Michigan law sets up two distinct categories of prohibited locations for firearms. First, a general firearm-possession restriction under MCL 750.234d...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Michigan law sets up two distinct categories of prohibited locations for firearms. First, a general firearm-possession restriction under MCL 750.234d applies to all persons but exempts CPL holders and several others. Second, the "pistol-free zones" under MCL 28.425o specifically prohibit CPL holders from carrying a concealed pistol in certain locations. A 2024 amendment to MCL 750.234d (Public Acts 157 and 158 of 2024) added election-related location restrictions, effective April 2, 2025.
A point that trips up many carriers: because CPL holders are exempt from MCL 750.234d but still bound by MCL 28.425o, the practical rule in places that appear on both lists (such as hospitals and houses of worship) is that a CPL holder may not carry concealed there, while open carry is generally not barred by these two statutes. Always read the two lists together.
Under MCL 750.234d(1), it is a misdemeanor to possess a firearm on the premises of any of the following:
A person who violates MCL 750.234d is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $100, or both.
Subsection (1) does not apply to any of the following:
Note on the concealed-weapon-license exemption: MCL 750.234d(2)(c) exempts "a person licensed by this state or another state to carry a concealed weapon." The statute does not impose a residency requirement on this exemption, so a person holding a valid concealed-carry license from any state that Michigan recognizes falls within it. (A separate provision, MCL 28.422 and the reciprocity rules, governs which out-of-state licenses Michigan honors for concealed carry. Do not read a residency limitation into the MCL 750.234d(2)(c) exemption itself.)
Important practical note: Because CPL holders are exempt from MCL 750.234d, a CPL holder is not committing a MCL 750.234d offense in the listed premises. But that exemption does not free a CPL holder to carry concealed in places that also appear on the MCL 28.425o pistol-free-zone list (Category 2 below), and court facilities are independently restricted by the Michigan Supreme Court's Administrative Order 2001-1 (Category 3 below). Federal facilities under 18 USC 930 are also off-limits regardless of a Michigan CPL.
Under MCL 28.425o(1), an individual licensed to carry a concealed pistol (or exempt from licensure under section 12a(h)) shall not carry a concealed pistol on the premises of any of the following:
In addition, under MCL 28.425o(3), a CPL holder (or an individual exempt under section 12a(h)) shall not carry a concealed pistol in violation of Rule 432.1212 of the Michigan Administrative Code, which is the casino prohibition promulgated under the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act (MCL 432.201 to 432.226). The casino rule is part of MCL 28.425o itself, at subsection (3). According to Michigan State Police guidance, a pistol in a casino is subject to seizure whether it is carried concealed or openly, unlike the other pistol-free zones where the seizure rule turns on concealment.
Parking areas: Under MCL 28.425o(4), "premises" does not include the parking areas of the places listed in subsection (1). The pistol-free-zone restriction does not reach the parking lot.
Electro-muscular disruption devices: Under MCL 28.425o(2), the same restrictions apply to carrying a portable device that uses electro-muscular disruption technology (for example, a Taser) on the premises described in subsection (1).
The pistol-free zones under MCL 28.425o apply only to carrying a concealed pistol. A CPL holder carrying a non-concealed (openly carried) pistol is not in violation of MCL 28.425o. Because CPL holders are also exempt from MCL 750.234d, a CPL holder may, as a matter of these two statutes, lawfully open-carry a pistol in places listed under both MCL 28.425o and MCL 750.234d. (Other laws, posted private-property rules, the casino seizure rule, and the court administrative order can still apply.)
Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to the following individuals, when licensed under the act:
Effective March 29, 2001, under Administrative Order 2001-1 of the Michigan Supreme Court: "Weapons are not permitted in any courtroom, office, or other space used for official court business or by judicial employees unless the chief judge or other person designated by the chief judge has given prior approval consistent with the court's written policy."
This rule covers all weapons, concealed or open, whether or not the person holds a CPL. It is stricter than MCL 750.234d, which exempts CPL holders. The Michigan Supreme Court promulgated AO 2001-1 under its constitutional authority over the courts (Const. 1963, art. 6).
These restrictions took effect April 2, 2025. They sit inside MCL 750.234d but in different subsections from the general-premises list in Category 1. Read the subsection letters carefully; they are a common source of citation error.
A person shall not, while the polls are open on an election day, possess a firearm in a polling place or within 100 feet from any entrance to a building in which a polling place is located - MCL 750.234d(3)(a).
A person shall not, on any day early voting is conducted at an early voting site, possess a firearm at an early voting site or within 100 feet from any entrance to a building in which an early voting site is located - MCL 750.234d(3)(b). (Note: the early voting site restriction is at subsection (3)(b), not (3)(a). Subsection (3)(a) covers only polling places on election day.)
A person shall not, for 40 days before an election, possess a firearm within 100 feet from any absent voter ballot drop box - MCL 750.234d(3)(c).
A person shall not, for the 40 days before an election when an absent voter can vote an absent voter ballot in person with the clerk, possess a firearm in a city or township clerk's office, an official satellite office staffed by the clerk's employees, or within 100 feet from any entrance to such an office - MCL 750.234d(3)(d).
Subsection (3) (polling places, early voting sites, drop boxes, and clerk's offices) does not apply to:
A person shall not, while absent voter ballots are being processed, possess a firearm in an absent voter counting place or a combined absent voter counting place, or within 100 feet from any entrance to such a place - MCL 750.234d(6).
The only exemption here is for a uniformed law enforcement officer acting in the course of the officer's duties - MCL 750.234d(7).
Critical note: The exemption for absent voter counting places is far narrower than for the other election locations. The CPL-holder exemption and the residence and vehicle exemptions in MCL 750.234d(4) and (5) apply to polling places, early voting sites, drop boxes, and clerk's offices, but they do NOT apply to absent voter counting places. At a counting place while ballots are being processed, only a uniformed law enforcement officer on duty is exempt.
These election-location violations are punished under the same penalty as the rest of MCL 750.234d: a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $100, or both - MCL 750.234d(8).
Michigan's weapon free school zone statute, MCL 750.237a, makes it a crime to engage in certain proscribed weapon conduct, or to possess a weapon, in a weapon free school zone. The statute does not punish "any felony committed in a school zone." Instead, it enhances or creates penalties only for the specific weapon offenses it enumerates. MCL 750.237a(1) lists felony-tier predicate offenses (including those under sections 224, 224a, 226, 227, 227a, and others), and MCL 750.237a(2) lists misdemeanor-tier predicate offenses. Separately, MCL 750.237a(4) makes it a 93-day misdemeanor for an individual to possess a weapon in a weapon free school zone.
A CPL holder is exempt from the general weapon-possession offense in MCL 750.237a(4): subsection (5)(c) exempts "an individual licensed by this state or another state to carry a concealed weapon." So a CPL holder's mere possession of a weapon in a weapon free school zone is not an MCL 750.237a(4) offense. The MCL 28.425o(1)(a) pistol-free-zone rule still bars a CPL holder from carrying a concealed pistol on school property, with the narrow parent/guardian vehicle exception described in Category 2.
Under MCL 750.237a(6), "weapon free school zone" means school property and a vehicle used by a school to transport students. "School" means a public, private, denominational, or parochial school offering developmental kindergarten, kindergarten, or any grade from 1 through 12 (this statute does not reach colleges or universities; campus dormitories and classrooms are instead covered by MCL 28.425o(1)(h)).
Michigan appellate decisions, including litigation involving Ann Arbor Public Schools and Clio Area School District, have allowed school districts to adopt policies banning firearms on school property that go beyond the state statutes. The reasoning is that the state firearms-preemption act applies only to a "local unit of government," and MCL 123.1101(b) defines "local unit of government" as a city, village, township, or county. School districts are not on that list, so the preemption provision of MCL 123.1102 (which bars local units of government from regulating firearms except as provided by state or federal law) does not stop a school district from adopting its own firearms policy.
A private property owner may prohibit individuals from carrying firearms on the owner's property, whether concealed or open, and regardless of whether the person holds a CPL. The firearm restriction itself is enforced through Michigan's trespass law rather than a dedicated weapons statute. If a person enters after being forbidden to do so, or remains after being notified to depart by the owner, occupant, or their agent, the person may be charged with trespass under MCL 750.552. A trespass violation is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 30 days or a fine of not more than $250, or both - MCL 750.552(3).
In addition to the state-law restrictions above, federal law prohibits firearms in several locations regardless of a Michigan CPL. (The federal provisions below were not verified against primary statutory text in this corpus; confirm the current federal text and any controlling case law before relying on these in a specific situation.)
Violations of federal location prohibitions are federal misdemeanors or felonies depending on the statute.
Bills have been introduced in recent legislative sessions to add the Michigan State Capitol Building and the legislative office buildings (the Anderson House Office Building and the Binsfeld Senate Office Building) to the prohibited-premises lists in MCL 28.425o and MCL 750.234d, with an exemption for acting members of the Legislature who hold a CPL. These were introduced as Senate Bills 857 and 858 in the 2023-2024 session and reintroduced as Senate Bills 225 and 226 in the 2025-2026 session. As of the latest source date, these bills had not been enacted into law. Verify their current status before relying on them.
This page covers one part of our Michigan concealed carry guide.
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