | $240 |
| FAIL TO DISPLAY NUMBERS | $100 |
| FAIL TO REGISTER WATERCRAFT | $100 |
| IMPROPER NUMBERING | $85 |
| EXCESSIVE NOISE/MUFFLERS | $260 |
| OPERATE BOAT WITHOUT LIGHTS | $120 |
| NO BOATER’S SAFETY CERTIFICATE | $180 |
| NO BOATER’S SAFETY CERTIFICATE ON PERSON | $180 |
| PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES (PFD’S) NOT ACCESSIBLE | $100 |
| NO PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE (PFD) FOR CHILD LESS THAN 6 YEARS OF AGE | $125 |
| VIOLATION OF 100-200 FOOT RULE - NO WAKE PERSONAL WATERCRAFT | $225 |
| MINOR U/16 OPERATE PERSONAL WATERCRAFT WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION | $205 |
| OPERATE PERSONAL WATERCRAFT AFTER DESIGNATED HOURS | $225 |
| TOW SKIER WITHOUT OBSERVER | $135 |
| SKI DURING PROHIBITED HOURS | $135 |
| REFUSE PRELIMINARY BREATH TEST (PBT) | $185 |
| FAIL TO YIELD | $135 |
| EQUIPMENT VIOLATIONS, NO FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WHISTLE/HORN, NO LIGHTS | $100 |
| DIVE WITHOUT DIVER’S FLAG | $225 |
| OPERATE WATERCRAFT WITHIN 200 FEET OF DIVER’S FLAG | $225 |
| OPERATE WATERCRAFT WITHIN MARKED RESTRICTED AREA | $225 |
| FAILURE TO PROPERLY CLEAN BOAT TO RID PLANTS AND ORGANISMS | $100+ |
And here are the fines for outdoor recreational vehicle violations:
VIOLATION |
FEE |
| ALLOW MINOR TO OPERATE ORV IN PROHIBITED AREA OR PUBLIC ROAD | $215 |
| ALLOW UNSUPERVISED MINOR TO OPERATE ORV | $215 |
| OPERATE ORV ON PUBLIC HWY/ROAD/PROHIBITED AREA – MISD. | $215 |
| OPERATE ORV WHERE PROHIBITED - STATE CIVIL INFRACTION | $150 |
| OPERATE MOTOR VEHICLE AS AN ORV IN PROHIBITED AREA | $215 |
| IMPROPER CROSSING HIGHWAY | $215 |
| CARELESS DRIVING | $265 |
| OPEN ALCOHOL ON ORV | $240 |
| TRANSPORT LOADED GUN ON ORV | $295 |
| OPERATE ORV IN CLOSED AREA | $215 |
| TRANSPORT UNCASED BOW OR GUN ON ORV | $245 |
| NO HELMET | $115 |
| NO SPARK ARRESTER | $120 |
| NO REGISTRATION/DECAL DISPLAYED | $100 |
| OPERATE ORV WITHOUT LIGHTS | $135 |
| REFUSE PRELIMINARY BREATH TEST (PBT) | $185 |
