Michigan No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does Michigan have a no-chase law? No — Michigan has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in Michigan
No Michigan statute statewide-restricts police pursuits; MCL 750.479a and 257.602a address penalties for a suspect fleeing/eluding police, not officers' authority to chase. In March 2024, Michigan State Police (one agency, not the legislature) amended its own internal policy to allow pursuits only with probable cause of a violent/life-threatening felony (murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, arson, armed criminal sexual conduct). Local city/county departments set their own separate policies, and some have since loosened rather than tightened restrictions.
Will police chase a motorcycle in Michigan?
There is no Michigan 'no-chase motorcycle' law, despite that phrase appearing on some lawyer-marketing sites; it refers loosely to MSP's 2024 felony-only pursuit policy, which applies to all vehicles including motorcycles, not motorcycles specifically. Whether troopers chase a motorcycle depends on the underlying offense and agency, and MSP itself will not pursue for routine traffic violations even on a motorcycle.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in Michigan regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- michigan.gov/mspnewsroom/news-releases/2024/03/14/state-police-amends-policy-to-
- michiganadvance.com/2024/04/24/in-reversal-more-areas-allow-high-speed-police-ch
- motorcyclelawyermichigan.com/no-chase-law-motorcycles/
- michiganpublic.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2024-03-16/michigan-state-polic
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.