Southfield, MI

Removing, trimming, or otherwise disturbing a tree or shrub in a Southfield highway, park, or public place requires a written permit from the superintendent of parks and recreation…

Southfield requires branches from private-property trees to clear sidewalks and bike paths by at least 8 feet, and streets by at least 14 feet, with a 6-inch side clearance if a branch…

The City of Southfield regulates rainwater harvesting hardware under City Code § 5.60-D. Rain barrels and cisterns must be positioned to catch rooftop runoff, built watertight with…

In the City of Southfield, weeds of any variety, plus a named list including Canada thistle, ragweed and poison ivy, are noxious weeds once they grow past 12 inches tall under City…

In the City of Southfield, a natural lawn of native plants and wildflowers that grows past eight inches is legal only under an approved natural lawn management plan. Property owners…

In the City of Southfield, residential fences cannot be built from stockade panels, uncoated chain link, or slats jammed into chain-link mesh, and no fence anywhere in a residential…

Building a fence in the City of Southfield always triggers some form of city review. Residential lots (R-A through R-E) must submit an application to the Building Department, while…

Southfield bans front-yard fences on residential lots unless they qualify as a decorative or living fence, and caps side- and rear-yard fences at 72 inches under City Code §…

In the City of Southfield, loudspeakers and amplifiers used for noncommercial purposes are capped at four hours a day, limited to two set windows, and barred entirely on Sundays and…

In the City of Southfield, erecting, demolishing, altering or repairing a building, or excavating streets and highways, outside 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is unlawful noise under City Code…

In the City of Southfield, City Code Sec. 9.11(9) and (10) bar radios, televisions, phonographs and musical instruments played at disturbing volume, and yelling, shouting or whistling…

In the City of Southfield, discharging air into the open from a noise-creating blower or power fan is unlawful noise under City Code Sec. 9.11(6) unless the noise from the equipment is…

In the City of Southfield, City Code Sec. 9.11(4), (8) and (12) together bar unmuffled vehicle exhaust, unnecessary or unreasonably loud horn use, and playing a car stereo louder than…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.119(3) caps the sound a Technical-Education-Research (TR) District use may send across its property line: 50 decibels next to residential districts…

In the City of Southfield, harboring a dog whose loud, frequent or habitual barking, yelping or howling annoys the neighborhood is a municipal civil infraction under Code § 9.69. Fines…

The City of Southfield bars anyone from operating an aircraft within city limits beyond the manufacturer's specifications, recommendations or limitations printed in the pilot's manual…

In the City of Southfield, no motor vehicle may be parked on any public street between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. under Southfield City Code § 10.1006. The Southfield Police chief or a…

Southfield bans keeping an unlicensed or disabled motor vehicle on any property for more than 7 days under City Code § 5.27, unless it sits on industrially zoned (I-1) land inside a…

Southfield requires residential off-street parking to consist of a parking strip, driveway or garage, or a combination of them, located on the same premises the parking serves, under…

The City of Southfield bans on-street parking during snow emergencies declared by the director of public works, and the ban also kicks in automatically once snow or ice reaches four…

Southfield's traffic engineer can post no-parking signs on any street narrower than twenty feet across, or on one side of a street narrower than thirty feet, and can rope off separate…

Southfield's traffic engineer sets up passenger and freight curb loading zones and posts the hours each one is restricted for loading, and any property owner who wants their own curb…

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…

Open burning of household waste is flatly banned in the City of Southfield. Sec. 2.9 of the City Code prohibits burning garbage in an open-air incinerator, burning leaves, grass or…

Southfield only allows igniting, discharging or using consumer fireworks during five narrow windows tied to New Year's, Memorial Day weekend, the Fourth of July stretch, July 5th if it…

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…

Michigan requires plan review and a state certificate from LARA's Bureau of Fire Services Storage Tank Division before installing any LP-gas system with a single 2,000-gallon tank, a…

In the City of Southfield, a residential pool needs a building permit before construction, with plan review under Sec. 8.168 and a refundable cash deposit under Sec. 8.203 that is set…

Southfield's own fence chapter does not set pool-specific fence numbers; City Code § 5.37-1.F instead points pool owners to the Michigan Residential Code and Michigan Building Code for…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.103(13) allows veterinary clinics and hospitals as a permitted use in the Office-Service (O-S) District, provided every activity happens inside a…

In the City of Southfield, owners must keep dogs and cats under reasonable control at all times: either confined to their own property or attached to a leash a person is continuously…

In the City of Southfield, molesting, injuring, killing or capturing any wild bird, or disturbing its nest, is a misdemeanor under Code § 9.65, unless another law specifically permits…

The City of Southfield allows up to twelve backyard chickens per property with a city permit, a capped coop size and no roosters, under Code § 9.76(2), while goats and swine are banned…

The City of Southfield has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, Code § 9.70 makes it unlawful to harbor a dog the city has determined is fierce, vicious or otherwise dangerous, based on…

In the City of Southfield, it's a misdemeanor under Code § 9.70 to harbor or keep any exotic, wild or otherwise dangerous animal, a category § 9.63 defines to include alligators, apes…

In the City of Southfield, every cat over six months old needs a valid city license, worn on a breakaway collar, under Code §§ 9.74 and 9.83. No address may keep more than six licensed…

The City of Southfield allows beekeeping under Code § 9.76(3), but hives must sit outside the front yard and at least ten feet from side and rear lot lines, and beekeepers must provide…

In the City of Southfield, no one may own, harbor, possess, or keep more than three dogs or six cats over six months old on a single premises. The cap applies per address, not per…

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to place food low enough or in a form that deer can reasonably be expected to eat, including grain, fodder, salt licks, fruit, vegetables…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.69 permits sheds and detached garages in single-family districts subject to real limits: a 15-foot height cap, a floor area capped at the smaller of…

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…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 2.73 of the City Code bars any excessive or unnecessary water use caused by careless habits or by defective, leaky plumbing and fixtures. The Department…

The City of Southfield's zoning code sets design standards for greywater reuse systems at § 5.60-D. Anyone plumbing reused stormwater or indoor greywater for irrigation must first…

In the City of Southfield, a soil erosion and sedimentation control permit from the engineering department is required before any earth change that disturbs one acre or more, or that…

In the City of Southfield, new development or redevelopment that meets the thresholds in the city's Stormwater Standards needs an Engineering Department permit before construction…

The City of Southfield regulates land along the Rouge River's branches, Pebble Creek, and Evans and Carpenter drains through a floodplain control district set by City Code § 5.49. The…

In Southfield's Floodplain Fringe District, City Code § 5.49(6)(b)(1) requires new construction or substantial improvements to set the lowest floor, including any basement, at least…

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

Southfield requires at least 5 feet of clear sidewalk to stay open for pedestrians past any construction obstruction. If that width can't be maintained, the contractor must build a…

Occupying a Southfield street with construction materials or machinery, or for any other purpose, requires a permit from the director of public service, plus a cash deposit and a…

Southfield City Code § 4.68 makes the owner of property adjoining a public sidewalk responsible for keeping it from falling into disrepair or becoming unsafe. Under § 4.69, once the…

In the City of Southfield, operating a mobile food vending unit requires a license from the city clerk, Oakland County Health Department approval before selling food, and current…

Southfield's zoning code confines mobile food vending to one narrow location, the Greenspace district of the Northland Overlay Development District. There, retail is capped at small…

In the City of Southfield, an organizer of a single event lasting five days or less with ten or more vendors present may apply for one blanket vendor license covering every…

The City of Southfield bans alcohol in public parks and grounds unless the host obtains a liquor permit from the superintendent of parks and recreation. The written application must…

Southfield requires anyone who wants to sponsor, operate or promote an outdoor assembly, meaning festivals, concerts or similar events drawing more than five thousand attendees, to…

In the City of Southfield, no one may engage in the business of dealer in secondhand goods or junk dealer without first obtaining a license issued by the mayor under state…

In the City of Southfield, no one may engage in the business of pawnbroker without a license issued by the mayor under the state Pawnbrokers Act, and a violation of that act is itself…

Southfield Code Chapter 83 requires any massage establishment or school of massage to hold a city license before opening. No license issues without sign-off from the fire chief and the…

Southfield Chapter 87 requires a one-year city license before running an adult bookstore, cabaret, motel, arcade, theater or model studio, and the business must sit in a zoning…

Tattoo parlors are on Southfield's list of uses flatly prohibited inside any Overlay Development District, including the City Centre, Downtown Development Authority, Smart Zone, Tech…

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

The City of Southfield outright bans planting Tree of Heaven, along with willow, poplar, soft maple, box elder, wild chestnut, and Chinese or American elm, in any public highway, park…

In Southfield, trees planted in the parkway strip between the sidewalk and curb must sit at least 40 feet apart, at least 3 feet from the curb or sidewalk, and be at least 1½ inches in…

The City of Southfield designates certain trees as landmark trees under City Code § 5.56(13): any tree twenty-four inches D.B.H. or larger citywide, plus a schedule of smaller…

In the City of Southfield, no one- or two-family or townhouse rental dwelling may be occupied without a certificate of rental compliance issued by the Building and Safety Engineering…

A tenant complaint about conditions the owner has not addressed lets the Southfield Building and Safety Engineering Department order a special inspection of a rental dwelling between…

A group child care home in one of Southfield's single-family districts must give each child at least thirty-five square feet of indoor activity space and provide a fenced outdoor play…

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to build, alter, move or change the use of any structure or land without a building permit issued by the director of the Department of…

In the City of Southfield, electrical work runs under the National Electrical Code and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules, Part 8, adopted by reference at Sec. 8.401. The Building…

In the City of Southfield, plumbing work is governed by the Michigan Plumbing Code, adopted by reference at Sec. 8.451. Every permit costs a minimum of $50.00, with fees for additions…

Owners of one- and two-family and townhouse rental dwellings in the City of Southfield must register with the Building and Safety Engineering Department before renting, or they cannot…

Southfield ties habitability to the International Property Maintenance Code: every registered one- and two-family or townhouse rental dwelling must be maintained to that code's…

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…

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…

In the City of Southfield, weeds of any kind growing over 12 inches tall count as noxious weeds that landowners must destroy before they go to seed. If an owner refuses, the Department…

Southfield's nuisance chapter treats a fire-, decay- or otherwise damaged building, and any excavation left open for 30 days or more, as a public nuisance the moment it endangers…

Southfield City Code § 4.75 requires the occupant, or the owner if the lot sits vacant, of property next to any street to keep the abutting sidewalk cleared of snow, ice and filth…

In the City of Southfield, a garage sale needs a $1 permit from the city clerk before it starts. Each sale runs no more than five consecutive days, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and a…

When the Southfield city clerk issues a garage sale permit, the clerk also hands over the official sign: a four-square-foot placard carrying the street address, permit number and…

Southfield caps political signs at thirty-two square feet, bars them from any public right-of-way, and limits how long they can stand: no earlier than sixty days before an election and…

In the City of Southfield, one electronic changeable copy sign is permitted per development where ground signage is allowed, integrated into a garden ground or ground support sign…

Southfield exempts holiday lighting from its sign and building-lighting rules entirely. Southfield City Code § 5.22-4(7) says decorative lighting used for the celebration of a…

Anyone going door to door in Southfield to sell goods, seek donations or solicit for a cause needs a permit from the city clerk first. Southfield exempts locals soliciting within three…

A Southfield resident can post a "No Solicitors" or "No Solicitation" sign at the entry to their home, and any solicitor who ignores it, permitted or not, is breaking Sec. 7.612…

In the City of Southfield, creating loud and excessive noise while loading or unloading a vehicle, or while opening and destroying bales, boxes, crates and containers, is a specific…

Southfield opted in to recreational marijuana and licenses adult-use retailers only as a special land use in the B-3 general business district, with growers, processors and…

In the City of Southfield, a licensed medical marihuana provisioning center must sit at least 500 feet from any residential district or use, drug-free school zone, school, religious…

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…

Southfield draws a hard line on how big residential trash can be before it stops being curbside pickup and becomes the contractor's job. Tree limbs over three inches thick or four feet…

Southfield City Code Sec. 2.5 spells out how household trash has to be prepped before the Department of Public Works will take it: rubbish stays dry in a sturdy container, newspapers…

In the City of Southfield, yard waste means grass clippings, leaves, shrub trimmings and other lawn and landscaping debris, but not earth. Brush and small trees set out with household…

The City of Southfield provides regular residential refuse collection on a published schedule under City Code Sec. 2.3, but it isn't unlimited: liquid wastes, hazardous materials such…

Southfield residents must use approved garbage containers, ten to twenty gallon metal cans with tight covers or a city-authorized alternative, and keep them out of street view until…

Commercial dumpsters in Southfield need sign-off before they're placed. Sec. 2.12 bars any dumpster from a single-family residential zone unless the city council or zoning board of…

In the City of Southfield, dumping, depositing, throwing or leaving litter on public or private property or water without the owner's or public authority's consent is unlawful under §…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.193's schedule of regulations caps how much of a single-family lot buildings may cover: 30 percent maximum lot coverage across the R A, R 1, R 2, R 3…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.193's schedule of regulations caps single-family building height at 25 feet or two stories, whichever governs, and this ceiling is identical across…

In the City of Southfield, Sec. 5.193's schedule of regulations sets the minimum yard setbacks for every single-family residence district. R 1, R 2 and R 3 lots need a 40-foot front…

Southfield property owners and occupants may not let conditions that harbor rodents exist on their land. Sec. 2.16 requires every accessory structure, sheds, garages and the like, to…

In the City of Southfield, every exterior light fixture, residential or commercial, must be shielded downward under City Code § 5.22-4-1. Fixtures visible from an adjacent street must…

Southfield caps how much light can cross onto a neighbor's land. City Code § 5.22-4-1(1)(c) limits illumination at the property line to 0.1 footcandle where a site adjoins a…

In the City of Southfield, begging or soliciting money in an aggressive manner, such as blocking a person's path, touching them without consent, or continuing after a refusal, is…

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to linger, loiter, sit or stand in the public areas of any hotel, motel, office or business establishment, or in any courthouse corridor…

In the City of Southfield, drinking alcoholic liquor on public highways is flatly banned, and drinking in any public place, parking area, or unlicensed store or business is likewise…

Southfield's own Code still makes it unlawful to possess, control, use, give away or sell marijuana anywhere in the city, including in public, unless a license, prescription or other…

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to linger, loiter, sit or stand on any street, sidewalk, overpass or public place in a way that hinders or tends to hinder pedestrians or…

Southfield lets its traffic engineer designate specific streets where riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is off-limits, with the ban only taking effect once warning signs go up. A…

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…

Southfield sets two curfew tiers for minors on public streets, parks and other public places: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for anyone fifteen or younger, and 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for…

Oakland County Parks and Recreation operates 14 parks under Michigan's County and Regional Parks Act (Public Act 261 of 1965, MCL 46.351–46.367). The Parks Commission sets posted…

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…

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…

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…

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…