Which license each job needs in Detroit
| Work | License | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| New homes, additions, whole-house remodels | LARA Residential Builder, registered with the City | LARA license lookup |
| Roofing, siding, concrete, masonry and other single trades | LARA Maintenance & Alteration Contractor, for the trades printed on the license | Same lookup |
| Electrical | LARA electrical license; Detroit's application also asks for a Detroit registration number | Same lookup |
| Plumbing | LARA plumbing license | Same lookup |
| Heating, cooling, ducts | LARA mechanical contractor license | Same lookup |
LARA lists thirteen Maintenance & Alteration trades: carpentry, concrete, excavation, insulation work, masonry, siding, roofing, screens and storm sash, gutters, tile and marble, house wrecking, swimming pools and basement waterproofing, and "the trades, or crafts for which a maintenance & alteration contractor is qualified to practice are listed on the license" (LARA, read 26 October 2026). Detroit's electrical permit application has fields for the "State License No.", its expiration date and a "Detroit Reg. #", so a trade contractor needs both.
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Ask for the license number and the Detroit registration number on the quote. The registration is what lets the firm pull your permit.
- Search the license in LARA's Accela lookup, reached from LARA's Find / Verify page, where Residential Builder, Electrician, Plumber and Mechanical Contractor all point to it. Check the expiry date.
- Match the license to the job. A Residential Builder for an addition; an M&A license that lists "roofing" for a roof; an electrical license for the wiring.
- Look up the house in the City's Accela portal, as the Detroit building permit search guide shows, to see what has been permitted there before.
Doing the work yourself
BSEED's FAQ (read 26 October 2026) allows two homeowner routes:
| Permit | Homeowner may apply? | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Building (residential construction) | Yes | "performed by the building owner that will occupy the dwelling" |
| Electrical, plumbing, mechanical | Yes, single-family only | Proof of ownership: a driver's license with the address, a deed, or a rental registration |
| Any permit on a 2-family or larger building, or commercial | No | "A contractor is needed" |
The electrical application's homeowner affidavit reads "the electrical work described on this permit application shall be installed by myself in my own home", so a homeowner permit is not a way to hire an unlicensed electrician.
What our Detroit pages add
LARA tells you whether a firm is licensed. Our Detroit page counts what the City permitted, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Oct 2024–Sep 2026) | Oct 2025–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 13,739 | 4,715 |
| HVAC | 12,989 | 5,488 |
| Electrical | 9,705 | 4,462 |
| Remodels and repairs | 7,119 | 3,624 |
| Demolition | 2,125 | 612 |
| Roofing | 1,820 | 809 |
| Solar | 398 | 219 |
| New homes | 212 | 107 |
77% of the 51,876 permits were on homes. The permit statistics page has the months and years. Detroit's permit rules: electrical, plumbing, HVAC and remodel permits. Statewide rules: How to check a contractor's license in Michigan.
What this lookup does not tell you
Detroit's public permit layers have no status or final inspection date, so we cannot say which jobs were finished. The business on a trade permit is a contact, not always the licensed contractor of record, so we do not match Detroit firms to LARA licenses or rank them. A license says the firm may do the work, not how its last job went.
How we know this
License rules are quoted from Michigan LARA's Find / Verify, Residential Builders and Maintenance & Alteration pages and from BSEED's FAQ and electrical permit application, read 26 October 2026. Counts are the City of Detroit's building, trades and demolition permit layers, read 18 October 2026: permits issued October 2024 to September 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- What license does a Detroit home contractor need?
A State of Michigan license from LARA, registered with the City. BSEED's FAQ says that if a contractor is used for residential construction, the contractor must have "a State of Michigan Builder's License that is registered with the City of Detroit". Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors hold LARA trade licenses.
- Where do I look up a Detroit contractor's license?
In LARA's Accela license lookup, linked from michigan.gov/lara under Find / Verify a Licensed Professional or Business. The same lookup covers residential builders, electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors.
- Can a Detroit homeowner pull their own permit?
For a single-family house, yes. BSEED's FAQ says homeowners may apply for a trade permit for single-family structures with proof of ownership, such as a driver's license showing the address, a deed or a rental registration, and that residential construction can be performed by the owner who will occupy the dwelling. Two-family and larger buildings need a contractor.
- Does a roofing-only license cover a kitchen remodel in Michigan?
No. A Maintenance & Alteration license covers only the trades printed on it, such as roofing, siding or carpentry. A whole-house remodel or an addition needs a Residential Builder license.
- Can I see which contractor pulled permits in Detroit?
Partly. Detroit's trades and demolition files name a contact business, which is not always the licensed contractor of record, and building permits name none. Search an address in the City's Accela portal to see its records.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
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- Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department FAQ — City of Detroit (2026-10-26)
- Electrical Permit Application — City of Detroit BSEED (2026-10-26)
- Find / Verify a Licensed Professional or Business — Michigan LARA (2026-10-26)
- LARA Accela Citizen Access license lookup (2026-10-26)
- Residential Builders — Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes (2026-10-26)
- Maintenance & Alteration Contractor License Information — Michigan LARA (2026-10-26)
- City of Detroit Accela Citizen Access (2026-10-26)