Wayne County does not have a dedicated tenant anti-harassment ordinance, but Michigan law prohibits self-help eviction, utility shutoffs, and retaliatory actions, and Detroit code enforcement responds to harassment-style habitability disputes through its rental licensing program.
Michigan MCL 600.2918 makes lockouts, utility shutoffs, and removal of tenant property unlawful self-help eviction tactics, exposing landlords to treble damages. The Truth in Renting Act (MCL 554.633) bans retaliatory clauses and provides remedies when landlords retaliate after a tenant exercises a legal right. Detroit pursued an anti-harassment proposal modeled on Seattle and San Francisco programs, but a formal countywide ordinance has not been adopted. Tenants facing harassment in Wayne County typically combine MCL 600.2918 claims with code enforcement complaints filed through Detroit BSEED or their suburb's building department.
Lockouts, deliberate utility cutoffs, and threats designed to force a tenant to leave can result in treble damages, attorney fees, criminal charges in some cases, and reinstatement of possession.
Dearborn, MI
Dearborn requires all residential rental properties to register with the city and undergo periodic inspections under Chapter 11 of the city code.
Dearborn, MI
Dearborn does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Michigan state law governs all evictions through the summary proceedings process in MCL 600.5701 et seq.
See how Dearborn's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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