Michigan Knife Laws
Michigan sets no blade length at all. What it restricts is the type: daggers, dirks, stilettos and double-edged non-folding stabbing knives may not be carried concealed, at any length. Automatic knives came off the prohibited list in October 2017. There is no preemption, so a Michigan city can be stricter.
This is not legal advice, and we are not lawyers. It is a plain reading of published summaries and the statutes they cite, kept current on a fixed schedule. Local ordinances are frequently stricter than state law and are not all captured here. Check the statute, and check your city, before you carry.
Michigan knife law at a glance
| Concealed carry blade limit | No blade length governs. The restriction is on the type: daggers, dirks, stilettos and double-edged non-folding stabbing instruments may not be carried concealed. |
|---|---|
| Automatic and switchblade knives | The prohibition was removed in October 2017. |
| Knife types banned outright | None outright. |
| Statewide preemption | No. A preemption bill passed both chambers in 2021 and was vetoed. |
| The statutes | MCL 750.222a, 750.224, 750.226, 750.227, 750.231, 750.237a and 380.1313 — read them |
Source last revised 5 March 2023
Next review 15 November 2026
How fresh this is, and how you can tell
Two dates sit above, and they are not the same thing. Checked by us is the last time a person went back to the sources and confirmed this page still matches them. Source last revised is when the American Knife and Tool Institute last updated its own Michigan page. A 2021 revision date is not automatically wrong — it usually means nothing has changed since — but it does mean nobody had looked recently, and that is exactly the gap this page exists to close.
Crossing the Michigan state line
Knife law stops at the border and the next state does not have to agree with this one. If you drive, these are the states you are most likely to carry into, and what changes when you do.
| State | Automatic knives | Concealed blade limit |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Legal | No blade length stated in the statute. |
| Indiana | Legal | No limits on concealed carry. |
| Wisconsin | Legal | No blade length governs. A knife may be carried openly or concealed. Someone already barred from having a firearm can be charged for a concealed knife that counts as a dangerous weapon. |
A knife that is lawful in your pocket at home can be unlawful the moment you cross, and nobody stops you at the line to tell you. The map for all fifty states covers the rest.
Common questions about Michigan knife laws
What size knife is legal to carry in Michigan?
No blade length governs. The restriction is on the type: daggers, dirks, stilettos and double-edged non-folding stabbing instruments may not be carried concealed.
Are switchblades legal in Michigan?
The prohibition was removed in October 2017.
Which knives are banned outright in Michigan?
None outright.
Does Michigan have knife preemption?
No. Michigan has no statewide preemption, so a city or county can be stricter than the state code, and several are. Check your local ordinance as well as the statute.
Can I keep a knife in my car in Michigan?
Where a state has a concealed carry limit, a knife in a glovebox or a door pocket is generally treated as concealed. Read the concealed line above and apply it to the vehicle. If that line says concealment is not the issue in this state, the vehicle is not the issue either — but where you drive to still is, because schools and courthouses are barred everywhere.
Where this comes from
Two independent sources, cross-checked against each other, and the statute text where they disagree. The automatic knife column is the American Knife and Tool Institute’s state automatics table, checked against Knife Rights’ own switchblade legality table and their legislative update log. Everything on a state page is quoted or closely tracked from that state’s AKTI page, and we print the date AKTI last revised it so you can see for yourself how fresh the underlying work is.
Where a source is older than a change we know about, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving the old answer up. That is the whole reason this is checked every two months.
Elsewhere on Popular EDC
The knife law map for all fifty states, the knife steel comparison chart for choosing the blade itself, and every Popular EDC tool in one place.
Data updated September 2026. Michigan knife law checked against the published sources on 15 September 2026, and due for review again on 15 November 2026.