Michigan school drill law

What drills does Michigan require?

Michigan's Fire Prevention Code, MCL 29.19, sets a minimum number of fire, tornado and lockdown-type drills each school year for schools that run any of grades K-12.

Fire drills and secure-the-building drills must have a reasonable spacing interval between each drill. Schools that do not run grades K-12 must hold at least 8 fire drills a year. The statute also says all schools must hold a fire drill each month. The State Fire Marshal or a fire chief may have fire drills held in school buildings as the State Fire Marshal considers advisable.

What do the state fire rules add?

The state's school fire safety rules set no drill count of their own, for new or existing schools. They delete the Life Safety Code's drill subsections and require emergency egress drills to be held under "the act". In those rules, "the act" means the Fire Prevention Code, 1941 PA 207 (MCL 29.1 to 29.34), which contains the drill statute above. The rules require drills to be held at various times and under varying conditions, to simulate what can happen in a real emergency.

How must drills be run?

Secure-the-building drills must include security steps suited to emergencies such as a hazardous material release or a potentially dangerous individual on or near school grounds. The school's governing body must seek input from school administrators and local public safety officials on what these drills involve. The State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division must develop a model for schools to use for these drills. K-12 schools must hold at least one required drill during lunch, recess or another time when many students are gathered outside the classroom. Public K-12 schools may not hold a required drill when it would interfere with a state-mandated test.

What records and schedules are required?

Teachers must keep a record of the drills. K-12 schools must post documentation of each completed drill on their website within 30 school days and keep it there for at least 3 years. The posting must state the type of drill and carry the signature of the principal or the principal's designee. By September 15 each school year, the K-12 school's chief administrator must send a list of scheduled drill days to the county emergency management coordinator. That schedule is shared with the State Police district coordinator and the county sheriff or local police or fire chief. The schedule is exempt from disclosure under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.

Who is covered?

The drill duty falls on the chief administrator and teachers of all schools, including state-supported schools. "School" here does not include colleges or other postsecondary institutions; that is the only exclusion the statute's definition of "school" sets. The state's school fire safety rules define a "school" as a building owned, leased or controlled by a public or private school or school system for instruction.

What do emergency plans need?

Districts, intermediate school districts and public school academies must review their emergency operations plan at least every two years with at least one law enforcement agency. Each building's plan must address parent and student reunification. This is a plan requirement, not a drill. The State Police had to adopt rules by July 1, 2026, setting standard emergency response terms for public and nonpublic schools. The State Police say those rules are still proposed and under review by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the governing body of each public and nonpublic school must adopt and use the standardized response terminology described in MCL 380.1308c.

What has changed, and what bills have been filed?

MCL 29.19 was last amended by 2024 PA 36, effective April 2, 2025. HB 4226 (2025) passed the Michigan House on May 14, 2025, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Education. That referral, on May 20, 2025, is its last recorded action; as of October 27, 2026 it has not been enacted. According to the House Fiscal Agency, it would lower the K-12 minimum to 4 fire drills, with 2 by December 1. It would raise secure-the-building drills from 3 to 4, with at least one between classes where practicable. For other schools, it would lower the minimum to 7 fire drills a year, with 4 in the fall if weather prevents monthly drills.