Building Safety in Michigan (2026)

Ann Arbor's Housing Code flatly bans lead paint in dwellings and cites peeling interior paint in food-prep or living…

Rental property built before 1978 that fails a lead risk assessment must be fixed by certified abatement or EPA-trained…

Grand Rapids requires the interior of any pre-1978 residential structure to be kept free of deteriorated lead-based…

Wayne County, Michigan runs a childhood lead testing program under Code of Ordinances Ch. 151, screening children ages…

Detroit requires all power elevators, escalators, and moving walks to be inspected and serviced at least every 30 days…

Troy requires elevators, escalators and dumbwaiters to be maintained to ASME A17.1 with the current inspection…

Scaffolds erected over Detroit streets, alleys, or sidewalks during construction, renovation, or repair must be…

Wyoming, Michigan amended the 2024 International Fire Code's sprinkler-system section so every new building must have…

Clinton Township permits child care centers only in its Office/Service and Business Districts, not in residential…

Dearborn's Zoning Ordinance regulates group day care homes and child care centers as a distinct land use: a fenced…

Detroit requires licensed child care homes and centers to provide a fenced 2,000-square-foot outdoor play area and safe…

Grand Rapids requires outdoor play areas at child care centers to be enclosed by a 4-foot fence and routes pick-up and…

Livonia sets physical site and safety standards for day care nurseries in Zoning Ordinance Section 6.13: a…

Child and adult day care centers need Planning Commission special-approval in Sterling Heights, with a minimum 15,000…

Troy's Zoning Ordinance regulates child care centers as a distinct land use under Section 6.09.B. A center must front a…

Warren requires a state-licensed child care center to get a certificate of occupancy from the Division of Buildings and…

Grand Rapids requires every exterior door on a rental unit to have a working lock and mandates a peephole viewer on…

Troy's Property Maintenance Code requires every door into a rented dwelling, rooming or housekeeping unit to carry a…

Every egress door in Wyoming, Michigan must open from the inside without a key, special knowledge, or unusual effort…

Grand Rapids gives multi-family developers a zoning break, not a construction mandate, for pursuing LEED certification…

Westland's zoning ordinance encourages, but doesn't mandate, LEED-NC or EnergyStar certification for new…

Sterling Heights doesn't mandate green construction citywide, but within Corridor Improvement Authority Development…

Ann Arbor requires a working carbon monoxide detector on every story of single- and two-family rentals with a…

Every short-term rental unit in Dearborn must have a working carbon monoxide detector of the type set by state law…

Wyoming, Michigan requires carbon monoxide alarms in dwellings under WPMC Sec. 705.1, which ties the local mandate to…

Ann Arbor enforces Michigan's state Building Code as its own Construction Code, so any work covered by that code, new…

Clinton Township adopts the Michigan Building Code by reference under Chapter 1420 of its Codified Ordinances, and any…

Dearborn requires a building permit and zoning review before you build a deck, and a separate Zoning Compliance…

Detroit zoning caps how far a deck or patio cover can extend into a required setback, decks up to eight feet into a…

Farmington Hills does not run its own building code. City Code § 7-26 has the city assume administration and…

In Flint, no one may build, alter, or change the use of a structure or lot until the Building Inspector issues a zoning…

Grand Rapids enforces the Michigan Building Code and Michigan Residential Code locally, and the Neighborhood…

Lansing does not write its own building code: Section 1420.01 adopts the State-approved Michigan Building Code under…

Livonia will not issue a building permit for new construction, alteration, removal, demolition, or additions until the…

The Village of Shelby has no locally written permit chapter of its own; instead, Chapter 150 adopts the Michigan State…

Decorative decks in Sterling Heights may project up to 15 feet into the required rear yard if they clear easements…

Warren enforces building permits through the adopted Michigan Building Code and Michigan Residential Code under § 9-16…

Wayne County requires anyone to submit plans and specs to the Buildings Division before starting construction…

Westland adopted the Michigan Building Code by ordinance and administers all permitting and inspection for interior…

Wyoming, Michigan builds on the state-adopted Michigan Building Code and Michigan Residential Code, but the city…

Ann Arbor requires a Michigan electrical license, registration with the Building Department, and a city permit before…

Clinton Township adopts the current edition of the National Electrical Code (NFPA-7) by reference under Chapter 1426 of…

Dearborn requires a permit from the Building and Safety Department before any electrical construction, alteration, or…

Detroit requires a written permit from the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department before wiring…

The City of Flint enforces the Michigan Electrical Code through its Building Official, who administers permits and…

Grand Rapids requires all electrical contractors to register their State Electrical Contractors License with the…

Lansing requires a separate electrical permit from the Building Official for any electrical system installed, altered…

Livonia adopted the Electrical Code contained in Section 8a of Michigan's State Construction Code as its local…

The Michigan Electrical Code governs all wiring work in Sterling Heights under City Code § 11-34, enforced by the…

Troy adopts the Michigan Electrical Code by reference to govern all wiring, service equipment, alarm systems and…

Warren adopts the Michigan Electrical Code by reference under § 9-36, and § 9-61 bars anyone from installing, altering…

Wayne County adopted the 1996 National Electrical Code for all electrical work countywide and requires plans and…

Westland adopted the State Construction Code's Electrical Code by ordinance and administers all electrical permitting…

Wyoming, Michigan requires a permit before any electrical equipment is installed, altered, serviced, or repaired in the…

Lansing requires plumbers and plumbing contractors to register their state license with the Building Safety Office…

Ann Arbor requires a registered master plumber's license and a Planning and Development Services permit before any…

Clinton Township adopts the Michigan Plumbing Code Current Edition by reference under Chapter 1422 of its Codified…

Dearborn requires a plumbing license from the city clerk's office before any plumbing work begins, and adopts the State…

Detroit enforces the 2015 Michigan Plumbing Code for all plumbing work citywide, adding its own permit-application and…

Flint requires a permit and inspection for plumbing work under the BOCA Basic National Plumbing Code, with fees set by…

Grand Rapids enforces the Michigan Plumbing Code locally, and every plumbing contractor working in the city must…

In Livonia, no one may install, alter, or contract to install plumbing equipment covered by the Plumbing Code without…

The Michigan Plumbing Code governs plumbing work in Sterling Heights under City Code § 11-58, enforced by the city's…

Troy adopts the Michigan Plumbing Code by reference to govern the design and installation of all plumbing systems…

Warren enforces the Michigan Plumbing Code, which incorporates the International Plumbing Code, for every plumbing…

Wayne County adopted the 1996 International Plumbing Code as Chapter 233's plumbing standard and requires Buildings…

Westland adopted the State Construction Code's Plumbing Code by ordinance and administers all plumbing permitting…

Wyoming, Michigan enforces plumbing work through the Michigan Plumbing Code, adopted by reference under Sec. 10-121…

Dearborn requires permit holders to give the building and safety department 24 hours' notice before any required…

Detroit requires permit holders to notify the Building Official when work is ready for inspection, provide site access…

In Flint, occupying a new, altered, or enlarged structure is unlawful until the Building Inspector inspects the work…

Grand Rapids enforces its non-residential Building Maintenance Code through inspections of buildings, accessory…

Livonia's Director of Inspection runs a standing inspection cycle under the city's amended Property Maintenance Code…

Sterling Heights requires multifamily balconies, decks, and similar structures more than 10 years old to be inspected…

Troy's code official must personally make every required inspection under the Property Maintenance Code or accept a…

Every building permit holder in Warren must schedule and pass all inspections required by the Michigan Construction…

Wayne County's buildings division, inside the Department of Public Services, reviews every plan application and…

Owners of registered vacant buildings in Westland must pay for a city safety inspection and certify by affidavit that…

Wyoming, Michigan bars occupying any building that needed a permit until the building inspector issues a certificate of…