DETROIT – You’ve probably done it -- pulled into a fast food parking lot, grabbed your order and eaten it right there in the car.
In Detroit, you might be breaking the law.
Detroit City Code, Sections 50-12-310 and 50-12-311, prohibits consuming food or beverages inside a vehicle parked on restaurant property. Restaurants are required to post warning signs, and violators can be fined.
Sharp-eyed visitors to Comerica Park may have already spotted the notices in the parking lot along Woodward Avenue:
Consumption of food or beverage within vehicles parked outside the ballpark is unlawful and violators are subject to fines and prescribed by law.
It’s not a distracted-driving law
The ordinance reads less like a public safety measure and more like an anti-loitering rule. It is not a distracted driving law -- it specifically applies to parked vehicles, not moving ones. In fact, there is no Michigan state law prohibiting eating while driving.
License plate reader technology, like FLOCK cameras, isn’t scanning for crunch wraps. Still, the ordinance remains active on the books.
The signs posted outside Comerica Park are believed to be aimed primarily at discouraging tailgating on surrounding restaurant and business properties, rather than the casual lunch-in-the-car crowd.
Enforcement appears to be rare
Enforcement appears rare, but the ordinance is still active. We reached out to Ilitch Sports and Entertainment, who told us they would look into who enforces the rule and how often it’s actually used.
So the next time you’re tempted to eat on the go -- parked, that is -- it might be worth a second thought. At least in Detroit.