Motorcycle Endorsement in Michigan
Verified against Michigan Department of State ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Michigan adds a CY motorcycle endorsement to an existing Michigan driver's licence. There are two routes to it: complete an approved Michigan Rider Education Program course, or take a Temporary Instruction Permit, practise for up to 180 days and pass a rider skills test at an approved driver testing business. Michigan's helmet rule is one of the most conditional in the country — an operator 21 or older may go without a helmet only by also meeting an experience test and carrying at least $20,000 of first-party medical benefits, and the conditions for a passenger are not the same.
Michigan's motorcycle endorsement requirements — including a $16 fee to add the endorsement, a minimum age of 18, and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Michigan Department of State (see Michigan Department of State — Motorcycle endorsement), current as of 2026-07-28.
Michigan Motorcycle Endorsement Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Temporary Instruction Permit (TIP) |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | $16 |
| Permit validity | 180 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 18 |
| Endorsement fee | $16 |
| Renewal | $7 |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
A first violation for riding without the CY endorsement is a civil infraction with a $250 fine; a second is a misdemeanour punishable by a $500 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both. An endorsement dropped within the last four years can be reissued without retesting; after four years the rider must take the course, or retake the knowledge test, get a TIP and pass a skills test. Michigan accepts a current out-of-state motorcycle endorsement on transfer with both tests waived.
Completing Michigan's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Michigan’s motorcycle safety course.
Michigan helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 21 or older
- security for first-party medical benefits of at least $20,000 is in effect — An operator riding alone needs at least $20,000. An operator carrying a passenger needs at least $20,000 per person per occurrence, unless the passenger carries $20,000 of their own, in which case the operator needs only $20,000.
For the operator only, this additional condition also applies — it does not bind a passenger:
- the operator has held a motorcycle endorsement for at least two years, or has passed an approved motorcycle safety course — This criterion binds the operator only. A passenger 21 or older is not required to have any riding history or training.
Every criterion must be met for the exemption to apply — meeting two of the three leaves the helmet requirement in force. Crash helmets must be approved by the Michigan State Police. The requirement does not reach a rider in an autocycle whose roof meets or exceeds crash-helmet standards. A separate rule requires a crash helmet on anyone under 19 operating a moped on a public thoroughfare.
MCL 257.658 · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- Endorsement rules, permits, tests and fees come from the Michigan Department of State. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Michigan Vehicle Code as published by the Michigan Legislature.
- Michigan's helmet exemption is an all-or-nothing test: a rider must satisfy every listed condition, and the conditions for a passenger differ from those for the operator.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Michigan Department of State — Motorcycle endorsement