EAST LANSING -- A popular brand of motorized scooters that's emerged on college campuses this fall has caused a serious problem at Michigan State University, according to university officials.

The MSU Police Department recently impounded "at least 100" Bird scooters because they were found parked on campus in areas where they don't belong, said Capt. Doug Monette, a department spokesman.

"What we’re finding is they are left in the grass, bike racks, sidewalks, bus stops, and they are obstructing bicycle and pedestrian traffic," Monette said.

Monette said MSU police haven't been in contact with Bird Rides Inc., a California-based company, since the scooters were impounded.

If the company wants its scooters back, they must pay impound fees and citation fees, Monette said. An impound fee for a scooter is $25, and a citation fee can vary depending on the violation, Monette said.

It's not clear how many scooters the company has on MSU's campus.

Bird Rides Inc. emailed the following statement to a State Journal reporter Tuesday afternoon:

"The MSU community has embraced our last-mile solution as a way to more easily get around campus and access local businesses in the area. As Birds are impounded on campus, we will engage with the University officials to investigate each incident and take necessary action.

"We look forward to continuing our work with the school to build a framework that supports safe, affordable, and accessible transportation options for everyone in the community."

Monette said Bird scooters are allowed to travel in 25 miles per hour zones on campus, but must stay to the right of traffic, outside of bike lanes.

MSU's decision to impound Bird scooters falls in line with strict guidelines university officials shared with a Bird Rides Inc. representative in a Sept. 18 letter.

The three-page letter, obtained Tuesday by the State Journal, was written by MSU's Office of General Counsel and was addressed to Clint Johnson of Bird Rides Inc. Attempts Monday to reach Johnson weren't successful.

MSU's letter, citing campus ordinances, stated Bird scooters are prohibited from operating in all bicycle lanes and on sidewalks and footpaths on campus.

The scooters must be registered with the university to park in "legally designated spaces" allowed by the permits or at a paid meter or lot, according to the letter.

"As set forth above, this letter serves as notice to you and Bird that there are various issues related to Bird scooters on MSU's campus," the letter reads. "Therefore, Bird must immediately cease and desist all unlawful activities."

Bird scooters started to pop up in East Lansing and on MSU's campus about two weeks ago.

Scooters were also spotted Monday in downtown Lansing.

Lansing Police Public Information Director Robert Merritt said in an email Tuesday afternoon that, as of about 3 p.m., no scooters in the city had been impounded.

The City of Lansing posted Tuesday afternoon on its Facebook page that Bird scooters are "not allowed to be used on downtown sidewalks but are allowed on downtown roads."

Scooters can be used on sidewalks outside of downtown, according to the Facebook post. They are prohibited from being parked on sidewalks in any part of the city and should be "parked in the area between the sidewalk and curb of road, not obstructing pedestrian movement," the post said.

Each scooter can travel up to 15 miles per hour. The cost to ride a Bird starts at $1, then it's 15 cents per minute. Riders need to be at least 18 with a driver's license.

To ride a Bird, a person must scan the QR code on the scooter with their mobile device and pay for the ride with the company's mobile app.

Related:How to use electric scooters like Bird and Lime, and more questions answered

As of early Tuesday afternoon, the City of East Lansing had not impounded any Bird scooters parked off MSU's campus, according to two city officials.

Officials are expected to allow the use of the scooters through the fall and may consider a licensing agreement with Bird Rides Inc. next year, East Lansing City Council member Aaron Stephens said.

Stephens said he wouldn't support a licensing agreement with the company unless MSU officials were "part of the conversation."

"We can't think of bike share or accessibility to transportation without our great resource that is MSU," Stephens said.

Stephens said he "wouldn't have guessed" the number of scooters impounded by MSU police, but is aware of some that were parked in unauthorized areas.

East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann said news of MSU police's stance on the scooters is a good reason for find "a regional solution" to a complicated problem.

Altmann said he would like to see leaders from MSU, East Lansing, Lansing and the Capital Area Transportation Authority craft a plan with Bird to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“I think the key point is that it’s complicated and you can react to that complexity in a lot of different ways," Altmann said of Bird's ridership. “If we’re trying to get a new mode of transportation off the ground, I think it would be good to have some sort of regional solution, a regional strategy.

"We don’t seem to have that right now.”

Related:More electric scooters could pop up in the Lansing area

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.