Yes, balisongs are legal to own in Michigan, and you can carry one openly in most public places, but concealing one on your person or keeping one in your vehicle is a felony under state law. That vehicle rule is the piece most owners get wrong: it applies even when the knife is sitting in plain view on the passenger seat.
Ownership Is Unrestricted
Michigan keeps no list of prohibited knives. You can buy, collect, display, and store a balisong at home without violating any state statute. That freedom is relatively recent. Until 2017, MCL 750.226a banned possession of knives that opened by button, handle pressure, or other mechanical device. Public Act 96 of 2017 repealed the statute entirely, which cleared switchblades, assisted-opening knives, and balisongs from the possession ban in one stroke.1Michigan State Police. Michigan State Police Legal Update No. 130
Open Carry and the Intent Problem
You can openly carry a balisong in Michigan. There is no blade-length cap for open carry and no restriction on knife type when the knife is visible. What the state does regulate is why you’re carrying it. MCL 750.226 makes it a felony to carry a knife with a blade over three inches while intending to use it unlawfully against another person. The penalty is up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.226 – Firearm or Dangerous or Deadly Weapon or Instrument; Carrying With Unlawful Intent
The trap in that rule: carrying a balisong for self-defense counts as unlawful intent under Michigan law, even if you never draw it. If your reason for having the knife on you is to use it against someone should the need arise, the statute applies.
Concealed Carry Is a Felony
MCL 750.227 prohibits carrying a “dagger, dirk, stiletto, a double-edged nonfolding stabbing instrument of any length, or any other dangerous weapon” concealed on your person. A balisong can fall under the “dangerous weapon” language if a prosecutor persuades a jury it qualifies. Concealed in a pocket, under a jacket, or inside a bag you’re wearing is exactly the fact pattern that leads to charges. The offense is a felony carrying up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.227 – Concealed Weapons; Carrying; Penalty
The Vehicle Rule Is Broader Than Concealed Carry
The same statute bars carrying a dangerous weapon in any vehicle you operate or occupy, and it does not require the knife to be hidden. A balisong on your passenger seat, in your glove compartment, or in your trunk can violate MCL 750.227 if it qualifies as a dangerous weapon. Open carry protects you on the sidewalk. It does not extend to your car.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.227 – Concealed Weapons; Carrying; Penalty
Where the Restriction Doesn’t Apply
The concealed-carry and vehicle rules carve out three locations:
- Your dwelling.
- Your place of business.
- Other land you possess.
Inside those places, you can carry a balisong concealed or however you like. Everywhere else, the statute is in play.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.227 – Concealed Weapons; Carrying; Penalty
MCL 750.227 also exempts “a hunting knife adapted and carried as such.” The language is narrow: the knife has to be a hunting knife by design and be carried for that purpose. A balisong almost never fits, and relying on this exception is not a workable strategy.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.227 – Concealed Weapons; Carrying; Penalty
Places You Can’t Bring One at All
Michigan’s weapon-free school zone law covers every public and private K–12 school in the state, including buildings, playing fields, and school buses. Carrying a balisong onto school property, even openly, violates the statute.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 750.237a – Individual Engaging in Proscribed Conduct in Weapon Free School Zone
Federal buildings and courthouses are separately off-limits. Bringing a dangerous weapon into a federal facility carries up to a year in prison, and up to two years for a federal courthouse. There is an exemption for pocket knives with blades under two and a half inches, but a balisong’s blade typically exceeds that and its design makes the exemption unlikely to apply.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S.C. 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
Cities Can Go Further Than the State
Michigan has no knife preemption law, so individual cities and municipalities can impose restrictions stricter than the state’s. A preemption bill (HB 4066) passed the legislature in 2021, but Governor Whitmer vetoed it, and no replacement has been enacted. Check the local ordinance before carrying a balisong in an unfamiliar city.
Shipping and Import Risks
Ownership within Michigan is legal, but getting the knife to Michigan can be a federal problem. The Switchblade Knife Act prohibits knowingly shipping or transporting a switchblade in interstate commerce, with penalties of up to $2,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, or both.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S.C. 1242 – Introduction, Manufacture for Introduction, Transportation, or Distribution in Interstate Commerce
Whether a balisong qualifies as a switchblade under the federal act is a question of interpretation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is not ambiguous on the point: its regulations list “Balisong” and “butterfly” knives as switchblade knives for import purposes.7eCFR. 19 CFR Part 12 – Switchblade Knives Ordering one from an out-of-state retailer or importing from overseas carries real federal exposure regardless of Michigan’s permissive stance on ownership.
Flying With a Balisong
The TSA bans knives in carry-on bags, and balisongs are no exception. You can pack one in checked luggage as long as it’s sheathed or securely wrapped to protect baggage handlers.8Transportation Security Administration. Pocket Knife Remember that your destination state may not share Michigan’s rules; arriving somewhere that bans balisongs creates a new problem the moment you claim your bag.