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Home / When Your Tires Suffer From Potholes You May Be Eligible for Reimbursement

When Your Tires Suffer From Potholes You May Be Eligible for Reimbursement

  • 2 min read
  • Legal
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If you’ve been on the roads in the past few weeks you know what I’m about to tell you: they are in bad shape, my friend.  And if you’ve been on social media at all during this same time frame I’m sure you’ve seen more than a few complaints about said roads.  So who is responsible for damages to your poor tires?

I have some good news: you might be eligible for reimbursement if your tire suffers the fate of so many of its comrades.  We’ll break it down for you by road type and county.

City of Detroit Roads
The city of Detroit requires photographs of the damage along with copies of your insurance and registration. Make sure to have the form notarized, include at least three written estimates, and send the form to the City of Detroit Law Department Claims Section.

Michigan State Roads
These are roads like I-696 and US-24. Fill out this form available at the MDOT website, print it out, have it notarized (free at many banks and credit unions) and bring it along with any and all written estimates and/or receipts to any MDOT office.

Wayne County Roads
Proof of insurance is required for this one along with your receipts/written estimates.  Fill out this form and bring it to Wayne County Risk Management Claims Division at 500 Griswold, 20th Floor.

Macomb County Roads
Send this completed form via mail, email, or fax to the Macomb County Department of Roads.  Attach photographs, if possible.

Oakland County
This entire form can be completed online.  You must sign electronically and provide contact information for witnesses.

Now, keep in mind that this is not a sure thing.  According to the Lansing State Journal, the city of Lansing has paid exactly $0 since 2007 in pothole damage claims.  MDOT’s record isn’t much better. But it can’t hurt to try!

Dana
Author: Dana

Dana is the lucky mother to two incredible kids (aged 10 & 6) and the happy wife of Nate. She stumbled around in her adult life for a while before finally realizing that she could get paid to pursue her passion: keeping kids safe. In 2013 she started working at Modern Natural Baby in Ferndale where she eventually became a Child Passenger Safety Technician with additional Special Needs training. Dana also runs the child passenger safety-focused Facebook page Buckle Up Detroit and works with the amazing lady bosses at Metro Detroit Doula Services offering car seat classes, consultations, and more!