Detroit registers short-term rentals through the same Certificate of Registration system that governs all rental property under Detroit City Code Chapter 8, Article XV, administered by the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED). Operators apply through BSEED's online portal, pay the $150 annual rental program fee adopted in the October 29, 2024 amendments, and obtain a Certificate of Compliance after passing a 15-point property condition inspection. The Certificate of Compliance is valid for three years for residential rental property, and the certificate must be in place before any occupancy under Sec. 8-15-82. There is no separately codified STR-only registry as of May 2026.
Under Detroit City Code Chapter 8, Article XV (comprehensively amended October 29, 2024 and effective January 1, 2025, renumbering the prior Chapter 9, Article I provisions), every owner of rental property must register the property with BSEED before offering it for occupancy. Application is filed through BSEED's online portal and accompanies the $150 annual rental program fee, which under the 2024 amendments replaces the prior stacked city plus third-party inspector fee schedule (formerly approximately $1,000 in combined costs). BSEED issues a Certificate of Registration upon a complete application, and the dwelling must then pass a 15-point property condition inspection (focused on life-safety items such as smoke and CO alarms, electrical and plumbing safety, structural elements, and lead-paint hazards for pre-1978 dwellings) before BSEED issues the Certificate of Compliance that authorizes occupancy. Certificates of Compliance issued under the amended ordinance are valid for three years for residential rental properties. When a rental property is sold or transferred to a new owner, Sec. 8-15-81 requires the new owner to register the property in their own name. BSEED's Rental Compliance Map identifies registered properties; absence from the map typically indicates that the property is unregistered. STR operators marketing on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or similar platforms are subject to the same registration requirement; the draft Short Term Rental Ordinance dated January 3, 2024 would, if adopted, add a separately numbered STR license tier above the Chapter 8, Article XV registration, but that draft has not been enacted.
Sec. 8-15-82 makes it unlawful for a rental property required to be registered to be occupied without a Certificate of Compliance issued by BSEED. Violations are blight violations under Sec. 8-15-36 adjudicated by the Department of Administrative Hearings with civil fines that escalate for continued non-compliance. The 2024 amendments authorize tenants in non-compliant properties to deposit rent into a city-managed escrow account; if the landlord fails to come into compliance, escrowed funds may be retained by the tenant and the landlord may not lawfully collect rent for the period of non-compliance. The City may also file liens against the property and refer the matter to the Law Department for civil action. Failure to re-register on transfer of ownership under Sec. 8-15-81 is enforced in the same manner. Airbnb and other platforms are not currently required by Detroit ordinance to verify a Certificate of Compliance at the listing stage, but BSEED uses third-party listing-monitoring tools to identify likely unregistered STRs and can refer matters to the Department of Administrative Hearings.
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