Novi, MI

In the City of Novi, the fire code's capacity limits on LP-gas storage containers apply to every property in the city, and the only exemption is a site disclosed and approved on a site…

In the City of Novi, no one may kindle open burning unless it follows the amended fire code, and a permit from the fire code official is required for bonfires, prescribed burns and…

A recreational fire, including a backyard fire pit, in the City of Novi must stay at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible material and must be watched constantly with a fire…

Novi outlaws igniting, discharging, or using fireworks anywhere in the city except on a short list of holiday windows and under a city-issued display permit. Consumer fireworks may…

Smoke alarms in Oakland County are required under Michigan state law MCL 125.1504c and the Michigan Residential Code R314. Owners of homes built before November 6, 1974 must install at…

In the City of Novi, Code § 21-210 requires property owners and occupants to trim any tree, bush, vine or plant so its limbs, branches or leaves never overhang or obstruct a street…

In the City of Novi, removing, damaging or destroying any tree or woody vegetation within a regulated woodland, or any historic or specimen tree anywhere in the city, requires a…

On subdivided, condominium or structure-occupied land in Novi, weeds, grass, brush or other unhealthy growth may not exceed eight inches under Section 21-19, and the growth is declared…

In the City of Novi backyard compost piles are allowed if they skip meat, dairy, cooking oil and plastics, stay out of drainage easements, and in platted subdivisions sit at least six…

City of Novi Code § 34-24 limits lawn and landscape watering to alternate days tied to your street address, even-numbered addresses on even days, and confines automatic irrigation…

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Oakland County. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner's RainSmart Rebates program pays homeowners in southeast Oakland County…

Oakland County actively promotes native Michigan plants through the RainSmart Rebates program. Qualifying rain gardens must be at least 75 square feet and consist of at least 75%…

In the City of Novi, a dog may not be on a public street, in a park, in a public building, or anywhere the public is generally invited unless it is restrained by its owner or another…

Novi's Code of Ordinances does not create a separate cat-licensing or feral-colony program. Chapter 5's definitions make "animal" mean "any vertebrate other than human beings," so the…

The City of Novi lets residents keep chickens and other non-household-pet animals as an accessory use, but Code Section 5-12 requires a covered, fenced enclosure set back one hundred…

Novi has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, City Code Section 5-2 defines a "dangerous or vicious dog" by behavior, unprovoked attacks, bites, or menacing conduct, and Section 5-17…

The City of Novi bans owning or keeping a "dangerous animal" in the city, a term City Code Section 5-2 defines to include any wild mammal, reptile, or fowl not naturally tame, plus any…

Michigan sets no statewide beekeeper license or registration. Under the Apiary Law, 1976 PA 412, MDARD runs voluntary hive inspections and holds standby authority to quarantine bee…

Michigan's animal cruelty law universally applies to hoarding situations involving inadequate care. Penalties escalate with the number of animals, and the state's anti-cruelty…

Michigan DNR prohibits baiting and feeding of free-ranging deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula due to chronic wasting disease. State wildlife law preempts local rules permitting such…

Novi bans any sound that creates a noise disturbance under City Code § 22-96, and specifically prohibits radios, musical instruments, yelling and outdoor loudspeakers in residential…

Construction work in Novi is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, under City Code § 22-98, with no work at all on Sundays or on the city's six recognized legal…

Novi caps amplified sound from vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds, at fifty feet: under City Code § 22-99, no one may operate an electronically amplified sound system in or on…

Novi carves lawn and landscaping equipment, including leaf blowers, out of its general noise rules only during set daytime hours. City Code § 22-96(d)(1) exempts motorized lawn mowers…

Commercial loudspeakers and public address systems on Novi's public roads and public spaces are barred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under City Code § 22-96(c)(2). A non-commercial…

In the City of Novi, no one may harbor or keep an animal, dogs included, that causes an annoyance to the neighborhood or to passersby through loud, frequent, or habitual barking…

Novi's outdoor assembly permit conditions set a hard numeric ceiling on amplified sound: under Sec. 24-21(17), public address systems, radios, phonographs, musical instruments, and…

Michigan's Aeronautics Code preempts local regulation of aircraft operations and noise, leaving control over aircraft noise to state and federal authorities under MCL 259.1 et seq.

In the City of Novi it is unlawful to park, keep or accumulate an inoperable or dismantled motor vehicle on private property unless it is fully screened from view of the street and…

City of Novi Code §§ 33-504 and 33-505 restrict marked passenger and freight curb loading zones to actual loading and unloading. Passenger zones cap the stop at five minutes; freight…

City of Novi Code § 33-502 bans parking in dozens of specific street locations, including in front of driveways, on sidewalks, within intersections and crosswalks, and near fire…

City of Novi Code § 33-617 bars parking a commercial vehicle weighing more than five thousand pounds on any residential street or residentially zoned property, unless it's actively…

Michigan regulates nonconsensual towing through the Michigan Vehicle Code, 1949 PA 300. MCL 257.252k makes an owner or lessor of private real property post a sign at every vehicular…

Oakland County home bakers, jam makers, and other cottage food operators are governed by Michigan's Cottage Food Law (MCL 289.4102), administered by MDARD. Sales are capped at…

Michigan law (MCL 125.3206) requires every Oakland County township and county zoning ordinance to treat a state-licensed family child care home (1-6 children) as a permitted…

Michigan has never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit. The word "microenterprise" returns zero results in a full-text search of the Michigan Compiled Laws, and the only…

Every STR booking of less than 30 days in Oakland County is subject to Michigan's 6% Use Tax under the Use Tax Act (MCL 205.93a). Oakland County does not impose a separate…

Oakland County has no county-wide fence height ordinance; rules are set by each city, village, or township. Suburban municipalities typically cap residential fences at six feet in…

Oakland County municipalities universally prohibit barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fences in residential zones. Front-yard fences must commonly be 'ornamental' (wrought iron…

Oakland County does not issue residential swimming pool permits directly. Public pools must be reviewed and permitted by EGLE under MCL 333.12522, while residential pools require a…

Michigan's Public Health Code Part 125 sets uniform safety, lifeguard, and water quality standards for public and semi-public pools. State rules apply statewide regardless of local…

Michigan's Residential Code (adopted statewide) requires a building permit for any detached accessory structure larger than 200 square feet. Sheds 200 sq ft or smaller are exempt from…

City of Novi parks operate under Novi City Code § 25-57: gates are open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. unless a park posts different hours, and it is unlawful for anyone to be in a park…

Novi sets two curfews for minors: under-15s may not loiter or idle in any public place between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and under-17s face the same restriction from midnight to 6 a.m…

In the City of Novi, no one may discharge anything but stormwater into the storm drain system or watercourses, and illicit connections to the storm sewer are prohibited outright, even…

Between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., Novi bars idling or standing motor vehicles within 400 feet of any residential structure for more than 15 consecutive minutes, or 15 minutes total in…

Every building permit issued in the City of Novi for work in a flood hazard area has to meet the flood-resistant construction rules built into the state construction code, currently…

The City of Novi identifies its regulated flood hazard areas by formally adopting FEMA's Oakland County Flood Insurance Study and a specific list of Flood Insurance Rate Map panel…

Novi requires a soil erosion and sedimentation control (SESC) permit before any earth change that disturbs an acre or more, or that sits within 500 feet of a lake, stream, or wetland…

Michigan's Part 323 NREPA preempts local coastal rules in designated high-risk erosion, flood-risk, and environmental areas along the Great Lakes.

Novi's solid waste code counts bulk items, Christmas trees and small construction debris as regular collectible solid waste, and lets residents set out tree and shrub trimmings up to 6…

Novi residents must use the city's single designated waste hauler for solid waste and recyclables collection, and pickup times follow rules set by city council resolution rather than a…

Novi's trash and recycling system runs through one city-contracted hauler under City Code Chapter 16, Article IV. Under Section 16-63(a), residents at any site of generation are…

Novi Code Section 16-62 requires everyone at a site of generation to store and place solid waste and recyclables for pickup at the times and in the manner set by city council…

Section 16-63(b) and (c) of the Novi code set the operating rules for recyclables and yard waste: yard clippings must be composted on site or set out for the contracted hauler under…

In the City of Novi, cleared brush and vegetative material must be hauled off a lot within 15 days of cutting or clearing trees or brush, unless the site is at least 500 feet from the…

In the City of Novi household refuse receptacles must be tightly covered, never made of wood, and kept in a fully enclosed building or in the rear or side yard so they do not create a…

In the City of Novi it is a misdemeanor to dump, place or leave rubbish, refuse, garbage, mud, dirt or debris on any street without the consent of the public authority that supervises…

In the City of Novi, anyone filming a commercial motion picture, television, radio or photographic production on a public right-of-way or on public or private property must first…

A Novi filming permit application seeking any road or lane closure must include a traffic-control plan naming the exact roads to be closed, and the city manager can only issue that…

Student filmmakers shooting in the City of Novi still need the standard motion-picture, television, radio or photographic production permit under Chapter 24, but Novi City Code §…

Film productions in Oakland County must comply with the host municipality's noise ordinance: there is no countywide noise standard. Charter Township of Oakland (Ch. 274) prohibits any…

Posting advertising, holding a public assemblage or exhibition, or offering goods for sale in a City of Novi park all require a permit from the department of parks and recreation under…

Holding a parade in a City of Novi park requires a permit from the department of parks and recreation under Novi City Code § 25-82; the department may also require a liability…

Any Novi event drawing more than 200 attendees that includes a festival, exhibition, show, or similar entertainment counts as an "outdoor assembly" under Chapter 24, and organizers…

Anyone who wants to temporarily close a City of Novi street, highway or alley for a block party must first get a permit from the director of public services. The city won't issue one…

Peddling or soliciting for any cause within the City of Novi requires a permit or license from the city clerk under Novi City Code § 26-2, which must be carried and shown on request…

Novi residents can bar peddlers and solicitors from their door by registering their address on the city's Do-Not-Knock Registry through a form filed with the city clerk under Novi City…

In the City of Novi, Code § 21-203(b) requires every non-exempt exterior light fixture, including floodlights and spotlights, to be aimed, directed or shielded downward and away from…

In the City of Novi, Code § 21-203(a) caps exterior and interior lighting spillover at one-half footcandle measured at the property line shared with adjacent residential premises, with…

In the City of Novi, Code § 22-90 makes it unlawful to place or erect any type of obstruction on a public way or on the passageway to a building, with narrow exceptions for authorized…

Placing anything in a City of Novi street, sidewalk, easement or other public place, or digging, building or maintaining within one, takes a written permit from the city engineer…

In the City of Novi, Code § 22-7 bars begging within twenty feet of a bank or ATM, soliciting cafe patrons without the operator's permission, and any 'aggressive begging' involving…

In the City of Novi, Code § 22-92 bans loitering on any street, sidewalk, overpass or public place, defining loitering as standing or idling so as to hinder pedestrian or vehicle…

Novi holds hosts responsible for underage drinking at their own parties. City Code § 22-217 makes it unlawful for anyone 17 or older who controls a residence to allow an "open house…

In the City of Novi, it is unlawful to possess an open container of alcoholic liquor, or to consume alcoholic liquor, in any public place or on any public street or highway. City Code…

The City of Novi bans smoking inside every enclosed building it owns, leases or operates and pushes that ban outward 100 feet from each entrance, covering the sidewalks and parking…

Sec. 22-177 of the Novi city code makes it unlawful for anyone to use or knowingly possess marijuana anywhere within city limits, defining the drug to include the Cannabis sativa L…

It's unlawful in Novi to urinate or defecate anywhere in public other than in a toilet or urinal, under Sec. 22-158 of the city code. Because the ordinance doesn't specifically label…

In the City of Novi, Code § 22-9 prohibits all marijuana establishments licensed under Michigan's Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act within city boundaries, exercising the…

Adults 21+ in Oakland County may cultivate up to 12 marihuana plants per household for personal use under Michigan MCL 333.27955, provided plants are not visible from public places and…

Outdoor central air conditioning units on one- and two-family homes in Novi must sit at the rear of the house and at least five feet in from the side of the structure, under City Code…

In the City of Novi, the planning commission may designate any tree historic or specimen under City Code § 37-6.5, based on documented cultural significance or a species-specific…

Novi requires developers to plant and bond street trees before final occupancy. Under City Code Section 26.5-40, subdivision and site plan applicants must post a $400-per-tree…

In the City of Novi every structure and yard must be kept free of rodent and pest harborage. Feeding wild animals with anything but commercial bird feed is unlawful unless the feeder…

No one may operate a massage business in Novi without a city massage business license for each separate location, required under Section 20-26. Section 20-27 requires an annual sworn…

Any secondhand dealer or junk dealer operating in the City of Novi must hold a city business license before opening, under City Code Section 27.5-31. The Novi Police Department…

Anyone operating a pawnbroker business in the City of Novi needs a city license under Code Section 27.5-51, backed by a $3,000 surety bond under Section 27.5-63. The Novi Police…

Michigan regulates retail sale of vapor products and alternative nicotine products under the Youth Tobacco Act, MCL 722.641 and MCL 333.12601.

Novi designates historic landmarks, defined in Section 17-42 as any site, building, structure or object significant in history, architecture, archaeology or culture, only by council…

Section 21-17 bars noxious weeds or grass over eight inches on any lot, place, area or parcel in Novi, occupied or vacant, and on the adjacent road right-of-way within 150 feet…

In the City of Novi the occupant, or the owner of an unoccupied lot, must clear the adjoining public sidewalk within 48 hours after any snow accumulation of two inches or more. Ice…

Keeping a structurally unsound, fire-damaged or vermin-infested building standing in the City of Novi is unlawful outright. Section 7-46 bans maintaining any "dangerous building" as…

Section 21-16 of the Novi code gives the city council authority to designate specific plant varieties or species as injurious to public health and to declare them a common nuisance…

Electrical work inside the City of Novi is licensed through the electrical administrative board, not city hall directly. Section 7-18 transfers that licensing authority to the board…

The City of Novi administers and enforces the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act on every building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and energy project inside…

The City of Novi's building official and designated inspectors run every construction inspection under Section 7-17, and Section 7-21 lets a single-family home get a temporary…

The City of Novi exempts holiday decorations from its sign permit rules, but only for a limited run. City Code Section 28-1 excludes decorative displays tied to a recognized holiday…

Novi treats political yard signs as protected noncommercial speech rather than a separately licensed sign category. City Code Section 28-9 lets any permitted permanent sign carry a…

Novi allows freeway-facing billboard-style signs only inside a narrow highway sign zone along I-96. City Code Section 28-8 caps ground-pole signs at 672 square feet and 30 feet tall…

Novi allows digital and changeable-copy signage only under tight technical limits. City Code Section 28-5(g) caps message changes at four times a minute and bans animation-style…

Oakland County has no rent control or rent stabilization. Michigan law (MCL 123.411) explicitly bars every county, city, township, and village in the state from enacting or enforcing…

Oakland County has no county-wide just-cause eviction ordinance. Landlord-tenant disputes in Royal Oak, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Pontiac, and every other Oakland County…

Before evicting, a Michigan landlord must serve the correct written demand: 7 days for nonpayment of rent, 7 days for serious health hazards, extensive damage, or physical violence…

Every residential lease in Michigan includes a statutory covenant by the landlord that the premises and common areas are fit for their intended use and kept in reasonable repair, in…

Michigan has no statute requiring a landlord to give advance notice before entering a rented unit. A tenant's protection comes instead from the lease terms and from MCL 600.2918, which…

Either party may end a Michigan estate at will or month-to-month tenancy by giving one month's notice. When rent is payable at intervals shorter than three months, the notice need only…

Michigan's Landlord-Tenant Act caps a residential security deposit at one and one-half months' rent. A landlord who keeps any of the deposit for damages must mail the tenant an…

Michigan requires 15 years of adverse possession before a squatter can claim title to land. Under MCL 600.5801 the owner's action to recover land is barred after 15 years in most…

HOA and condo assessments in Oakland County are levied under the association's bylaws and (for condos) the Michigan Condominium Act. Unpaid assessments, together with interest, late…

Architectural review in Oakland County HOAs (Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Northville, Novi, Rochester Hills, etc.) is driven by the association's recorded declaration of CC&Rs and any…

CC&Rs in Oakland County subdivisions and condominium projects (recorded at the Oakland County Register of Deeds, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Pontiac) run with the land and bind successive…

Oakland County HOA and condo disputes are resolved in the 6th Judicial Circuit Court (Oakland County Circuit Court, Pontiac) for amounts above the small-claims and district-court…

Michigan's Condominium Act gives co-owners a records right and almost nothing else on meeting mechanics. MCL 559.157(1) makes the books, records, contracts and financial statements…

Michigan's Homeowners' Energy Policy Act, 2024 PA 68, took effect April 2, 2025 and made any homeowners' association provision that bans an "energy-saving improvement or modification"…

Michigan protects home EV charging through the Homeowners' Energy Policy Act, 2024 PA 68, which took effect April 2, 2025. MCL 559.303(c)(ix) counts "electric vehicle supply equipment"…

Michigan's flag protection is one sentence long and narrower than most. MCL 559.156a bars a developer or association of co-owners from prohibiting a co-owner from displaying a single…

The Michigan Condominium Act lets associations levy fines, but only after due process. Under MCL 559.206 a condo association may impose late charges and, after notice and a hearing…

A Michigan condominium association can foreclose its assessment lien by advertisement, meaning it never has to file a lawsuit, but MCL 559.208(3) bars it from starting until it records…

Michigan runs the opposite way from states that shield owners who rent. MCL 559.212(1) of the Condominium Act says that after the transitional control date the association of co-owners…

Recreational drone use in Oakland County is governed by federal law (49 USC 44809 and FAA Part 107 where applicable). Michigan state law (MCL 259.305) preempts every Oakland County…

Commercial drone work in Oakland County, real estate photography in Bloomfield Hills, roof inspections in Troy, construction progress shoots in Auburn Hills, wedding video in…

Mobile food vendors operating anywhere in Oakland County must hold a Michigan Food Law license issued by the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD) - either a Mobile Food Establishment…

Michigan minimum wage is set by the Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act (PA 337 of 2018). The Local Labor Regulatory Limitation Act (PA 105 of 2015, MCL §123.1381+) preempts local…

Michigan preempts local paid leave ordinances; statewide paid sick leave is governed by the Earned Sick Time Act under MCL 408.961.

Michigan's Local Government Labor Regulatory Limitation Act preempts local predictive scheduling and fair workweek ordinances under MCL 123.1387.

Michigan issues Concealed Pistol Licenses (CPLs) under MCL 28.425 series, with statewide rules that local governments cannot override or supplement.

Michigan firearms preemption (MCL §123.1101–123.1104) prohibits local units of government from imposing any ordinance, regulation, or policy on the purchase, registration, ownership…

Michigan law under MCL 750.227 makes it a felony to carry a concealed pistol in a vehicle without a valid Concealed Pistol License or other statutory exemption.

Michigan's Gaming Control and Revenue Act reserves commercial casino gaming to cities whose local legislative body passes an ordinance approving it and signs a certified development…

Michigan bars bingo, raffles, charity games, numeral games, and millionaire parties unless a licensed 'qualified organization' runs them under the Traxler-McCauley-Law-Bowman Bingo…

Michigan's penal code makes no exception for private, social, or "friendly" gambling. MCL 750.301 criminalizes accepting money contingent on an uncertain event's outcome: full stop…

Michigan legalized internet sports betting under the Lawful Sports Betting Act, but the Michigan Gaming Control Board can license only two kinds of operators: existing commercial…

Michigan does not run sobriety checkpoints, and the reason is unusual. Michigan's own checkpoint programme was the one the United States Supreme Court upheld under the Fourth Amendment…

Michigan has no statute granting an express right to film police, and no statute forbidding it either. What governs is the 1966 eavesdropping chapter of the Michigan Penal Code, and…

Michigan has never enacted a general stop-and-identify statute. Nothing in the Michigan Compiled Laws makes it an offence to stand on a sidewalk and decline to give a police officer…

Michigan is one of the few states where the answer to a roadside search question is written into a statute rather than left to case law. Section 5 of the Michigan Regulation and…

Michigan does not legalise golf carts on public streets statewide, and it does not leave the question to every council either. MCL 257.657a switches street use on only where the local…

The Michigan Right to Farm Act (Act 93 of 1981, MCL §286.471 et seq.) provides nuisance protection for qualifying commercial farms following Generally Accepted Agricultural and…

Michigan PA 389 of 2016 (MCL 445.572b) prohibits local governments from banning, taxing, or regulating plastic bags and other auxiliary containers.

Since April 2, 2025, Michigan's Homeowners' Energy Policy Act (2024 PA 68, MCL 559.301 to 559.317) makes any provision of a homeowners' association agreement that prohibits or has the…

Michigan set the minimum age to buy, possess, or use tobacco and vapor products at 21 through PA 167 of 2022, which amended the Youth Tobacco Act (MCL 722.641), aligning with federal…

Michigan currently has no statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vape products; an attempted 2019 emergency ban was struck down in court.

Michigan runs a closed list rather than a list of banned colors. MCL 257.698(4) provides that unless a lamp is both covered and unlit, a vehicle on Michigan highways must not carry a…

Michigan sets no measured windshield zone for a camera and no sticker size limit. What it regulates is the screen. MCL 257.708b(1) prohibits operating a motor vehicle with a television…

Michigan bans lane splitting in plain words. MCL 257.660(5) says a person operating a motorcycle, moped, low-speed vehicle, electric personal assistive mobility device or electric…

Michigan does not regulate license plate covers by naming them. It regulates the result. MCL 257.225(2) requires that the plate be maintained free from foreign materials that obscure…

Radar detectors are legal in a private vehicle in Michigan, and the state says so in the statute rather than by silence. MCL 750.508 restricts carrying a police-frequency radio…

Michigan does not run a studded tire season the way its neighbours do. MCL 257.710(b) forbids operating on a highway any tire carrying a block, stud, flange, cleat, spike or other…

Michigan does not set a visible light transmission percentage for any window. MCL 257.709(1)(a) instead bans film outright on the front windshield and on the side windows and sidewings…