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Electrical permits in Detroit, MI

Data through September 2026 · updated 18 Oct 2026

9,705 electrical permits were issued in Detroit, October 2024 through September 2026: about 4,852 a year and 19% of all permits. 4,462 electrical permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 15% fewer than the 5,243 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is October. 48221 has the most, 667.

9,705permits issued
4,462last 12 months
Octbusiest month
Sep 2026records through

Electrical permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 526Oct2024Nov 2024: 418Dec 2024: 405Jan 2025: 409Jan2025Feb 2025: 410Mar 2025: 554Apr 2025: 411May 2025: 472Jun 2025: 401Jul 2025: 416JulAug 2025: 404Sep 2025: 417Oct 2025: 503Nov 2025: 337Dec 2025: 387Jan 2026: 289Jan2026Feb 2026: 303Mar 2026: 407Apr 2026: 390May 2026: 328Jun 2026: 478Jul 2026: 356JulAug 2026: 336Sep 2026: 348
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 2024526
Nov 2024418
Dec 2024405
Jan 2025409
Feb 2025410
Mar 2025554
Apr 2025411
May 2025472
Jun 2025401
Jul 2025416
Aug 2025404
Sep 2025417
Oct 2025503
Nov 2025337
Dec 2025387
Jan 2026289
Feb 2026303
Mar 2026407
Apr 2026390
May 2026328
Jun 2026478
Jul 2026356
Aug 2026336
Sep 2026348

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When electrical permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). October is the busiest (127), January the quietest (86). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 86 (100 = an average month)February: 88 (100 = an average month)March: 119 (100 = an average month)April: 99 (100 = an average month)May: 99 (100 = an average month)June: 109 (100 = an average month)July: 95 (100 = an average month)August: 91 (100 = an average month)September: 95 (100 = an average month)October: 127 (100 = an average month)127November: 93 (100 = an average month)December: 98 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January86
February88
March119
April99
May99
June109
July95
August91
September95
October127
November93
December98

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ZIP codes with the most electrical permits

Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 9,705 electrical permits.

ZIP codePermitsShare
482216677%
482356507%
482195335%
482275025%
482284925%
482144835%
482244795%
482264525%
482074364%
482054194%

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The city's own permit types

How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Electrical9,54898%
Generator1572%

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How these numbers are made

Source: City of Detroit Open Data, BSEED Building Permits, Trades Permits and Demolition Permits layers, read 18 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out. The city's public permit layers carry an issue date but no permit status and no final inspection or closed date, so no finished share is shown.

Building, trades (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, elevator, fire alarm, boiler, generator) and demolition permits the City of Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) issues inside city limits. Revisions of an earlier permit are not counted again. Hamtramck, Highland Park, Dearborn and the rest of Wayne County run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

  • The city's file has no permit status and no final inspection date, so we show neither a finished share nor time to final.
  • Only building permits carry a value: the estimated contractor cost written on the application, not the final cost. Trade and demolition permits have no value, so the HVAC, electrical, plumbing and demolition figures carry none.
  • Detroit issues electrical, plumbing and mechanical work as separate trades permits, so one house job can count several times, once under each kind of work. A building alteration that mentions trade work stays a remodel.
  • Plumbing counts include the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's lead service line and water main replacement programmes, which file thousands of plumbing permits a year.
  • Homes are told apart by the building permit's use group and use type and, for trade and demolition permits, by the property class on the city assessor's parcel file.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Electrical permits in Detroit, MI", https://contractorrecords.com/detroit/electrical-permits, data through September 2026, from the City of Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · By ZIP code · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): Electrical permits by month · Electrical permits by calendar month (index) · Electrical permits by ZIP code · Electrical permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many electrical permits does Detroit issue a year?About 4,852 a year in Detroit: 9,705 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 4,462 of them in the last 12 months.
  • When do people in Detroit file the most electrical permits?October (127 against an average month of 100); January is the quietest (86). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.
  • Which ZIP code has the most electrical permits in Detroit?48221, with 667 of the 9,705 (7%); then 48235 (650).