Wayne · Oakland · Macomb · 119 municipalities

Point-of-sale inspection & C of O directory

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.

This is a directory, not an answer key — and that is deliberate. We do not publish a table telling you which cities require an inspection, because nobody can keep one accurate. The association and title-company lists that try are years out of date; one we found in research was last revised in 2015. An agent who plans a 30-day close around a wrong "no inspection required" has been actively harmed by it.

What this page does instead is get you to the person who actually knows, in about ten seconds. Call the building department. It is a two-minute call and it is the only answer that is current.
119
Municipalities
50
With a phone number
101
With an official site
32
Building dept. page found

The directory

MunicipalityCountyBuilding dept. phone Official siteDepartmentWhat we found
Armada TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Bruce TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Center Line CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Chesterfield TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Clinton TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Eastpointe CityMacomb586-204-3022WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Fraser CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Grosse Pointe Shores Village CitMacombcall via websiteNot found
Harrison TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Lenox TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Macomb TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Memphis CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Mount Clemens CityMacomb586-469-6800WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
New Baltimore CityMacomb586-725-2151WebsiteSite only
Ray TwpMacomb586-749-5171WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Richmond CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Richmond TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Roseville CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Saint Clair Shores CityMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Shelby TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Sterling Heights CityMacomb586-446-2355WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Utica CityMacomb586-739-1600WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Warren CityMacomb586-574-4500WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Washington TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Addison TwpOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Auburn Hills CityOakland248-364-6949WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Berkley CityOakland248-658-3360WebsiteSite only
Birmingham CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Bloomfield Hills CityOakland248-644-1520WebsiteSite only
Bloomfield TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Brandon TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Clarkston CityOakland248-625-8055WebsiteSite only
Clawson CityOakland(248) 435-4500WebsiteSite only
Commerce TwpOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Farmington CityOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Farmington Hills CityOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Fenton CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Ferndale CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Groveland TwpOakland248-634-4152WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Hazel Park CityOakland248-546-7000WebsiteSite only
Highland TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Holly TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Huntington Woods CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Independence TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Keego Harbor CityOakland(248) 682-1930WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Lake Angelus CityOakland(248) 596-0920WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Lathrup Village CityOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Lyon TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Madison Heights CityOakland248-588-1200WebsiteSite only
Milford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Northville CityOakland(248) 349-7640WebsiteSite only
Novi CityOakland248-347-0460WebsiteSite only
Novi TwpOakland248-347-0460WebsiteSite only
Oak Park CityOakland(248) 691-7490WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Oakland TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Orchard Lake CityOakland248-682-2400WebsiteSite only
Orion TwpOakland248.391.0304WebsiteSite only
Oxford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Pleasant Ridge CityOakland248-541-2901WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Pontiac CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Rochester CityOakland(248) 733-3700WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Rochester Hills CityOakland248-656-4615WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Rose TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Royal Oak CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Royal Oak TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
South Lyon CityOakland(248) 437-1735WebsiteSite only
Southfield CityOakland(248) 796-4100WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Southfield TwpOakland(248) 796-4100WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Springfield TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Sylvan Lake CityOakland248-682-2104WebsiteSite only
Troy CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Walled Lake CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Waterford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
West Bloomfield TwpOaklandcall via websiteNot found
White Lake TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Wixom CityOaklandcall via websiteNot found
Allen Park CityWayne313-928-1400WebsiteSite only
Belleville CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Brownstown TwpWayne734-365-0065WebsiteSite only
Canton TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Dearborn CityWayne313-943-2150WebsiteSite only
Dearborn Heights CityWayne313-791-3460WebsiteSite only
Detroit CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Ecorse CityWayne313-386-2520WebsiteSite only
Flat Rock CityWayne734-782-2455WebsiteSite only
Garden City CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Gibraltar CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Grosse Ile TwpWaynecall via websiteNot found
Grosse Pointe CityWayne(313) 885-5800WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Grosse Pointe Farms CityWayne(313) 885-4285WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Grosse Pointe Park CityWayne313-822-6200WebsiteSite only
Grosse Pointe Shores Village CitWaynecall via websiteNot found
Grosse Pointe Woods CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Hamtramck CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Harper Woods CityWayne313-343-2526WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Highland Park CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Huron TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Inkster CityWayne(313) 563-4268WebsiteSite only
Lincoln Park CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Livonia CityWayne734.427.2122WebsiteSite only
Melvindale CityWayne313.429.1060WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Northville CityWayne(248) 349-7640WebsiteSite only
Northville TwpWayne(248) 349-7640WebsiteSite only
Plymouth CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Plymouth TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Redford TwpWaynecall via websiteNot found
River Rouge CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Riverview CityWayne(734) 281-4200WebsiteSite only
Rockwood CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Romulus CityWaynecall via websiteNot found
Southgate CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Sumpter TwpWayne(734) 461-6201WebsiteSite only
Taylor CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Trenton CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Van Buren TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsiteSite only
Wayne CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Westland CityWayne734-713-3888WebsiteSite only
Woodhaven CityWayne734.675.3000WebsiteSite only
Wyandotte CityWayne734-324-4500WebsiteSite 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.

What to ask when you call

AskWhy 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.
Found something we have wrong, or called and got a definitive answer? Tell us and we will update the entry with the date it was confirmed. This list gets better by being maintained, which is precisely why the circulating PDFs are not worth much.

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.