Michigan Short-Barreled Shotgun Laws: NFA Rules and Penalties

Owning a short-barreled shotgun in Michigan is legal only if the firearm is registered under the federal National Firearms Act. Michigan short-barreled shotgun laws defer to the federal system: register the SBS properly with the ATF and you can possess it in the state, skip any step and you face a state felony, a federal felony, or both.¹

What Counts as a Short-Barreled Shotgun in Michigan

Michigan defines a short-barreled shotgun as a shotgun with one or more barrels shorter than 18 inches, or any weapon made from a shotgun with an overall length under 26 inches.² Both measurements are independent triggers. A shotgun with a 16-inch barrel is an SBS even when its overall length is well above 26 inches. A shotgun-derived weapon that measures 25 inches overall is an SBS even with an 18-inch barrel.

If you shorten a barrel or modify a stock in a way that drops either measurement below the threshold, you have created an NFA firearm. Doing that without prior ATF approval is a crime under both state and federal law.

One boundary worth knowing: a shotgun-type weapon with a barrel of 18 inches or more and an overall length of 26 inches or more is not an NFA firearm, even without a traditional shoulder stock. But taking a stock off a standard shotgun can push overall length below 26 inches, and at that point the weapon is reclassified as an NFA item.³

Federal Registration Is the Baseline

Michigan’s SBS statute says no one may make, transfer, or possess a short-barreled shotgun unless it is lawfully held under federal law.¹ “Lawfully held” means the firearm appears in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record maintained by the ATF. An unregistered SBS violates state and federal law at the same time.

State-level firearm disqualifications still apply on top of the NFA registration. Michigan prohibits firearm possession by people with felony convictions, active personal protection orders, or involuntary mental health commitments, and a valid tax stamp does not override any of that.⁴

The Extra Michigan Rules by Length

Michigan layers its own compliance rule on top of the federal registration, and it turns on overall length. If the SBS is 26 inches or less, the owner must also comply with Michigan’s firearm purchase licensing requirements under MCL 28.422, which in practice means obtaining a license to purchase through local law enforcement in addition to the federal NFA process.¹

If the SBS is over 26 inches overall, no state purchase license is required. You must, however, carry a copy of the federal registration paperwork whenever you transport or use the firearm and present it to a peace officer on request. Failing to carry the registration is a state civil infraction rather than a criminal charge, but it can be cited on the spot.¹

How the NFA Registration Actually Works

Legal registration involves paperwork, a tax payment, and a waiting period. The ATF uses two forms depending on how you acquire the firearm:

ATF Form 1 (Form 5320.1), used when you are manufacturing or building the SBS yourself, including shortening an existing shotgun barrel.
ATF Form 4 (Form 5320.4), used when you are buying or receiving a transfer of an already-registered SBS from another person or dealer.

Both forms require fingerprint cards, a passport-style photograph, and a $200 tax payment, commonly called the tax stamp. The ATF runs a background check before approval.⁵ You cannot take possession of the SBS until the ATF returns an approved form. Manufacturing or receiving the firearm before approval is a federal crime.

Processing times shift. As of early 2026, electronic Form 4 applications were averaging about 10 days for individual applicants and around 26 days for trust applicants, with some applications taking longer when additional review is needed. Paper submissions historically take much longer than electronic ones.⁶

The Parts Trap: Constructive Possession

You do not need to assemble a working SBS to face charges. Federal law recognizes a doctrine called constructive possession. If you own a shotgun receiver and a short barrel that fits it, but have no NFA registration, prosecutors can argue you possess an unregistered SBS even though the parts are stored separately and unassembled.

The test asks whether you owned all or most of the components needed to assemble the restricted firearm and lacked a lawful reason to have those parts in combination. A standard shotgun sitting alongside an unattached 14-inch barrel, with no tax stamp for an SBS, is exactly the fact pattern that produces a constructive possession charge. The safe move is simple: do not acquire short barrels or other NFA-triggering components until your Form 1 application has come back approved.

Transporting an SBS in Michigan

Michigan makes it a crime to transport a loaded firearm other than a pistol in any motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft, and an SBS qualifies.⁷ The offense is a misdemeanor carrying up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

Unload the firearm, place it in a case designed for firearm storage, and store it in the trunk or another area not readily accessible to passengers. Keep ammunition separate. Michigan’s transport exemption statute addresses pistols, not long guns or NFA items, so SBS owners should follow the most cautious reading to avoid ambiguity.⁸ If the SBS is over 26 inches overall, keep a copy of the federal registration in the vehicle. An officer who asks to see it expects it right then.

Crossing State Lines

Federal law prohibits any non-dealer from transporting an SBS across state lines without prior written authorization from the ATF, whether for a weekend trip or a permanent move.⁹ Approval comes through ATF Form 5320.20, which asks for details about the firearm and the origin and destination states. Two copies go to the ATF’s NFA Division, and approval authorizes transport only during the window you specify.¹⁰ If a commercial carrier moves the firearm, a copy of the approved form travels with it.

For a permanent relocation, confirm that the destination state permits SBS ownership. Not every state does, and carrying a registered SBS into a state that bans them creates an immediate criminal problem regardless of your federal paperwork.

Places Where an SBS Is Off Limits

Even a legally registered SBS cannot be carried into certain locations. Michigan prohibits firearm possession in banks, churches, courthouses, theaters, sports arenas, day care centers, hospitals, and establishments with liquor licenses.¹¹ Narrow exemptions cover peace officers, security personnel employed by the establishment, concealed carry licensees, and anyone with explicit permission from the property owner.

Schools and their surrounding grounds carry a separate weapon-free school zone rule. Possession is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, and committing an SBS-related offense inside a school zone can triple the maximum fine for the underlying offense.¹²

Penalties Stack Between State and Federal Court

Michigan

Unlawfully making, transferring, or possessing an SBS is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.¹ A conviction costs you your firearm rights, and the weapon itself is subject to seizure and forfeiture.

Federal

Possessing an SBS that is not in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record is a federal crime under 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d).¹³ The NFA’s own penalty section caps the sentence at 10 years and the fine at $10,000.¹⁴ A separate federal sentencing statute allows fines up to $250,000 for any felony, and courts apply whichever amount is greater.¹⁵ Federal prosecutors do not need to prove you knew the SBS was unregistered. The offense is strict liability.

Owning an SBS Through a Gun Trust

Many SBS owners register through a gun trust rather than as individuals. A trust is a legal entity that holds title to NFA firearms, and it offers two practical advantages.

A trust lets multiple trustees legally possess and use the SBS. When an individual registers an NFA firearm, only that person can possess it, so handing it to a spouse or a friend at a range, even briefly, is technically an illegal transfer. Named trustees each have legal authority to possess the firearm, which solves that problem.

Trusts also simplify inheritance. When an individual NFA owner dies, the executor must go through a transfer process before anyone else can legally possess the firearm. With a trust, successor trustees named in the trust document can step into possession more smoothly.

The tradeoff: every “responsible person” associated with the trust must submit fingerprints, a photograph, and a background check whenever any NFA application is filed. That requirement, set by ATF Rule 41F in 2016, ended the older trust advantage of skipping chief law enforcement officer notification. Trust-based Form 4 applications also currently take longer to process than individual applications.⁶

What Happens When an SBS Owner Dies

A registered SBS does not pass to the next of kin like a regular shotgun. An executor or personal representative may hold the SBS during probate without that possession counting as a transfer, but a transfer application must be filed before probate closes.¹⁶

For a transfer to a named beneficiary, the executor files ATF Form 5 (Form 5320.5), which is tax-exempt. No $200 payment. The application must include proof of the executor’s legal authority, a copy of the death certificate, the will if one exists, and details identifying the firearm. The ATF must approve the Form 5 before the beneficiary can take possession.

If no beneficiary wants the SBS, or if it must be sold to settle the estate, the executor files ATF Form 4 instead, which does carry the $200 tax. If the deceased owner’s registration documents cannot be located, the executor should contact the ATF’s NFA Branch in writing with documentation of authority over the estate.

Defenses if You Are Charged

Federal NFA violations carry strict liability, so “I didn’t know it needed to be registered” is not a defense in most federal courts. Lack of knowledge can matter in a narrower way: if you bought what you believed was a standard shotgun and a previous owner had already shortened the barrel, that fact may influence prosecutorial discretion even where it doesn’t provide a complete statutory defense.

Registration errors are stronger ground. If you properly submitted your ATF application and possess documentation showing compliance, a charge built on a clerical mistake or a processing delay has a reasonable path to dismissal. Keep copies of every form, receipt, and piece of correspondence with the ATF.

Fourth Amendment challenges remain viable when law enforcement found the SBS through an unlawful search. If officers lacked probable cause or a valid warrant, the firearm evidence can be suppressed, which often ends the case. In practice, most successful SBS defenses run through this door, because the underlying possession facts are usually not in dispute.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.224b – Short-Barreled Shotgun or Rifle
2
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.222
3
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Chapter 2 – What Are Firearms Under the NFA
4
Michigan Legislature. MCL 28.422 – Firearms
5
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Forms
6
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times
7
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.227c – Transporting or Possessing Loaded Firearm in or Upon Vehicle
8
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.231a
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
10
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain NFA Firearms
11
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.234d
12
Michigan Legislature. MCL 750.237a – Weapon Free School Zone
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5861 – Prohibited Acts
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5871 – Penalties
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine
16
eCFR. 27 CFR Part 479 Subpart F – Transfer Tax