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…

In the City of Pontiac, Michigan, selling or applying lead-based or toxic heavy-metal coating on any dwelling surface…

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…

Under Kalamazoo City Code § 21-31F, scaffolding erected on a building in the City of Kalamazoo may stay up only as long…

In the City of Pontiac, multiple dwellings housing more than eight families must sprinkler their basement or cellar…

Any fire sprinkler system in Rochester Hills that connects to the public water supply must carry a backflow prevention…

The City of Royal Oak's Fire Code amendments require automatic sprinklers in every basement storage area of a Use Group…

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

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, a child care center or day care center is not a permitted use in the R-1A, R-1B or…

Battle Creek, Michigan defines a child care center as a facility other than a private residence that cares for children…

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…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, City Code Sec. 36-166 sets the zoning standards a child care center must meet before…

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…

The City of Pontiac's Zoning Ordinance Section 2.511 caps a child care or day care center's operating hours at 16 hours…

A stand-alone nursery school, day nursery or child care center in Rochester Hills must sit on a major thoroughfare…

In the City of Royal Oak, day-care centers must provide a 500-square-foot outdoor play area outside the front yard…

In the Charter Township of Royal Oak, Michigan, group child care homes and child care centers must be registered with…

A group child care home in one of Southfield's single-family districts must give each child at least thirty-five square…

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…

Battle Creek, Michigan amends Section 305.6 of the adopted 2015 International Property Maintenance Code so that hasp…

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…

Taylor's zoning ordinance does not mandate a green building code; Sec. 16.01 only encourages sustainable design and…

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…

Every rental registered in the City of Royal Oak must have a functioning carbon monoxide detector, and the owner must…

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…

In the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, it is unlawful to start excavation, structural changes or repairs, a change in…

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…

City Code Sec. 36-5 requires a building permit from the building official before anyone excavates for, constructs…

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…

Kalamazoo adopts the Michigan Building Code and Michigan Residential Code by reference under City Code § 9-22, which is…

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 City of Novi administers and enforces the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act on every…

The City of Pontiac has adopted the current Michigan Building Code, with all appendixes, as its construction code under…

Rochester Hills adopts the Michigan Building Code as its State Construction Code, and the city enforces the…

A building permit or other appropriate permit is required in Royal Oak Township, Michigan before erecting, altering…

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

In the City of Southfield, it is unlawful to build, alter, move or change the use of any structure or land without a…

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

In the City of Taylor, Michigan, building permits and construction code enforcement run through the city's building…

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…

West Bloomfield Township's Sec. 8-1(a) makes the township responsible for administering and enforcing Michigan's…

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…

No one can erect, install, alter, repair, service or maintain electrical wiring in the City of Battle Creek, Michigan…

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…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, the 2005 National Electrical Code governs all electrical work, adopted by reference…

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…

In the City of Kalamazoo, all electrical wiring, alteration and repair work follows the Michigan Electrical Code…

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…

Electrical work inside the City of Novi is licensed through the electrical administrative board, not city hall…

The City of Pontiac has adopted the current Michigan Electrical Code, with all appendixes, as its construction code…

Rochester Hills governs all electrical work under the Michigan Electrical Code, adopted by reference at Section 18-136…

In Royal Oak Township, Michigan, a building permit or other appropriate permit is required before the installation…

In the City of Southfield, electrical work runs under the National Electrical Code and the Michigan Electrical Code…

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…

West Bloomfield Township's Sec. 8-8(a) bars anyone required to hold a state electrical contractor or electrician…

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…

No one can start plumbing work in the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, new or replacement, without first getting a…

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…

In the City of Dearborn Heights, the Michigan Plumbing Code 2012, based on the 2012 International Plumbing Code…

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 the City of Kalamazoo, all plumbing installation and repair work is governed by the Michigan Plumbing Code, adopted…

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

The City of Pontiac has adopted the current Michigan Plumbing Code, with all appendixes, as its construction code under…

Rochester Hills regulates plumbing work through the Michigan Plumbing Code, adopted by reference at Section 18-41(a)(2)…

In the City of Royal Oak, any new or altered water service connection to the municipal water main requires a permit…

In the City of Southfield, plumbing work is governed by the Michigan Plumbing Code, adopted by reference at Sec. 8.451…

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…

West Bloomfield Township enforces the Michigan Plumbing Code as part of the state construction code, and no one may…

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…

Inspections inside a dwelling in the City of Battle Creek, Michigan happen during reasonable hours with the consent of…

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

City Code Sec. 7-622 sets the inspection steps for rental dwellings in the City of Dearborn Heights: written notice, a…

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…

The City of Novi's building official and designated inspectors run every construction inspection under Section 7-17…

Before any business or occupation can open in the City of Pontiac, City Code Section 26-54 requires a team of building…

Rochester Hills' Building Department is the designated enforcing agency for the State Construction Code and conducts…

Building work in the Charter Township of Royal Oak needs a permit first, then a final inspection and a certificate of…

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…

Sec. 8-2 designates the township building department, its officials, inspectors, and plan-review staff, along with…

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…