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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.

By Cyrus Wheeler, Broker/Owner · Updated · Municipal building departments, checked by hand

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 We do not publish a table telling you which cities require an inspection, because nobody can keep one accurate. The association and title-company lists that try are years out of date; one we found in research was last revised in 2015.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 websiteWebsite—Site only
Bruce TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Center Line CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Chesterfield TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Clinton TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Eastpointe CityMacomb586-204-3022WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Fraser CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Grosse Pointe Shores Village CitMacombcall via website——Not found
Harrison TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Lenox TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Macomb TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Memphis CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Mount Clemens CityMacomb586-469-6800WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
New Baltimore CityMacomb586-725-2151Website—Site only
Ray TwpMacomb586-749-5171WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Richmond CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Richmond TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Roseville CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Saint Clair Shores CityMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Shelby TwpMacombcall via websiteWebsite—Site 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 website——Not found
Auburn Hills CityOakland248-364-6949WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Berkley CityOakland248-658-3360Website—Site only
Birmingham CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Bloomfield Hills CityOakland248-644-1520Website—Site only
Bloomfield TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Brandon TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Clarkston CityOakland248-625-8055Website—Site only
Clawson CityOakland(248) 435-4500Website—Site only
Commerce TwpOaklandcall via website——Not found
Farmington CityOaklandcall via website——Not found
Farmington Hills CityOaklandcall via website——Not found
Fenton CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Ferndale CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Groveland TwpOakland248-634-4152WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Hazel Park CityOakland248-546-7000Website—Site only
Highland TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Holly TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Huntington Woods CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Independence TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Keego Harbor CityOakland(248) 682-1930WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Lake Angelus CityOakland(248) 596-0920WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Lathrup Village CityOaklandcall via website——Not found
Lyon TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Madison Heights CityOakland248-588-1200Website—Site only
Milford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Northville CityOakland(248) 349-7640Website—Site only
Novi CityOakland248-347-0460Website—Site only
Novi TwpOakland248-347-0460Website—Site only
Oak Park CityOakland(248) 691-7490WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Oakland TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Orchard Lake CityOakland248-682-2400Website—Site only
Orion TwpOakland248.391.0304Website—Site only
Oxford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Pleasant Ridge CityOakland248-541-2901WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Pontiac CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Rochester CityOakland(248) 733-3700WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Rochester Hills CityOakland248-656-4615WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Rose TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Royal Oak CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Royal Oak TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
South Lyon CityOakland(248) 437-1735Website—Site only
Southfield CityOakland(248) 796-4100WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Southfield TwpOakland(248) 796-4100WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Springfield TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Sylvan Lake CityOakland248-682-2104Website—Site only
Troy CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Walled Lake CityOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Waterford TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
West Bloomfield TwpOaklandcall via website——Not found
White Lake TwpOaklandcall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Wixom CityOaklandcall via website——Not found
Allen Park CityWayne313-928-1400Website—Site only
Belleville CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Brownstown TwpWayne734-365-0065Website—Site only
Canton TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Dearborn CityWayne313-943-2150Website—Site only
Dearborn Heights CityWayne313-791-3460Website—Site only
Detroit CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Ecorse CityWayne313-386-2520Website—Site only
Flat Rock CityWayne734-782-2455Website—Site only
Garden City CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Gibraltar CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Grosse Ile TwpWaynecall via website——Not found
Grosse Pointe CityWayne(313) 885-5800WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Grosse Pointe Farms CityWayne(313) 885-4285WebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Grosse Pointe Park CityWayne313-822-6200Website—Site only
Grosse Pointe Shores Village CitWaynecall via website——Not found
Grosse Pointe Woods CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Hamtramck CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Harper Woods CityWayne313-343-2526WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Highland Park CityWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Huron TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Inkster CityWayne(313) 563-4268Website—Site only
Lincoln Park CityWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Livonia CityWayne734.427.2122Website—Site only
Melvindale CityWayne313.429.1060WebsiteBuilding dept.Page found
Northville CityWayne(248) 349-7640Website—Site only
Northville TwpWayne(248) 349-7640Website—Site only
Plymouth CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Plymouth TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Redford TwpWaynecall via website——Not found
River Rouge CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Riverview CityWayne(734) 281-4200Website—Site only
Rockwood CityWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Romulus CityWaynecall via website——Not found
Southgate CityWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Sumpter TwpWayne(734) 461-6201Website—Site only
Taylor CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Trenton CityWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Van Buren TwpWaynecall via websiteWebsite—Site only
Wayne CityWaynecall via websiteWebsiteBuilding dept.Dept. page
Westland CityWayne734-713-3888Website—Site only
Woodhaven CityWayne734.675.3000Website—Site only
Wyandotte CityWayne734-324-4500Website—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.

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.

Common questions

Do I need a point-of-sale inspection to sell a home in Metro Detroit?

It depends entirely on the municipality. Some will not let a sale close until the city has inspected and issued a certificate, some charge a fee for an exterior check, and some require nothing. There is no central registry — call the building department; it is a two-minute call and the only current answer.

Why is there no simple list of which cities require inspections?

Because nobody keeps one accurate — one industry list we found in research was last revised in 2015. A wrong “no inspection required” can wreck a 30-day close, so this directory gets you to the person who actually knows instead of guessing for you.

Does Detroit require a certificate of occupancy to sell a house?

Not for a typical sale the way several suburbs do — but unpaid water and sewer charges can attach to the property, and rental property is a separate compliance regime with its own registration and certification requirements.