Some Metro Detroit communities will not let a residential sale close until the city has inspected the property and issued a certificate. Others charge $150 for an exterior look. Others do nothing at all. The rules are set municipality by municipality and there is no central registry of any of it.
| Municipality | County | Building dept. phone | Official site | Department | What we found |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armada Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Bruce Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Center Line City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Chesterfield Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Clinton Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Eastpointe City | Macomb | 586-204-3022 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Fraser City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Grosse Pointe Shores Village Cit | Macomb | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Harrison Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Lenox Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Macomb Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Memphis City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Mount Clemens City | Macomb | 586-469-6800 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| New Baltimore City | Macomb | 586-725-2151 | Website | — | Site only |
| Ray Twp | Macomb | 586-749-5171 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Richmond City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Richmond Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Roseville City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Saint Clair Shores City | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Shelby Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Sterling Heights City | Macomb | 586-446-2355 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Utica City | Macomb | 586-739-1600 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Warren City | Macomb | 586-574-4500 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Washington Twp | Macomb | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Addison Twp | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Auburn Hills City | Oakland | 248-364-6949 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Berkley City | Oakland | 248-658-3360 | Website | — | Site only |
| Birmingham City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Bloomfield Hills City | Oakland | 248-644-1520 | Website | — | Site only |
| Bloomfield Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Brandon Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Clarkston City | Oakland | 248-625-8055 | Website | — | Site only |
| Clawson City | Oakland | (248) 435-4500 | Website | — | Site only |
| Commerce Twp | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Farmington City | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Farmington Hills City | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Fenton City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Ferndale City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Groveland Twp | Oakland | 248-634-4152 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Hazel Park City | Oakland | 248-546-7000 | Website | — | Site only |
| Highland Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Holly Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Huntington Woods City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Independence Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Keego Harbor City | Oakland | (248) 682-1930 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Lake Angelus City | Oakland | (248) 596-0920 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Lathrup Village City | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Lyon Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Madison Heights City | Oakland | 248-588-1200 | Website | — | Site only |
| Milford Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Northville City | Oakland | (248) 349-7640 | Website | — | Site only |
| Novi City | Oakland | 248-347-0460 | Website | — | Site only |
| Novi Twp | Oakland | 248-347-0460 | Website | — | Site only |
| Oak Park City | Oakland | (248) 691-7490 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Oakland Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Orchard Lake City | Oakland | 248-682-2400 | Website | — | Site only |
| Orion Twp | Oakland | 248.391.0304 | Website | — | Site only |
| Oxford Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Pleasant Ridge City | Oakland | 248-541-2901 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Pontiac City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Rochester City | Oakland | (248) 733-3700 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Rochester Hills City | Oakland | 248-656-4615 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Rose Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Royal Oak City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Royal Oak Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| South Lyon City | Oakland | (248) 437-1735 | Website | — | Site only |
| Southfield City | Oakland | (248) 796-4100 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Southfield Twp | Oakland | (248) 796-4100 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Springfield Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Sylvan Lake City | Oakland | 248-682-2104 | Website | — | Site only |
| Troy City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Walled Lake City | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Waterford Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| West Bloomfield Twp | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| White Lake Twp | Oakland | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Wixom City | Oakland | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Allen Park City | Wayne | 313-928-1400 | Website | — | Site only |
| Belleville City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Brownstown Twp | Wayne | 734-365-0065 | Website | — | Site only |
| Canton Twp | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Dearborn City | Wayne | 313-943-2150 | Website | — | Site only |
| Dearborn Heights City | Wayne | 313-791-3460 | Website | — | Site only |
| Detroit City | Wayne | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Ecorse City | Wayne | 313-386-2520 | Website | — | Site only |
| Flat Rock City | Wayne | 734-782-2455 | Website | — | Site only |
| Garden City City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Gibraltar City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Grosse Ile Twp | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Grosse Pointe City | Wayne | (313) 885-5800 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Grosse Pointe Farms City | Wayne | (313) 885-4285 | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Grosse Pointe Park City | Wayne | 313-822-6200 | Website | — | Site only |
| Grosse Pointe Shores Village Cit | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Grosse Pointe Woods City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Hamtramck City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Harper Woods City | Wayne | 313-343-2526 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Highland Park City | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Huron Twp | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Inkster City | Wayne | (313) 563-4268 | Website | — | Site only |
| Lincoln Park City | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Livonia City | Wayne | 734.427.2122 | Website | — | Site only |
| Melvindale City | Wayne | 313.429.1060 | Website | Building dept. | Page found |
| Northville City | Wayne | (248) 349-7640 | Website | — | Site only |
| Northville Twp | Wayne | (248) 349-7640 | Website | — | Site only |
| Plymouth City | Wayne | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Plymouth Twp | Wayne | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Redford Twp | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| River Rouge City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Riverview City | Wayne | (734) 281-4200 | Website | — | Site only |
| Rockwood City | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Romulus City | Wayne | call via website | — | — | Not found |
| Southgate City | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Sumpter Twp | Wayne | (734) 461-6201 | Website | — | Site only |
| Taylor City | Wayne | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Trenton City | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Van Buren Twp | Wayne | call via website | Website | — | Site only |
| Wayne City | Wayne | call via website | Website | Building dept. | Dept. page |
| Westland City | Wayne | 734-713-3888 | Website | — | Site only |
| Woodhaven City | Wayne | 734.675.3000 | Website | — | Site only |
| Wyandotte City | Wayne | 734-324-4500 | Website | — | Site only |
Links and numbers were collected automatically from official municipal websites on 2026-07-29 and are not hand-verified. "Page found" means we located a page on that city's site mentioning occupancy or transfer inspections — it does not mean an inspection is required for your sale. Where a number is missing, the municipal site published it in a form we could not read; use the website link.
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do you require a city inspection before a residential sale can transfer? | The threshold question. Some gate transfer; some gate occupancy afterwards. |
| Who orders it, and how far ahead should it be scheduled? | Usually the seller, and lead times of two to four weeks are common. This is what eats a 30-day close. |
| What does it cost, and who pays? | Ranges from about $100 to several hundred. |
| What are the common failures here? | Sidewalk slabs, handrails, egress windows, address numbers, smoke alarms. All cheap if you know in week one and expensive in week four. |
| Can the buyer post a bond and take on the repairs? | Many communities allow an escrow or bond with a temporary certificate. This is often the difference between closing on time and not. |
| Is there a re-inspection fee, and how fast can it be rescheduled? | A failed inspection with a two-week requeue is a blown closing date. |
Detroit does not gate an owner-occupied resale the way several suburbs do, but unpaid water and sewer charges can attach to the property — see Detroit buyer programs. Rental property is a separate regime entirely: see the rental compliance lookup. This page is informational and is not legal advice.