Act No. 221

Public Acts of 2011

Approved by the Governor

November 15, 2011

Filed with the Secretary of State

November 15, 2011

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 15, 2011

STATE OF MICHIGAN

96TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2011

Introduced by Senator Hune

ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 281

AN ACT to require the operators of bowling centers to give certain notices to bowlers; and to grant immunity from civil liability to operators of bowling centers.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “bowling center act”.

Sec. 2. As used in this act:

(a) “Bowler” means a person in a bowling center for the purpose of recreational or competitive bowling.

(b) “Bowling center” means a structure that has an area specifically designed to be used by the public for recreational or competitive bowling.

(c) “Bowling shoes” means shoes that are specifically designed for the purpose of recreational or competitive bowling.

(d) “Operator” means a person that owns, manages, controls, directs, or has the responsibility of operating a bowling center.

Sec. 3. An operator shall post a conspicuous notice in a conspicuous place near each entrance to and exit from a bowling center that reads as follows:

“Do not wear bowling shoes outside. Bowling shoes are specialized footwear for indoor use only. Bowling shoes worn outside may be affected by substances or materials including but not limited to snow, ice, rain, moisture, food, or debris that may cause the person wearing the bowling shoes to slip, trip, stumble, or fall on the floor or alley surfaces inside the bowling center. Michigan law makes a bowling center posting this notice immune from liability for such an injury.”.

Sec. 4. (1) If an operator posts a notice as required by section 3, the operator is not civilly liable for injuries to a bowler resulting from a slip, trip, stumble, or fall inside the bowling center substantially caused by a substance or material on the bowler’s bowling shoes that was acquired outside the bowling center before the bowler entered or reentered the bowling center.

(2) The protection from liability under this section does not apply if the injury results from acts or omissions amounting to willful or wanton misconduct or if the operator fails to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and the condition substantially causes the injury to the bowler.

Sec. 5. This act applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after January 1, 2012.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Secretary of the Senate

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Approved

Governor