recreation passport

[Bloomer]

This is probably an old topic but my understanding of the new state law regarding the recreation passport that was adopted on Oct 1, 2010, is that you pay the $10 when you register your vehicle and you do not have to pay until your vehicle registration is due. Until that time you have access to the parks until you have the option to "opt in" or "opt out". Now personally my registration is not due until August. So last night I am on Orion, come back to my truck and I have a civil infraction ticket from the Oakland County sherrifs dept(while I am parked in a DNR boat ramp) for not properly displaying a state parks sticker on my vehicle. So this morning I visit the DNR office on Greenshield and Kern rd in Orion/T, and the DNR officer at the counter confirmed that I have free use of the park until I have the choice to opt in or opt out! They photo copied the ticket and said they would look into the issue but that I was on my own as far as the ticket went. I am just curious if anyone has had this problem or is any more knowledgeable on the law than I am, which I am no lawyer. According to the clerk at the courthouse from the number on the ticket, I have to pay a $100 fine. This does not seem to me like this is streamlining the process of state parks/boat ramp fees, and why in the world I am I getting a ticket from the Sherrifs office at at DNR boat ramp??? This is the best info I have been able to find on the subject

   http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnre/compgrid_325208_7.pdf
I would really like to know if anyone has run into this problem yet and how has this sort of thing been getting resolved?

[Waterfoul]

I've been in two parks so far with my "passport" registration.  No tickets.  BUT, I'm not sure how an officer would tell if you paid the $10 or not.  T\I paid the passport fee on my Tahoe plate (my tow vehicle) and it looks just looks just like the one on my Escape which I did not pay the passport fee.

I'd fight the ticket.  My bet is the magistrate will "educate" the officer.

[Durand Dan]

Early in the year I e-mailed the DNR and they replied confirming that I have free access until my registration date in August. I think the chart that Bloomer posted a link to confirms this. Also see the pic I am posting for the passposrt location on the license tab.

[djkimmel]

If you buy the Passport, you will have a capital P on your sticker as DD did a great job of posting while I was finishing my 'story' here.

I believe two things are going on here - 1) things were changed along the way as to how the MDNR would handle people who have not come up for registration yet (originally they were still going to charge a daily fee if I remember right early on and then they decided not to) so I'm betting more than a few law officers are confused along with plenty of voters; and 2, Lake Orion public access is not known for happy people who get along with each other due to the regular unpopularity of public access on 'peoples' lakes' and the crowding at times since the lake is very popular but the ramp is small and slow to use so I imagine over time they have received a lot of complaints. Friendliness and patience are less common there.

When I have received 'stupid' tickets in the past, I have called the actual issuing officer and nicely explained myself after asking why I got the ticket in the first place. That has worked some of the time. Or you need to get hold of the sheriff or other higher up officer and see if they know what is going on and will fix it.

You can try the court. Some courts have a better grasp of the situations and some appear to have no grasp. Some are willing to help and some will just say whatever the officer writes, you have to work it out with the officer. I've tried that route with good success with some courts and no success with others.

Worse case scenario, maybe someone within DNR Parks would contact the local sheriff and ask that the issue be resolved for you and permanently with some education. If you didn't want the ticket and the MDNR is saying you shouldn't have gotten it and you are getting nowhere in a couple phone calls, you could nicely say you will then have to subpoena an MDNR employee to come to the court to tell them the same thing, but I doubt it ever goes that far if you get the right, nice, helpful person on the phone.

Make sure your ticket is definitely for not having a sticker only and not something else. Be as polite and patient as you can be with everyone. Sometime a negative reaction is met with an equal and opposite reaction even if in the long run it wastes everyones' time.

In many areas, sheriff offices end up having to do some of the policing at public access sites due to local situations and I don't think they ever like that they have to do it when they think it should be the MDNR. Of course, the MDNR only has about 1 CO per county (and few Park Rangers at the State Parks). Typical issue of who is getting paid tax money to do the job and who thinks they aren't and shouldn't have to do it.

[djkimmel]

I will add that so far, this is the first time I have heard of someone getting a ticket for this anywhere in Michigan. So it must not be happening a lot. I am not surprised that it happened at Lake Orion. From my two experiences at the Lake Orion public access site, there is a higher than normal level of 'issues' going on. What a waste of time and energy... sigh.

As someone I truly admired was fond of saying (and I wish more people had known him), life is short, go fishing.

[Bloomer]

Thanks Dan, I figured I would get some educated responses on here. I did the visit the Sherrifs office this morning, and as much as I wanted to scream and curse some one out, I kept my composure. When I had visited the DNR station in Orion Township on Tuesday morning, they photo copied the ticket and they did in fact contact the sherrifs dept. I have learned for a FACT that yes we as Michigan residents have FREE use of every state Park and DNR state run boat ramp, until your vehicle registration is due(see web site on above post). So when I asked the sherrifs dept about the ticket this morning and showed it to them they knew exactly who I was. From what I was told by the Oakland County Sherrifs dept at the Orion office, they would no longer be writing tickets at the boat ramp, and that the ticket I recieved was a mistake as the officer was confused about the law and the ticket will be dismissed. So this was a relief coming from the sherrif who wrote me the ticket. I guess the DNR acutally did clear the confusion with the OCSD.
   However, here is the real kick in the butt. The OCSD cannot dismiss the ticket at the office, I have to schedule an official hearing at the courthouse where the ticket will be dismissed by the officer at that time. So I have done absolutely nothing wrong, and because the officer was confused about the law, I have to take time off of work to take care of the issue. Seems like a raw deal to me. But I guess it beats having to pay a $100 fine for doing nothing wrong.     

[dartag]

Geez that figures.  I had baked you a cake with a hacksaw blade in it with Senkos on the top.   Glad it all turned out well.

ss

[bigjc]

I feel your pain...the last ticket that I had to pay was a $150 No wake ticket on the Det. River, because I was to close to the center of the channel at the free bridge.    When in reality I was well to the west of the no wake zone...so the prosecuting attourney cut me a "deal" and let me get away with a $75 fine for doing nothing wrong.  Give some behindwhole a badge and he thinks he rules the world. 

[djkimmel]

Things always work well until you mix people into them!

Bloomer, I wish it had worked out even better for you, but it could have been maybe a worse hassle if someone hadn't stepped in and apparently done the right thing. Good job to the MDNR person who took an extra step it appears. I have a couple tickets just tossed out without having to do anything beyond the phone call so that part is a little strange, but I imagine it can be different from county to county and state to state. I believe I do recall at least one friend who also had to go to the court (Monroe County if I remember right) to get a 'mistake' ticket tossed out officially.

[Bloomer]

Yes the only good part that came of all this was the quick response by the DNR that I was very pleased with and somewhat surprised by. And the fact that the sherriffs office has now been educated on what the law is. I understand that it is a new law, but I really wish the officers were a little more educated on all this before writing tickets for it, it would have saved me the time I have to take off from work, and the gas I have to burn to get to the courthouse.

[djkimmel]

It can be surprising sometimes about various changes and lack of knowledge about them. That just shows we all have a lot of room for improvement still.

[SethV]

They should make that stupid officer pay the ticket.  What a moron!  One can only hope they cut the budget and he gets fired.  Clearly not enough to do up there and they have excess of workforce!     I doubt I would go to the courthouse or pay - unless they planned to pay ME.

I don't know how this rec passport will work for me.  I drive a company truck - no chance to get a rec passport on it.  How am I supposed to use the launches - pay every time I go?  Can I still get a "sticker" like we did in previous years for $10?  I have the passport on my wifes Suburban now - but I would rather put miles on the company ride.

With the bass season and more goofy laws - boat ownership is almost more trouble than it is worth up here.

[Durand Dan]

They should make that stupid officer pay the ticket.  What a moron!  One can only hope they cut the budget and he gets fired.  Clearly not enough to do up there and they have excess of workforce!     I doubt I would go to the courthouse or pay - unless they planned to pay ME.

I don't know how this rec passport will work for me.  I drive a company truck - no chance to get a rec passport on it.  How am I supposed to use the launches - pay every time I go?  Can I still get a "sticker" like we did in previous years for $10?  I have the passport on my wifes Suburban now - but I would rather put miles on the company ride.

With the bass season and more goofy laws - boat ownership is almost more trouble than it is worth up here.

Seth,
I believe the only commercial vehicles that are barred from obtaining the $10 Rec. Passport are Buses and Vans with the capacity of more than 12 passengers. At least that's the way I read it

[djkimmel]

I wonder if his company does the registration though? Interesting challenge. Last I knew they will have daily passes again at least for non-residents and people who don't get the Passport. Can't remember if they have will have an annual for non-residents. Doesn't make sense to have an annual for residents anymore. I'll have to check in a week or so on this.

[MIBasser]

I don't know how this rec passport will work for me.  I drive a company truck - no chance to get a rec passport on it.  How am I supposed to use the launches - pay every time I go?  Can I still get a "sticker" like we did in previous years for $10?  I have the passport on my wifes Suburban now - but I would rather put miles on the company ride.

I'm in the same situation as you Seth.  Company car and they did not pay the extra $10.  So far so good at 3 ramps, but nobody is working there to buy the sticker..... 

[t-bone]

I'm in the same boat - the DNR website says you can buy a passport sticker at any state park. I sent an email to DNRE-passport@michigan.gov to confirm that is what we need to do. I'll let you know what I hear back.

[t-bone]

I got a response back from the DNR

Terry,
You can purchase the Recreation Passport at any Michigan State Park.

I hope this helps, but if not or you have any additional questions, please feel free to email back or call 517-241-7275.
Thanks and have a great day!


Patrick Kading
Recreation Passport Team
Parks and Recreation Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

[djkimmel]

There's no one there at the booths often this time of year but you can usually go to the office during regular business hours and find someone there. Most parks have a local number you can call ahead to find out when someone will be there.

[SethV]

I got a response back from the DNR

Terry,
You can purchase the Recreation Passport at any Michigan State Park.

I hope this helps, but if not or you have any additional questions, please feel free to email back or call 517-241-7275.
Thanks and have a great day!


Patrick Kading
Recreation Passport Team
Parks and Recreation Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Thanks!  I wonder if they will be available at DNR launches or on the web?  Is this a sticker that goes on the car?  I don't think I can change the sticker on the plate of my company cars?

I just hope no officer tries to ticket me if they are not there to let me pay.  Sorting out a ticket with a company car would not be fun.

[dartag]

did you stop at Proud Lake stat park campground.  There should be an attandant there to get a sticker. 

Will the Sonic tow your Ranger