Detroit, MI asked in Education Law and Land Use & Zoning for Michigan

Q: Am I allowed to be in a Michigan public high school parking lot in the summer?

I was watching the sunset, with my friend, in my school parking lot days after school had ended. A man who we assume lives next to the school approached us and started threatening to call the cops saying we looked suspicious. We were simply sitting in the back of her car watching the sunset. Would we have gotten into trouble with the law if he had called the cops? Both of us attend the school.

1 Lawyer Answer
Brent T. Geers
Brent T. Geers
Answered
  • Grand Rapids, MI
  • Licensed in Michigan

A: The police might have just told you to move along. Of course, a lot depends on what information they have at the time, including what the person who calls tells them, as well as whether there have been other reports of suspicious activity or crime in the area.

Generally, there are reasonable limitations of your right to be in a "public" place. Most notably, unless there is a particular reason for you to be in the parking lot at that time, you generally cannot just be there after dark. Same thing with public parks, which often are subject to ordinances saying that no one can be in a park from dusk to dawn.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.