Bill
HB 5146
Michigan clarifies abandoned-vehicle and towing rules, shortening notice timelines, expanding definitions, and adding owner hearing rights with bonds to contest fees.
Status & procedural history
- Introduced: Oct. 28, 2025 (Rep. Julie Rogers); read first time and referred to Committee on Regulatory Reform. (Bill text also shows earlier activity in 2025: filed 3/13/25, referred and considered in committee hearings 4–5/2025 and left pending.)
- Tied to HB 5147 and HB 5148 (tie-bar).
Purpose / intent
- Update Michigan’s abandoned-vehicle and towing rules in the Michigan Vehicle Code (1949 PA 300, MCL 257.252a et seq.). The bill clarifies definitions, shortens certain notice timelines, prescribes required notice content and online posting, creates new procedural protections for owners contesting tows and fees, and adds statutory definitions and sections governing towing agencies and procedures.
Key provisions and changes
- New definition: Adds “towing agency” to mean a business engaged in removing, relocating, and storing vehicles.
- Abandoned-vehicle definitions: Revises circumstances that constitute abandonment, including explicit references to private tow-away zones, private residence appurtenant property, and different time thresholds for public property vs. state trunk lines.
- Public property: vehicle may be considered abandoned after 48 hours.
- State trunk line with valid registration plate: 18-hour threshold (text distinguishes based on plate presence).
- Notice and entry requirements:
- Police agencies may affix a written notice to vehicles taken into custody; required contents spelled out (date/time, agency, officer badge, disposal date/time, vehicle VIN, etc.).
- Agencies must enter the vehicle as abandoned into the law enforcement information network (LEIN) and notify the Secretary of State within 24 hours of custody.
- Secretary of State must send notice to last titled owner and secured party within 3 days (changed from 7 days in current law) and post vehicle information on a public website for up to 1 year or until disposition.
- Notice must include specific information and a form petition to request a hearing and instructions to contest abandonment or reasonableness of towing and storage fees.
- Owner remedies and bond:
- Owner may contest abandonment or towing/storage fees by filing a petition; to obtain release pending a hearing, owner must post a bond equal to $40 plus accrued towing and storage fees.
- Failure to redeem or request a hearing within 20 days may result in sale and termination of ownership/secured-party rights.
- Penalties:
- Presumption that last titled owner is responsible for abandonment; civil infraction and $50 fine for abandoning a vehicle and failing to redeem before disposition.
- Statutory changes:
- Amends multiple sections (257.252a, 252d, 252e, 252f, 252g, 252i, 252k, 252l), adds sections 68a, 252n, 252o, and repeals MCL 257.676c.
Who is affected
- Vehicle owners and last titled owners (liability presumption; notice/contest procedures).
- Towing agencies and tow operators (expanded definitional coverage, process and documentation requirements).
- Police agencies and Secretary of State (shorter notice timelines, LEIN reporting, public posting duty).
- Courts (hearing petitions; bond filings).
- Auto salvage pools/brokers (abandoned-vehicle custody rules).
Potential impacts / considerations
- Shorter notification windows (Secretary of State 3 days; LEIN 24 hours) and clearer notice content may speed vehicle disposition and increase transparency for owners.
- The $40 + fees bond requirement and petition form standardize access to hearings but may create immediate cash burden for owners to reclaim vehicles.
- Towing businesses will face procedural compliance requirements; the bill also creates clearer owner protections to contest fee reasonableness.
- Repeal of MCL 257.676c and the added sections may alter other related enforcement or fee provisions (text of repealed provision not included in summary).
For full text and precise legal language, consult the bill as introduced (HB 5146) and the amendatory language to 1949 PA 300.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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