Business Licensing & Operations in Dearborn Heights, MI (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Dearborn Heights, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
In the City of Dearborn Heights, City Code Sec. 36-231 keeps adult regulated uses at least 1,000 feet from any residential zoning district, church or place of worship, school, licensed day care facility, or another adult regulated use anywhere in the city or a bordering jurisdiction. Every such business must also stand in its own freestanding building and hold a current zoning and building occupancy permit.
Dearborn Heights Adult Business Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 36-231(a)(1)
(a)All adult regulated uses, as defined in section 36-37, Definitions, shall be subject to the following:(1)Site location. Adult regulated uses are prohibited from locating within one thousand (1,000) feet of a residential zoning district, a church or other place of worship, a school or licensed day care facility, or an existing adult regulated use within the city or surrounding jurisdictions. ...
Massage Establishments
In the City of Dearborn Heights, no one may operate a massage business without a city license, which costs $500 a year and requires a police background investigation, fingerprinting, and building, fire and health inspections before it can be issued.
Massage Establishment License in Dearborn Heights
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code §§ 19-26, 19-27(a)
No person shall engage in or carry out the business of massage unless he/she has a valid massage business license issued by the city pursuant to the provisions of this chapter for each and every separate office or place of business conducted by such person. ... Every applicant for a license to maintain, operate, or conduct a massage establishment shall file an application under oath with the ci...
Tattoo & Body Modification
In the City of Dearborn Heights, anyone without a current Michigan medical license may not tattoo a person under eighteen without first obtaining the written, phone- or in-person-verified consent of a parent or legal guardian issued within thirty days of the procedure, under City Code § 20-389.
Dearborn Heights Minor Tattoo Consent Rule
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 20-389
Sec. 20-389. - Tattoo services prohibited without written parental consent. (a)A person who does not hold a current medical license from the State of Michigan shall not apply, or contract to apply, any image, insignia, letters or any other indelible graphic illustration otherwise known as a "tattoo," in or under the skin of an individual under the age of eighteen (18) through injection of inks,...
Tobacco Retail License
In the City of Dearborn Heights, anyone operating a smoking lounge, tobacco retail specialty store, hookah bar, cigar lounge, or zero-percent-nicotine establishment needs an annual business license under City Code Section 8-63. The license is capped citywide at seven active locations, a new lounge cannot open within 3,500 feet of an existing one, and licensed businesses must close between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Smoking Lounge Licensing in Dearborn Heights
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code §§ 8-63, 8-64
Sec. 8-63. - Business license required. A person shall not operate a smoking lounge in the city without first obtaining a smoking lounge business license issued pursuant to the provisions of this article. ... ... Sec. 8-64. - Location. (a)Special regulation of smoking lounges is necessary to ensure that the adverse effects of this use will not contribute to the deterioration of the surrounding ...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone who wants to buy, sell or store used metal, secondhand auto parts or other junk in the City of Dearborn Heights needs a city junkyard license, cannot transact between 8:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., and can be refused a license by the city council for a prior crime or a second violation.
Secondhand & Junk Dealer License in Dearborn Heights
Significant RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code §§ 25-26, 25-46, 25-47, 25-48
No licensee shall purchase or receive by sale, barter or exchange or otherwise any article mentioned in this article from any person between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. ... No person shall establish or operate a junkyard for the purpose of purchase, sale, or storage of what is commonly called junk, such as rags, paper ... iron, brass, copper, tin, zinc, aluminum, scrap, or discarded me...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
In the City of Dearborn Heights, City Code Sec. 36-143(c)(2) expressly prohibits automobile-oriented uses, including auto repair, as a home occupation in every residential zoning district. Home occupations that are otherwise allowed are capped at fifteen percent of a dwelling's habitable floor area per floor, but any automotive repair, detailing, or servicing business is barred outright, no matter how small or how few vehicles are involved.
Dearborn Heights Bars Home Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 36-143(c)(2)
(a)General standards. ... Any home occupation shall be subject to the following:(1)Intensity of use. Home occupations must be clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling as a residence. No more than fifteen (15) percent of the habitable floor area of each floor of the residence may be used for the home occupation. ... Home occupations may not utilize detached accessory buildings...
Towing Companies
In the City of Dearborn Heights, a tow company that removes a vehicle from private property at someone else's direction, not the owner or police, must immediately notify the Dearborn Heights Police Department so the vehicle can be entered into the state law enforcement network. City Code § 32-120 lets the vehicle's owner redeem it by paying the accrued towing and storage fees to the custodian holding it.
Dearborn Heights Non-Consent Tow Notice Rules
Some RestrictionsDearborn Heights City Code § 32-120
(a)When a vehicle is removed from private property at the direction of a person other than the registered owner of the vehicle or the police department, the custodian of the vehicle immediately shall notify the police department. The custodian shall supply that information which is necessary for the police department to enter the vehicle into the law enforcement information network. ... (c)The ...
Looking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Dearborn Heights city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Wayne County →