Westland certificate of occupancy to sell a home
Yes. Westland requires a city inspection and a certificate of approval before a home sale can close or the buyer can move in. All houses being sold or transferred; Certificate of Approval valid 6 months.
Verified against Buying or Selling a Home - City of Westland on October 27, 2026. Fees, forms and timelines are set by the city and change without notice. Confirm with the Building Division before you list, sign or close; this page is general information from a licensed broker, not legal advice, and Match Realty is not responsible for decisions made in reliance on it.
The Westland rule at a glance
| Required to sell? | Required to sell |
|---|---|
| What the city calls it | Certificate of Approval |
| When it applies | All houses being sold or transferred; Certificate of Approval valid 6 months. |
| Fee | $250 (seller, with Home Sale or Transfer Application); $40 Approval Letter To Close if buyer assumes |
| Lead time | Not stated; schedule online, by email (building@cityofwestland.com), phone or in person |
| Who orders it | Seller |
| Buyer can assume repairs? | Buyer purchases $40 Approval Letter To Close and submits Remaining Violations Disclosure Form with signed purchase agreement; 90 days to complete repairs and schedule final inspection |
| Department | Building Division |
| Phone | 734-467-3210 |
Westland requirements (official) · Application / form · City website
“a Certificate of Approval is required on all houses being sold or transferred to another party” — Westland, Buying or Selling a Home - City of Westland
What this means for your closing
Build the inspection into the listing timeline, not the closing week. Order it from the Building Division as soon as the home is listed, fix the usual items before the inspector arrives (handrails, smoke and CO alarms, GFCI outlets, address numbers, sidewalk slabs, peeling exterior paint), and ask whether a buyer can assume repairs under a bond or escrow if something cannot be fixed before closing.
The tax bill changes hands too: after a sale the taxable value uncaps, so the buyer's bill is not the seller's. See Westland property taxes for the 2025 millage and the uncapped bill on a $350,000 home. For the state transfer tax owed at closing, use the Michigan transfer tax calculator.
Nearby in Wayne County
- Allen Park Required to sell
- Belleville Required to sell
- Brownstown Township Limited cases
- Dearborn Required to sell
- Detroit Not required
- Ecorse Required to sell
- Flat Rock Required to sell
- Gibraltar Required to sell
- Grosse Ile Township Limited cases
- Grosse Pointe Required to sell
- Grosse Pointe Farms Required to sell
- Grosse Pointe Park Required to sell
All Wayne County municipalities are on the C of O hub.
Common questions
Do I need a certificate of occupancy to sell a house in Westland?
Yes. Westland requires a city inspection and a certificate of approval on a residential sale — $250 (seller, with Home Sale or Transfer Application); $40 Approval Letter To Close if buyer assumes. All houses being sold or transferred; Certificate of Approval valid 6 months.
What is a point-of-sale (pre-sale) inspection in Westland?
It is the same thing as the certificate of approval requirement: a city inspector checks the home against the property-maintenance code before the sale closes or the new owner moves in, and the city issues a certificate (or a temporary one with repairs escrowed) when it passes. Michigan has no statewide rule; each city or township sets its own, which is why Westland's answer differs from its neighbours'.
Who schedules the Westland inspection, and how far ahead?
The seller orders it from the Building Division; Not stated; schedule online, by email (building@cityofwestland.com), phone or in person. Order it the week the listing goes live: a failed inspection with a two-week requeue is what blows a 30-day close.
Can the buyer take on the repairs in Westland?
Buyer purchases $40 Approval Letter To Close and submits Remaining Violations Disclosure Form with signed purchase agreement; 90 days to complete repairs and schedule final inspection Confirm the current terms with the city before writing it into the purchase agreement.
Is this Westland information current?
It was read from Westland's own published requirements on October 27, 2026, and that source page is re-checked automatically every week. Cities change fees and forms without notice, so confirm with the Building Division before you rely on it.
Point-of-sale and certificate-of-occupancy rules are local ordinances. Match Realty LLC compiles them from each municipality's own publications and does not guarantee completeness or accuracy. Always verify with the municipality. This page is general information from a licensed broker, not legal advice.