Dearborn Heights, MI Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing office
- Department of Ordinance Enforcement, City Code § 2-901
- Created under
- Charter § 5.12 (Ord. No. H-14-02)
- Chapters assisted
- Animals, buildings, fences, signs, garbage, peddlers, zoning
- Cannot issue
- Permits, licenses or certificates, § 2-901(d)
- Base civil fine
- $75.00 first offense, § 1-10(f)(1)
- Repeat fines
- $250.00 second, $500.00 third or later
Summary
The City of Dearborn Heights routes ordinance complaints through the Department of Ordinance Enforcement, created under City Code § 2-901 pursuant to Charter § 5.12. The department assists in enforcing chapters covering animals, buildings, fences, signs, garbage, peddlers, swimming pools, vegetation and zoning, investigating complaints and issuing warnings, notices of violation or appearance tickets.
(a)In general. ... There shall be a department of ordinance enforcement (hereafter referred to in this section as the "department") that shall be charged with the responsibility of assisting in the enforcement of all of the following chapters under this Code: chapter 3 advertising; chapter 5 amusements and entertainments; chapter 6 animals; chapter 7 buildings and building regulations; ... chapter ... 36 zoning; chapter 37 right-of-way management; chapter 38 electric and gas supply franchises; and chapter 39 stormwater management. ... (c)Enforcement activities. The department shall assist in the enforcement of all of the above-referenced chapters by engaging in activities including, but not necessarily limited to, the following: reviewing city records in order to discover violations and potential violations; receiving and investigating complaints about violations and potential violations; interacting with residents, witnesses, offenders, city officials, and others relative to violations and potential violations; issuing warnings, notices of violations, and/or appearance tickets relative to violations and potential violations;
Full Breakdown
City Code § 2-901 establishes the Department of Ordinance Enforcement under Article IX of Chapter 2, created by the city council pursuant to Charter § 5.12 (Ord. No. H-14-02). Subsection (a) lists the chapters the department assists in enforcing, including chapter 3 advertising, chapter 5 amusements, chapter 6 animals, chapter 7 buildings, chapter 8 business licensing, chapter 13 fences, chapter 16 food, chapter 17 garbage, chapter 22 peddlers, chapter 26 signs, chapter 30 swimming pools, chapter 33 vegetation, chapter 35 water and sewers, chapter 36 zoning, chapter 37 right-of-way management and chapter 39 stormwater management.
Under subsection (c), the department reviews city records to discover violations, receives and investigates resident complaints, interviews residents, witnesses and offenders, issues warnings, notices of violation and appearance tickets, assists corporation counsel with administrative search warrants and prosecutions, and serves or posts legal notices. Subsection (d) limits the department: it cannot issue permits, licenses or certificates, for example a chapter 8 business license, and cannot perform duties reserved to another licensed official, such as the building official under the Michigan Building Code. The department head is appointed by the mayor under Charter § 5.15 and reports to the mayor, though the mayor may delegate day-to-day supervision to another department head.
Because the department only assists rather than replaces the office that administers a given chapter, a complaint about animals, buildings or zoning is ultimately routed to whichever office, such as Building and Engineering or the police department's animal control unit, actually enforces that chapter.
Violations & Fines
A confirmed violation referred by the department generally becomes a municipal civil infraction under City Code § 1-10, with a base civil fine of $75.00 for chapters not otherwise classified, plus costs. Repeat violations of the same requirement within the stated period draw a $250.00 fine for a first repeat offense and $500.00 for a second or later repeat offense, under § 1-10(f). The department may also refer matters to corporation counsel for citation and court prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn Heights
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