Michigan Hit-and-Run on Parked Car: Notice, Penalties, Insurance

If you hit a parked car in Michigan, the law requires you to stop, try to locate the owner, leave a written notice with specific information if you can’t find them, and report the accident to the nearest police agency. Driving off without doing these things is a misdemeanor under the Michigan Vehicle Code, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $100, and six points on your license.¹²

What You Must Do Right After the Collision

Michigan law requires you to stop your vehicle immediately after colliding with any other vehicle, whether it is occupied or not, and whether the collision happens on a public road or in a private parking lot.³ There is no minimum damage threshold. A scraped bumper carries the same obligation as a caved-in door.

After stopping, try to locate the owner or operator of the parked car. If you find them, you are required to give your name, your address, the name and address of the vehicle’s registered owner if that is a different person, and to show your operator’s license.⁴ Exchange insurance information while you are there. In a parking lot, checking with nearby businesses is a reasonable way to track the owner down.

What Your Written Notice Must Include

If you cannot find the owner, you must leave a written notice in a visible spot on or inside the damaged vehicle. Most people tuck it under a windshield wiper, which works as long as it will not blow away. The notice must include:

Your name and address, meaning the person who was driving.
The vehicle owner’s name and address, if you were driving someone else’s car.
A brief statement of the circumstances of the collision.

The last item is the one people skip. The statute specifically requires a statement of the circumstances, not just your contact details.⁴ Something like “I backed into the rear passenger door of your vehicle at approximately 3:15 PM on March 4” satisfies this. Keep it factual.

When You Must Report It to Police

Leaving a note is not the end of the job. When the owner cannot be found, you must also report the accident to the nearest police agency without unnecessary delay.⁴ This reporting duty exists under MCL 257.620 regardless of the damage amount.

A separate statute adds another trigger. If the total apparent property damage to both vehicles combined reaches $1,000 or more, you must immediately report the accident to the nearest police station or officer.⁵ That threshold is easier to hit than most people think. A modest dent with paint transfer can run several hundred dollars per vehicle, putting the combined figure over the line quickly.

The practical rule: report every parking lot collision to police. If you underestimate the damage and it later comes in above $1,000, you have created a separate legal problem. The police report also gives both sides an official record that insurance companies use to process claims.

Penalties for Leaving the Scene

Driving away without stopping and identifying yourself is a misdemeanor. A conviction carries up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $100.¹ The fine is modest; the driving record consequences are not.

Failing to stop and identify yourself adds six points to your Michigan driver’s license.² Reaching 12 points on your record triggers a mandatory driver assessment reexamination by the Secretary of State.⁶ A hit-and-run conviction gets you halfway there from one incident, and if you already have points, it can push you into reexamination and put your license at risk. Insurers treat the conviction as a serious moving violation, and the six points can inflate premiums for years.

How Michigan Insurance Covers Parked Car Damage

Michigan’s no-fault system handles parked car collisions in a way that surprises people. The at-fault driver’s property protection insurance (PPI) pays for damage to a properly parked vehicle.⁷ PPI is a mandatory component of every Michigan auto policy, so if you hit a parked car and follow the required steps, your insurance covers the other vehicle’s repairs without the owner needing to file against their own policy.

The picture changes when the at-fault driver leaves without being identified. In a true hit-and-run, the parked car’s owner usually has to file under their own collision coverage and pay whatever deductible their policy requires. This is where Michigan’s mini-tort provision comes in. A driver who is at least 50 percent at fault can be sued for up to $3,000 in vehicle damage that insurance does not cover, a cap that applies to accidents on or after July 1, 2020.⁸⁹ In practice, this often means the at-fault driver reimburses the parked car’s owner for their collision deductible.

What to Do if Your Parked Car Was Hit

Finding damage on your parked car with no note and no driver in sight is frustrating. The first 24 hours matter.

File a police report right away with the department that covers the location. Some Michigan departments accept online reports for non-injury crashes; others require a station visit.
Photograph the damage from multiple angles, capture any paint transfer, and note the exact time and location. Photograph any debris on the ground from the other vehicle.
Check for surveillance cameras. Parking lot cameras and nearby business security systems may have caught the collision, so ask within a day or two because many systems overwrite footage within a week.
Contact your insurance company. If the other driver is unknown, your collision coverage is typically the only path to paid repairs, and you will pay your deductible upfront.
Check for dashcam footage. A parking-mode dashcam can capture the impact and the other vehicle’s plate. Turning an anonymous hit-and-run into an identified-driver claim shifts damage to the at-fault driver’s PPI and preserves your ability to recover your deductible through mini-tort.

If the at-fault driver is later identified, their PPI takes over responsibility for your vehicle damage, and you can seek reimbursement for any deductible you already paid.⁷

Civil Lawsuits and the Three-Year Deadline

Beyond the criminal case, a driver who leaves without providing notice can be sued by the vehicle owner or their insurer for the full cost of repairs. Repair costs regularly run into thousands of dollars, so the civil exposure is usually the bigger financial risk.

Michigan gives property damage victims three years from the date of the incident to file a civil lawsuit.¹⁰ For smaller claims, Michigan’s small claims court handles disputes up to $7,000 without an attorney.¹¹ Most parked car damage claims sit comfortably within that range, making small claims court the practical venue for a vehicle owner whose car was hit by an identified driver.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.901 – Violation as Misdemeanor; Penalty; Civil Infraction
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.320a – Recording Date of Conviction and Number of Points
3
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.620 – Accidents; Attended or Unattended Vehicle; Stopping; Report
4
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.620 – Accidents; Attended or Unattended Vehicle; Stopping; Report
5
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.622 – Report of Accidents Resulting in Death, Personal Injury, or Property Damage
6
Michigan Secretary of State. Driver Assessment
7
Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Michigan’s Auto Insurance Law Has Changed
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 500.3135
9
Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Quick Facts – Michigan Auto Insurance
10
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 600.5805 – Statute of Limitations
11
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 600.8401 – Small Claims Court Jurisdiction