Are there ticks in Michigan?

Yes. Michigan has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 249 of the state's 533 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.

What types of ticks live in Michigan?

Michigan has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is not established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Michigan tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.

When does tick season start and end in Michigan?

In Michigan, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.

When is flea and tick season?

Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Michigan, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.

Which tick carries Lyme disease in Michigan?

The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Michigan. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.

Ticks in Michigan

Ticks are active in Michigan whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 533 Michigan towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Tick season in Michigan

Tick season in Michigan runs whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November, with two peaks. Nymph deer ticks, the poppy-seed-sized stage that causes most Lyme cases, peak from late May through July. Adult deer ticks make a second push in October and November, and on any winter day above about 40 F they can quest again. American dog ticks are busiest from April through July.

Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt.
Life stage	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Deer tick nymphs
Deer tick adults
American dog tick

Peak Active

Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt. Activity windows by life stage from TickEncounter (Univ. of Rhode Island) and the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Any warm spell can wake ticks earlier than the calendar suggests.

Those are averages, and any single week can run hotter or colder than the calendar suggests. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time yard work, hikes, and pet prevention.

Highest-risk towns in Michigan (2026)

Michigan's highest structural tick risk concentrates in Iron, which holds 5 of the state's top 10 towns (145 CDC-reported Lyme cases per 100k). The top 10 towns run 39 to 92 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

1Gaastra Iron CountyModerate at peak
2Alpha Iron CountyModerate at peak
3Norway Dickinson CountyModerate at peak
4Iron Mountain Dickinson CountyModerate at peak
5Crystal Falls Iron CountyModerate at peak
6Iron River Iron CountyModerate at peak
7Lake Ann Benzie CountyModerate at peak
8Michiana Berrien CountyModerate at peak
9Kingsford Dickinson CountyModerate at peak
10Caspian Iron CountyModerate at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All Michigan towns, by county

Alcona County · 2 towns · 86/100k Lyme

Alger County · 2 towns

Allegan County · 9 towns · 36/100k Lyme

Alpena County · 1 towns

Alpena

Antrim County · 5 towns

Arenac County · 6 towns

Baraga County · 2 towns · 60/100k Lyme

Barry County · 5 towns · 47/100k Lyme

Bay County · 4 towns · 6/100k Lyme

Benzie County · 7 towns · 92/100k Lyme

Berrien County · 17 towns · 30/100k Lyme

Branch County · 5 towns

Calhoun County · 8 towns · 35/100k Lyme

Cass County · 5 towns · 33/100k Lyme

Charlevoix County · 4 towns · 19/100k Lyme

Cheboygan County · 2 towns

Chippewa County · 2 towns

Clare County · 3 towns

Clinton County · 8 towns

Crawford County · 1 towns

Grayling

Delta County · 3 towns · 14/100k Lyme

Dickinson County · 3 towns · 231/100k Lyme

Eaton County · 10 towns · 11/100k Lyme

Emmet County · 5 towns · 18/100k Lyme

Genesee County · 14 towns · 2/100k Lyme

Gladwin County · 2 towns

Gogebic County · 3 towns

Grand Traverse County · 3 towns · 10/100k Lyme

Gratiot County · 6 towns

Hillsdale County · 9 towns

Houghton County · 7 towns · 35/100k Lyme

Huron County · 11 towns

Ingham County · 8 towns · 5/100k Lyme

Ionia County · 10 towns · 9/100k Lyme

Iosco County · 3 towns · 63/100k Lyme

Iron County · 5 towns · 145/100k Lyme

Isabella County · 4 towns

Jackson County · 7 towns · 17/100k Lyme

Kalamazoo County · 9 towns · 71/100k Lyme

Kalkaska County · 1 towns

Kalkaska

Kent County · 13 towns · 12/100k Lyme

Keweenaw County · 1 towns

Ahmeek

Lake County · 2 towns

Lapeer County · 9 towns

Leelanau County · 3 towns · 48/100k Lyme

Lenawee County · 12 towns

Livingston County · 4 towns · 8/100k Lyme

Luce County · 1 towns

Newberry

Mackinac County · 2 towns

Macomb County · 15 towns · 2/100k Lyme

Manistee County · 6 towns · 59/100k Lyme

Marquette County · 3 towns · 8/100k Lyme

Mason County · 5 towns · 38/100k Lyme

Mecosta County · 5 towns · 22/100k Lyme

Menominee County · 5 towns · 26/100k Lyme

Midland County · 3 towns · 7/100k Lyme

Missaukee County · 2 towns

Monroe County · 8 towns

Montcalm County · 9 towns · 7/100k Lyme

Montmorency County · 1 towns

Hillman

Muskegon County · 11 towns · 7/100k Lyme

Newaygo County · 4 towns · 22/100k Lyme

Oakland County · 40 towns · 4/100k Lyme

Oceana County · 7 towns

Ogemaw County · 3 towns

Ontonagon County · 1 towns

Ontonagon

Osceola County · 6 towns · 30/100k Lyme

Otsego County · 2 towns

Ottawa County · 7 towns · 11/100k Lyme

Presque Isle County · 4 towns

Roscommon County · 1 towns

Roscommon

Saginaw County · 8 towns

Sanilac County · 13 towns

Schoolcraft County · 1 towns

Manistique

Shiawassee County · 11 towns

St. Clair County · 8 towns · 3/100k Lyme

St. Joseph County · 8 towns · 21/100k Lyme

Tuscola County · 11 towns

Van Buren County · 11 towns · 40/100k Lyme

Washtenaw County · 8 towns · 32/100k Lyme

Wayne County · 33 towns · 1/100k Lyme

Wexford County · 5 towns

Michigan tick questions

Are there ticks in Michigan?: Yes. Michigan has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 249 of the state's 533 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
What types of ticks live in Michigan?: Michigan has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is not established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Michigan tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
When does tick season start and end in Michigan?: In Michigan, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.
When is flea and tick season?: Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Michigan, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in Michigan?: The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Michigan. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.