Michigan GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Michigan GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Putting a GPS tracker on someone else's car without their knowledge and consent is a misdemeanor in Michigan. You can spend up to a year in jail and pay up to $1,000 for it. Michigan also does something most states do not: the statute itself says the person who planted the tracker is liable for all damages the vehicle owner suffers, which gives victims a ready-made path to sue.

This guide explains MCL 750.539l, Michigan's vehicle tracking law, in plain English. It covers who can legally track a car, the unusually detailed private investigator exception, what employers can do, how AirTag cases are handled, and what to do if you find a tracker on your vehicle. It is part of our GPS Tracking Laws by State series.

Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in Michigan?

In most situations, no. Michigan law makes it a crime to install or place a tracking device on a motor vehicle without the knowledge and consent of the vehicle's owner or lessee. It is also a crime to use a device to track the location of a vehicle without that consent.

Notice the wording. The statute requires knowledge and consent. Tricking an owner into agreeing, or relying on consent the owner never knowingly gave, does not satisfy the law.

The statute also contains a special protection for people covered by personal protection orders. If you are the restrained party under a protective order, tracking a vehicle operated or occupied by the person that order protects is squarely prohibited, even if you try to argue some other exception applies. If you have a stalking or domestic violence concern, our guide to Michigan restraining order laws explains how PPOs work.

The bottom line: you can track a vehicle you own or lease. Tracking anyone else's vehicle requires their consent or a specific statutory exception.

Michigan's Vehicle Tracking Law (MCL 750.539l)

Michigan's tracking law sits in the eavesdropping chapter of the penal code. It was added by 2010 Public Act 107 and took effect on August 1, 2010, well before AirTags existed, but its language covers any "device" used to track the location of a motor vehicle.

The statute makes it a misdemeanor to do any of the following:

• Install or place a tracking device, or cause one to be installed or placed, in or on a motor vehicle without the knowledge and consent of the owner (or lessee, if the vehicle is leased)
• Track the location of a motor vehicle with a tracking device without the knowledge and consent of the owner or the authorized operator (or, if leased, the lessee or authorized operator)
• While being the restrained party under a protective order, track a vehicle operated or occupied by a person protected under that order
• While on probation or parole for an assaultive crime, track a vehicle operated or occupied by the victim of that crime or the victim's family member without their knowledge and consent

A "tracking device" means any electronic device that is designed or intended to be used to track the location of a motor vehicle regardless of whether that information is recorded. A hardwired GPS unit, a battery-powered magnetic tracker, and an AirTag in a magnetic case stuck to a bumper all qualify.

Who Can Legally Track a Vehicle in Michigan

MCL 750.539l contains one of the longer exception lists you will find in any state tracking statute. The following people and uses are lawful:

The owner or lessee, and anyone with their consent. You can track your own car. You can also track a car when the owner or lessee knowingly agrees, which is how fleet tracking and family arrangements stay legal.

Built-in vehicle technology. Devices installed for navigation, mechanical diagnostics, weather, or traffic information do not violate the law. Neither do subscription services that provide emergency assistance or help recover missing and stolen vehicles, the OnStar style systems that come with many cars.

Lessors who give notice. A leasing or rental company can track its own vehicles if the lease or rental agreement discloses it. If the company installs a tracker after the vehicle was manufactured, the lessee must sign a written acknowledgment.

Parents and guardians of minors. A parent or legal guardian may track a vehicle operated by their minor child, as long as the vehicle is owned or leased by the parent, the guardian, or the minor. Even a car titled in the teenager's own name is covered while the teen drives it. The exception does not cover tracking an adult child.

Police, court officers, and bail agents. Law enforcement officers acting within their lawful authority are exempt, though under the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Jones, police generally need a warrant to attach a GPS tracker to a suspect's car. Court officers appointed under MCL 600.8321 and professional bail agents locating people who skipped bond are also covered.

Licensed professional investigators. This is Michigan's most distinctive exception. A licensed PI (or a registered employee of one) may place a tracker while performing professional duties such as obtaining evidence for a court proceeding, investigating crimes or wrongs, locating a fugitive from justice, or locating lost or stolen property and court-awarded assets.

But the PI exception has two hard limits. First, the exemption does not apply when the investigator is working on behalf of a client who is the restrained party under a protective order. Second, it does not apply when the investigator knows or has reason to know the client is seeking the tracking to aid in the commission of a crime or wrong. A suspicious spouse cannot launder an illegal tracking job through a private investigator if a PPO is in place.

Can My Employer Track My Car in Michigan?

If you drive a company vehicle, yes. The employer owns or leases the vehicle, so it falls under the owner consent exception. Michigan has no statute requiring employers to notify employees that company vehicles carry GPS, although most employers disclose it in policy documents anyway.

Your personal vehicle is different. An employer who hides a tracker on a car you own commits a misdemeanor like anyone else. If your employer wants location data from your personal vehicle, for example for mileage reimbursement, it needs your knowing consent, typically through a tracking app you agree to install.

Workplace monitoring rarely stops at vehicles. Our guides to Michigan recording laws and surveillance camera laws cover what employers can record inside the workplace.

AirTags and Item Trackers in Michigan

MCL 750.539l only applies to tracking motor vehicles. So what happens when someone drops an AirTag into a purse, a coat pocket, or a child's backpack?

Those cases run through Michigan's stalking laws. Stalking under MCL 750.411h is a willful course of conduct involving repeated harassment that would make a reasonable person feel terrorized, frightened, or harassed. Using an item tracker to follow someone's movements fits the statute's definition of unconsented contact and surveillance.

Stalking is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year and a $1,000 fine. Aggravated stalking under MCL 750.411i is a felony carrying up to 5 years and $10,000. Stalking becomes aggravated when, among other things, it violates a restraining order or probation condition, or when the offender has a prior stalking conviction.

Federal law adds another layer. Using a GPS device or any electronic system to stalk someone across state lines, or in a way that places them in fear or causes substantial emotional distress, violates the federal stalking statute, 18 U.S.C. 2261A.

If the AirTag is attached to a car rather than a person's belongings, prosecutors can use both the vehicle tracking statute and the stalking statutes.

Penalties for Illegal GPS Tracking in Michigan

A single course of conduct can stack charges. Someone who hides a tracker on an ex-partner's car while subject to a PPO faces the tracking misdemeanor, aggravated stalking, and contempt for violating the order.

Suing for Damages: Michigan's Built-In Civil Liability

Most state tracking laws are purely criminal. If you want money damages, you have to build a common law invasion of privacy case from scratch. Michigan took a different approach.

MCL 750.539l states that a person who violates the section "is liable for all damages incurred by the owner or lessee" of the vehicle. The civil remedy is written directly into the criminal statute.

That means a victim can sue the person who planted the tracker and recover provable losses: the cost of a professional sweep of the vehicle, security measures, lost time, and other damages flowing from the violation. Michigan courts also recognize the common law tort of intrusion upon seclusion, which can support additional claims for emotional distress in serious cases.

If you are dealing with a tracker placed by a soon-to-be ex-spouse, this civil hook also matters in divorce litigation. Evidence gathered through an illegal tracker can backfire badly on the person who gathered it.

What to Do If You Find a GPS Tracker on Your Car

1. Do not destroy it. The device is evidence. Photograph it exactly where you found it before touching anything.
2. Document the details. Note the date, time, location on the vehicle, and the device's appearance, brand, and any serial numbers.
3. Call the police. Report it and reference MCL 750.539l. Tracking a vehicle without consent is a crime, and tracking a PPO-protected person's vehicle is treated seriously.
4. Consider a personal protection order. If you suspect an ex-partner or stalker, a PPO adds criminal teeth to any further contact and converts future stalking into a felony.
5. Get the car swept. A mechanic or a private investigator can check wheel wells, bumpers, the OBD port, and under-seat areas for additional devices.
6. Talk to a lawyer about damages. Michigan's built-in civil liability means you may be able to recover your costs from the person responsible.

Sources

• MCL 750.539l, Tracking device on motor vehicle, Michigan Legislature
• MCL 750.411h, Stalking, Michigan Legislature
• MCL 750.411i, Aggravated stalking, Michigan Legislature
• MCL 600.8321, Court officers, Michigan Legislature
• United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012), Legal Information Institute
• 18 U.S.C. 2261A, Stalking, Legal Information Institute

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Laws change and their application depends on specific facts. If you are facing a tracking or stalking situation, contact a licensed Michigan attorney or, in an emergency, call 911.