Are Balisongs Legal in Michigan? Carry Rules and Penalties

Yes, balisongs are legal to own in Michigan, and you can carry one openly in most public places, but concealing one on your person or keeping one in a vehicle you’re driving can be charged as a felony. The line between lawful possession and a serious criminal charge is thinner than most owners realize, and it has very little to do with the knife itself.

Owning a Balisong at Home

Michigan has no list of prohibited knives. You can buy, collect, and keep a balisong in your home without breaking any state law. That wasn’t always true. Until 2017, Michigan banned possession of knives that opened by a button, handle pressure, or any mechanical device. Public Act 96 of 2017 repealed that prohibition entirely, which cleared the way for balisongs, switchblades, and assisted-opening knives.¹

The mechanism no longer matters. How and where you carry the knife is what the law now cares about.

Open Carry in Public

Openly carrying a balisong is lawful in Michigan as long as you don’t intend to use it unlawfully against another person. There’s no blade-length cap on open carry and no restriction tied to knife type when the knife is visible.

The trap is intent. Under MCL 750.226, carrying a knife with a blade over three inches with intent to use it unlawfully against another person is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500.² Carrying a balisong for self-defense counts as unlawful intent under Michigan law, even if you never draw it. Carrying it as a tool for work, hiking, or everyday tasks does not.

Concealed Carry and the Vehicle Rule

This is where balisong owners get into real trouble. MCL 750.227 prohibits carrying a “dagger, dirk, stiletto, a double-edged nonfolding stabbing instrument of any length, or any other dangerous weapon” concealed on your person. A balisong can fall under the “dangerous weapon” language if a prosecutor convinces a jury it qualifies. A knife in your pocket, under a jacket, or in a bag you’re wearing is the fact pattern that triggers felony charges.³

The vehicle provision in the same statute is broader, and this is the part most people miss. It prohibits carrying a dangerous weapon in a vehicle you operate or occupy, concealed or not. A balisong sitting openly on the passenger seat, in the glove compartment, or in the trunk can still violate the statute if the knife qualifies as a dangerous weapon. The open-carry allowance that protects you on the sidewalk does not follow you into your car.³

Where the Concealed Rule Doesn’t Apply

The statute carves out three locations where the concealed-carry and vehicle restrictions don’t apply:

Your own dwelling, where you can keep a balisong concealed or not.
Your place of business, if you own or work there.
Land that you possess, meaning your own property beyond just the house.

Outside those three places, carrying a balisong concealed or in a vehicle is exactly the conduct the statute targets.³

The statute also exempts “a hunting knife adapted and carried as such,” but a balisong almost never fits that exception because its design doesn’t align with what courts recognize as a hunting knife.

What the Penalty Looks Like

Both the concealed-carry violation and the unlawful-intent offense are felonies carrying up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500.³² A felony conviction brings loss of firearm rights, employment barriers, and a permanent criminal record. That’s a heavy outcome for a knife many owners think of as a pocket tool.

Places That Ban Weapons Entirely

Some locations ban weapons regardless of carry method. Michigan’s weapon-free school zone law covers any public or private school from kindergarten through 12th grade, including buildings, playing fields, and buses. Bringing a balisong onto school property violates the statute even if you carry it openly.⁴

Federal buildings and courthouses are also off-limits. Federal law prohibits bringing a dangerous weapon into a federal facility, with penalties of up to one year in prison for general federal buildings and up to two years for federal courthouses. The statute exempts pocket knives with blades under two and a half inches, but a balisong’s blade usually exceeds that length, and its design makes the exemption unlikely to apply.⁵

Local Ordinances Can Go Further

Michigan has no knife preemption law, so cities and municipalities can impose restrictions stricter than the state’s. A knife that’s legal to carry openly under state law can still be banned by the ordinance of the city you’re standing in. Check local rules before carrying in public, particularly in larger cities.

Buying One From Out of State

Even though Michigan allows ownership, getting the knife into the state can be its own problem. The federal Switchblade Knife Act prohibits knowingly shipping or transporting a switchblade knife in interstate commerce, with penalties of up to $2,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, or both.⁶

Whether balisongs qualify as switchblades under the federal statute is a matter of interpretation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection removes the ambiguity for import purposes: its regulations explicitly list “Balisong” and “butterfly” knives as switchblade knives.⁷ Ordering a balisong from an out-of-state seller or importing one from overseas carries real federal risk even though Michigan itself has no problem with ownership.

Flying With a Balisong

The TSA prohibits knives in carry-on bags, and balisongs are not an exception. You can pack one in checked luggage, but it must be sheathed or securely wrapped to protect baggage handlers.⁸ The TSA officer at the checkpoint has final discretion, and the destination state’s laws may be stricter than Michigan’s. Landing with a balisong in a state that bans them creates a fresh legal problem the moment you collect your bag.

1
Michigan State Police. Michigan State Police Legal Update No. 130
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.226 – Firearm or Dangerous or Deadly Weapon or Instrument; Carrying With Unlawful Intent
3
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.227 – Concealed Weapons; Carrying; Penalty
4
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.237a – Individual Engaging in Proscribed Conduct in Weapon Free School Zone
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1242 – Introduction, Manufacture for Introduction, Transportation, or Distribution in Interstate Commerce
7
eCFR. 19 CFR Part 12 – Switchblade Knives
8
Transportation Security Administration. Pocket Knife