Michigan Driving Record
Your Michigan driving record is a detailed history of your time on the road. You can get an official copy for $12 from Michigan’s Secretary of State’s Office.
Table of Contents
- What’s a driving record?
- How to get your MI driving record
- Can I request a Michigan driving record anywhere else?
- MI points system
- Consequences of points on your driving record
- How can points affect your life?
- Is there a difference between driving records from different states?
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In Michigan, your driving record is a publicly available document detailing your entire driving history in the state. You can order an official copy for $12 or an unofficial copy for $11.
It’s so important to keep your driving record clean. Both an excellent driving record and, by contrast, a poor one, can have significant consequences on your life—and especially on your
car insurance
premiums. If you ever notice something amiss on your driving record, contact the Michigan Secretary of State
immediately.Below, we've put together everything you need to know about accessing your driving record in Michigan, what information is on it, and how it can impact your life.
What’s a driving record?
Your driving record is a detailed account of your history as a driver in Michigan. It contains information on any of the following, if applicable:
- Convictions for moving violations
- Points attributed to your record
- Accidents where you received a violation conviction
- Suspensions of revocations of your driver’s license
- DUI violations
- Civil violation tickets
Types of driving records
There are two types of your driving record available in Michigan, both of which can be accessed with a fee:
- Certified driving record: This is an official record and can be requested by courts or employers.
- Uncertified driving record: This is unofficial and can be ordered for personal or informational uses.
How to get your MI driving record
You can access your Michigan driving record online or in person.
To access your record in person, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Go to any branch office of the Michigan Department of State
- Show ID
- Pay fee (cash, check, money order, credit, and debit accepted)
If you’re accessing your record in person, note that you won’t need to complete any forms but a processing fee will apply.
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How to request a Michigan driving record for someone else
You can request the record of another Michigan driver online or by mail.
Online:
- Visit theMichigan Department of State websiteand select the Record Sales Services link under the Additional Services section
- If you have an account, select Login for Record Sales to make the request
- If you do not have an account, select Request Records
- To make a request on behalf of another person, you must have a permissible and qualified reason to do so
To access another person’s driving record by mail, do the following:
- Complete therequest form
- Mail the request form and payment to:
Michigan Department of State
Record Sales Unit
7064 Crowner Street
Lansing, MI
48918-1502
- It will take between 7 and 10 business days to process the request
Can I request a Michigan driving record anywhere else?
You can request a Michigan driving record from other sources, such as car insurance agents and third-party vendors.
Auto insurance agents
If you’re looking to buy auto insurance (and in Michigan, it is required by law), your car insurance agent will have access to your driving record. You can ask them for a copy and they will likely hand one over.
Note that a copy of your driving record from an insurer is not considered official.
Third-party vendors
If you’re in a pinch, you can request a copy of your driving record from a third-party vendor online. However, the driving record you receive from them may not be as accurate as an official copy—and it will cost you more.
If going this route, be sure to ask if it’s possible to obtain an official copy of your driving record.
MI points system
Michigan assigns points to your record for driving offenses using a system ranging from 2 points (common and less severe infractions) to 6 points (most severe). Here’s a breakdown of what the point totals represent:
6 points—most serious and include (but are not limited to):
- Manslaughter
- Operating a motor vehicle under the influence (drugs or alcohol)
- Reckless driving
- Refusing to take a breathalyzer test
- Fleeing or eluding law enforcement
4 points—slightly less serious infractions, on tickets for:
- Drag racing
- Operating a vehicle while visibly impaired
- Driving with any bodily alcohol content if you are under 21 years of age
- Driving 16 mph or more over the speed limit
- Failing to yield for a police vehicle, ambulance, fire truck, or any other emergency vehicle
3 points—more common and less severe offenses, including:
- Driving 11-15 mph over the speed limit
- Careless driving
- Disobeying traffic signals
- Improper passing
- Failing to stop for a railroad crossing
- Failing to stop for a school bus
2 points—most common driving violations
- All other moving violations
- Having an open alcohol container in a vehicle
- Refusing a breathalyzer test if under 21 years of age
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Consequences of points on your driving record
The more points on your Michigan driving record, the worse the consequences will be. Here are the repercussions with the following amount of points on your record within a 2-year period:
- 4 points or more: A sternly worded warning letter from the Michigan Secretary of State
- 8 points or more: A second, sternly worded warning letter from the Secretary of State
- 12 points or more: Requested to visit a Department of State branch for a driver re-examination, which may include a vision test, knowledge test, on-road test, request for vision and medical records, and possible driver’s license suspension
How can points affect your life?
Points will stay on your Michigan driving record for a set amount of time, depending on the severity.
- Moving violations—2 years from conviction date
- Tickets, and details of other convictions, including at-fault accidents—7 years from the conviction date
- Driver’s license suspensions, revocations—at least 10 years
- DUI conviction—permanently stays on your record
- Conviction for a fatality—permanently stays on your record
Points can also affect your life in other ways.
Your insurance rates
The more points on your driving record, the poorer your record will be—and this has a direct impact on the insurance premiums you’ll pay. With a poor driving record, insurers will deem you high risk and charge much higher rates than they would drivers with clean records.
Your driving privileges
Depending on how many points you have on your record or the severity of your driving violations, you may find yourself facing a driver’s license suspension.
Your credit rating
A poor driving record in itself won’t affect your credit rating. However, if you have many unpaid tickets, you may find yourself on the receiving end of calls from a collection agency. If that happens, your credit score will likely take a hit.
Your employment prospects
A spotty driving record can disqualify you for certain job openings—especially if driving is a key part of the job.
Is there a difference between driving records from different states?
As a Michigan driver, out-of-state violations will likely appear on your Michigan driving record.
If any out-of-state tickets, driving violations, or driver’s license suspensions correspond with Michigan law, be prepared for those violations to appear on your Michigan driving record and for points to be added.
Michigan is one of only 5 states to not be a signatory to the Driver’s License Compact (DLC), an agreement that facilitates the sharing of information between states regarding traffic violations. However, most states have reciprocal agreements and can still send and receive driving violation information from other states.
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