City building department · Michigan
Detroit building department
Permits, inspections, and official contacts for Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department.
Verified Checked against 8 official sources
Contacts & online services
- Phone
- (313) 224-2733 main; (313) 224-2372 Development Resource Center; (313) 224-3202 inspections
- Office
- Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 434, Detroit, MI 48226
Get directions (opens in a new tab) - Serves
- Detroit · Wayne County
- Online services
- Applications (Accela) · Permit search · Inspections
Check your address first. Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department handles building permits for property inside Detroit city limits. Property outside city limits is usually served by Wayne County or another municipality, even when the mailing address says Detroit.
On this page
Detroit’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) does much more than issue building permits. It also licenses trades, registers rental properties, enforces property maintenance, administers zoning and special land use, and covers environmental affairs. Permit applicants deal with three parts of it:
- the Development Resource Center (DRC) for intake
- Permits & Plan Review for code and zoning review
- Construction Inspection for field inspections
Applying through eLAPS and ePLANS
Detroit’s online system is eLAPS, the city’s Accela Citizen Access portal. Drawings are uploaded separately to ePLANS (ProjectDox).
- Create an eLAPS account. Contractors must link their license record to the account before applying.
- Submit the application in eLAPS and pay the required fee at submission.
- Upload the scope of work and plans to ePLANS.
- Watch for email requests for revisions, and upload corrections through ePLANS.
- Download the approved plans and the permit from eLAPS.
You can also complete a paper application at the DRC.
Plan Review covers building, demolition, sign, awning and temporary-use permits. Reviews check the Detroit Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 50) along with the Michigan Building, Residential, Rehabilitation, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Codes, the International Fuel Gas Code, and the city’s elevator and boiler codes. Plan Review also takes pre-plan consultation requests.
Who can pull which permit
| Permit | Licensing rule | City’s stated turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Residential building | Contractors need a state Builder’s License and Detroit contractor registration. Homeowners need no license | About 5 days |
| Commercial building | No contractor license required to apply, but plans must be sealed by a Michigan-registered architect or engineer | About 5 days to review; 20-day estimated issuance |
| Sign | A Detroit-licensed Sign Erector or Sign Specialist | About 20 days |
Residential projects finish with a Certificate of Acceptance. New construction, additions and changes of use require a Certificate of Occupancy.
Inspections
Schedule inspections in eLAPS, or call the Construction Inspection Division at (313) 224-3202. The division’s office is in Suite 408 of the Municipal Center and is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Inspections are split into six trades, each with its own supervisor line:
| Trade | Supervisor phone |
|---|---|
| Buildings | (313) 628-2458 |
| Electrical | (313) 224-3113 |
| Plumbing | (313) 224-3157 |
| Mechanical | (313) 224-3189 |
| Elevators | (313) 224-9401 |
| Boilers | (313) 628-2433 |
Fee highlights
These come from BSEED’s fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, modified July 18, 2025. Building and residential permit fees are based on project cost (design plus construction), estimated from the city’s square-foot cost table.
| Project cost | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $2,000 or less | $271.43 flat |
| $2,001–$25,000 | $271.43 plus $34.09 per $1,000 over $2,000 |
| $25,001–$100,000 | $1,055.57 plus $24.53 per $1,000 over $25,000 |
| $100,001–$500,000 | $2,895.29 plus $27.82 per $1,000 over $100,000 |
| $500,001–$1,000,000 | $14,024.05 plus $26.24 per $1,000 over $500,000 |
Other permit fees
- Change of use (building only): $249
- Residential barrier-free ramp: $106
- Historic district permit, such as exterior painting or a fence: $106
- Revised permit: $187 minimum
- Re-inspection, when the inspector cannot get in or the work isn’t ready: $176
- Working without a permit: $351 per occurrence for contractors, $176 for homeowners
- Residential builder and maintenance-and-alteration contractor registration: $46
Property maintenance and rentals
- Pre-sale inspection: $352 for a single-family home, $380 for a two-family
- Rental inspection: $195 for a one-unit dwelling, $297 for two units
Development Resource Center
The DRC is BSEED’s front counter. It is on the 4th floor, Suite 434, of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue. Reach it at (313) 224-2372. Other BSEED lines:
- Licensing & Permits: (313) 224-3179 or (313) 224-3173
- Zoning/Special Land Use: (313) 224-1317
- Property Maintenance: (313) 628-2451
Planning a project?
These guides explain the national model-code rules most departments start from. Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department decides what applies in Detroit, so use them to prepare your questions.
Nearby building departments
Not the right office? If your property is outside Detroit city limits, one of these may handle it.
Sources
- detroitmi.gov — Buildings safety engineering and environmental department bseed
- detroitmi.gov — Building permits
- detroitmi.gov — Permits plan review
- detroitmi.gov — Construction inspection
- detroitmi.gov — Node
- detroitmi.gov — Building permit fees
- detroitmi.gov — Fee Schedule.Effective January 1 2024 Modified July 18, 2025
- aca-prod.accela.com — Default