Michigan Visitor Guide

Michigan Honors Your New York Carry License. It Does Not Honor Non-Resident Permits, and It Gives No Permits to Visitors.

At a glance (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Can a New Yorker get a permit? No. A Michigan license (CPL) is for Michigan residents only

• Does Michigan honor a NY license? Yes. Michigan honors a carry license issued by the state you live in. A New York resident with a valid NY or NYC carry license may carry concealed in Michigan

• Non-resident permits (FL, UT, AZ, PA, CT)? No. A non-resident permit is not honored, because it was not issued by your home state

• Permitless carry for visitors? No, not concealed. You need your NY carry license

• Carry in a car without a permit? No. A pistol in a car, loaded or not, needs a license. With your NY carry license you may carry it in the car

• Magazine limit: None in state law

• Duty to inform: Yes. If stopped by police while carrying, tell the officer immediately

• A Michigan Concealed Pistol License (CPL) applicant must "Be a legal resident of Michigan and reside in Michigan for at least six months" before applying (with exceptions for military). For more information click here

• There is no non-resident CPL. A New Yorker cannot apply, and does not need to if they hold a NY carry license.

• Michigan State Police: "If you are a resident of another state who is licensed by that state to carry a concealed pistol, Michigan will recognize your permit." Michigan law exempts "a resident of another state who is licensed by that state to carry a concealed pistol" (MCL 28.432a(h)). For more information click here

• This covers every state's resident license. For a New Yorker it means a valid New York State or NYPD carry license works in Michigan.

• Restrictions on your license still apply. You "must carry in conformance with any restrictions appearing on your license." A NY premises license is not a carry license and does not count.

• Non-resident permits do not work. A Florida, Utah, Arizona, Pennsylvania or Connecticut non-resident permit held by a New Yorker is not issued by your state of residence, so Michigan does not honor it. Bring your NY license.

• You are subject to all Michigan concealed pistol laws, including where you may not carry.

• Michigan law: a person "shall not carry a pistol concealed on or about his or her person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle operated or occupied by the person ... without a license to carry the pistol." It is a felony (MCL 750.227). For more information click here

• With your NY carry license: this rule does not apply to "a person holding a valid license to carry a pistol concealed upon his or her person issued by his or her state of residence," except where you break a restriction on that license (MCL 750.231a(1)(a)). You may carry in your car. For more information click here

• Without a carry license honored by Michigan (for example a NY premises license only, or only a non-resident permit): Michigan's own transport exceptions cover pistols registered in Michigan, so they do not help a visitor. Rely on federal safe passage (next section): unloaded, in a closed case, in the trunk.

• Carry your license and your driver's license or state ID whenever you carry, and show both to an officer who asks (MCL 28.425f). For more information click here

• Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 926A, part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986) lets you drive through Michigan with a gun if you may lawfully have and carry it at both your starting point and your destination.

• During the trip the gun must be unloaded, and neither the gun nor any ammunition may be reachable from the passenger area. Keep both in the trunk. In a car with no trunk, use a locked container that is not the glove box or the console. For more information click here

• It protects passing through, not visiting. Short stops for gas, food or rest are part of travel; staying overnight or spending time in Michigan can put you outside the protection, and then Michigan law applies.

• It is a protection you raise if you are stopped. It does not stop an officer from detaining you, so keep the gun cased and unloaded the whole way and carry your home license and paperwork.

• With a valid NY carry license you do not need safe passage in Michigan: you may carry there. It matters for someone without an honored license.

• Michigan's pistol-free zones apply to people licensed "by Michigan or another state," so they apply to you (MCL 28.425o). Parking areas of these places are not included. For more information click here

• Schools and school property (a parent may stay armed in the car while dropping off or picking up a student); child care centers and child caring agencies; sports arenas and stadiums; bars whose main income is drinks consumed on the premises; places of worship, unless the presiding official allows it; entertainment venues seating 2,500 or more; hospitals; college dorms and classrooms; and casinos.

• Courts: by Michigan Supreme Court order, weapons are not allowed in courtrooms or court offices without the chief judge's approval.

• Penalties: a first offense is a $500 civil infraction; repeat offenses become crimes, and the pistol can be seized.

• Federal buildings, post offices and airport secure areas are off limits under federal law. Private property: the owner can say no.

• Duty to inform: a licensee carrying a concealed pistol "who is stopped by a peace officer shall immediately disclose" that they are carrying, on the body or in the vehicle. A first violation is a $500 fine (MCL 28.425f). The State Police say visitors are subject to Michigan's concealed pistol laws, so tell the officer right away. For more information click here

• No magazine limit in Michigan law.

• Alcohol: do not carry after drinking. Michigan penalizes carrying a pistol under the influence of alcohol (check the official page).

• Buying a handgun in Michigan is for Michigan residents; visitors should bring their own.

• Your NY license must be valid on the day you carry. If it is suspended or expired, Michigan will not honor it.

Every state has different laws pertaining to carrying, restrictions etc. It is your responsibility to know these laws and be familiar with them before visiting that state.

This guide summarizes the state's published instructions as of November 1, 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees, forms and rules change; always check the official page before you travel. Tips from others' experience come from users on the chats; they are personal experiences, not official rules.

Checked November 1, 2026.

• Michigan State Police, Reciprocity (Michigan honors licenses of residents of other states). For more information click here

• Michigan State Police, Prohibited Premises (pistol-free zones, penalties, court rule). For more information click here

• Michigan State Police, Concealed Pistol License Requirements (residents only). For more information click here

• Michigan Legislature, MCL 750.227 (carrying a pistol concealed or in a vehicle without a license). For more information click here

• Michigan Legislature, MCL 750.231a (exception for a license from your state of residence; transport rules). For more information click here

• Michigan Legislature, MCL 28.425f (carry license and ID; duty to disclose). For more information click here

• Michigan Legislature, MCL 28.425o (pistol-free zones; applies to out-of-state licensees). For more information click here

• Federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 926A (safe passage). For more information click here