Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Michigan

Michigan punishes this twice over. Operating, or letting someone operate, a vehicle without the required security is a misdemeanor under the Insurance Code, punishable by a fine of $200 to $500, up to one year in jail, or both. Separately, failing to have or produce evidence of insurance when an officer asks is a civil infraction under the Vehicle Code, carrying a fine of up to $100 plus costs and the licence consequences below.

The statute sets one range; it does not escalate the fine for repeat convictions.

On a civil infraction determination for failing to have or produce insurance, the court may take the license and order the Secretary of State to suspend it. A $25 service fee is due when proof of insurance is submitted. The Secretary of State will also refuse to renew, transfer or replace the plate on the vehicle involved until the owner complies.

Michigan's Driver Responsibility Fees were abolished on October 1, 2018 by 2018 Public Acts 43-50, and outstanding balances were forgiven. Sources still describing an annual driver responsibility fee for driving uninsured are describing a program that no longer exists.

A conviction for driving uninsured does not by itself trigger a certified financial responsibility filing. The license is restored once proof of current insurance and the $25 fee reach the Secretary of State. A certificate filing is required only when an unpaid judgment from an uninsured crash is certified to the state.