Detroit, MI
Detroit building permit cost
Detroit prices a building permit from the project's own cost — "the project cost (design and construction cost)" — across nine printed bands rather than one rate.
A project of $2,000 or less is $271.43 flat: the ladder's floor. Above that, every band states a Base for the first slice of cost and a rate of so many dollars per $1,000 "or fraction thereof" over the band's threshold — $34.09 per $1,000 in the $2,000 to $25,000 band, $27.82 between $100,000 and $500,000, down to $1.81 above $50,000,000. Because "or fraction thereof" is printed on every rate row, the cost above each threshold rounds up to a whole $1,000 step: a $2,000.01 project pays for a full $1,000. Demolition is not on this ladder at all — the schedule prices wrecking by cubic volume — and plan review, which the schedule charges as a percentage on top, is named here rather than summed.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit — project cost $2,000 or less, $271.43 flatPermit fee | $271.43 flat fee | Project valuation up to $2,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $2,000 to $25,000, $271.43 + $34.09 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $271.43 + $34.09 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000 and Project valuation up to $25,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $25,000 to $100,000, $1,055.57 + $24.53 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $1,055.57 + $24.53 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000 and Project valuation up to $100,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $100,000 to $500,000, $2,895.29 + $27.82 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $2,895.29 + $27.82 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and Project valuation up to $500,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $500,000 to $1,000,000, $14,024.05 + $26.24 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $14,024.05 + $26.24 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and Project valuation up to $1,000,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $1,000,000 to $5,000,000, $27,143.33 + $11.54 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $27,143.33 + $11.54 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 and Project valuation up to $5,000,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $5,000,000 to $20,000,000, $73,287.00 + $5.97 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $73,287.00 + $5.97 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $5,000,000 and Project valuation up to $20,000,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $20,000,000 to $50,000,000, $162,859.99 + $3.62 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $162,859.99 + $3.62 per $1,000 of project valuation above $20,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $20,000,000 and Project valuation up to $50,000,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
| Building permit — project cost over $50,000,000, $271,433.32 + $1.81 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit fee | $271,433.32 + $1.81 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000,000 and not (Work type is demolition) | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A gut renovation of a 1920s duplex with $180,000 of declared project cost — design plus construction — and no demolition involved.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $180,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | Remodel |
Example total
$5,120.89
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 1Rules considered 9
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit — project cost over $100,000 to $500,000, $2,895.29 + $27.82 per $1,000 or fraction thereofPermit feeS1 page 7, "A: BUILDING and RESIDENTIAL PERMITS / New Buildings, Alterations, Repairs, And Additions": "Over $100,000 but not over $500,000 — First $100,000 Base $2,895.29; Per $1,000 or fraction thereof over $100,000 $27.82". The schedule states the basis above the table — "The following general building permit fees are based on the project cost (design and construction cost) estimated using the square foot cost table copy attached" — so the reader's valuation is that project cost, and the band is selected by it. The amount above the threshold rounds up to a whole $1,000, because the rate row prints "or fraction thereof". Demolition is excluded from this ladder: the schedule prices wrecking by cubic volume in its own section, so a wrecking job is not priced from a construction valuation here. Each band is modelled with its own printed Base and its own printed rate, never chained: the schedule's figures do not meet exactly at the seams ($271.43 + 23 × $34.09 = $1,055.50 against the printed $1,055.57 — a 7¢ seam that grows to $26.67 at $50,000,000), and chaining would charge amounts the document does not print. The square-foot cost table the City estimates from is named as attached and appears in no page of the PDF, nor on any City page read on 2026-09-25 (research §6): the basis is unambiguous, the City's own estimator is unpublished.Show the working
| $2,895.29 + $27.82 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $5,120.89 |
| Total | $5,120.89 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit — project cost $2,000 or less, $271.43 flat — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $2,000 to $25,000, $271.43 + $34.09 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $25,000 to $100,000, $1,055.57 + $24.53 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $500,000 to $1,000,000, $14,024.05 + $26.24 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $1,000,000 to $5,000,000, $27,143.33 + $11.54 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $5,000,000 to $20,000,000, $73,287.00 + $5.97 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $20,000,000 to $50,000,000, $162,859.99 + $3.62 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit — project cost over $50,000,000, $271,433.32 + $1.81 per $1,000 or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
$180,000 falls in the fourth band, "Over $100,000 but not over $500,000": $80,000 of project cost sits above the band's threshold, which is 80 whole $1,000 steps at the printed $27.82 — $2,225.60 — added to the band's printed Base of $2,895.29, for $5,120.89 of building permit fee. Nothing else on the ladder touches this figure: no clamp, no minimum, no add-on row.
The boundaries show why the bands are charged as printed rather than chained. At exactly $25,000 the second band computes $271.43 + 23 × $34.09 = $1,055.50; one cent later the third band takes over at its printed $1,055.57 base plus one rounded-up $24.53 step — $1,080.10. And a $500 permit is $271.43, because "$2,000 or less — Flat — $271.43" is the floor stated as a row. Set the work type to demolition and every band is excluded rather than repriced: wrecking is priced by cubic volume on a different page of the same schedule.
What is different in Detroit
The ladder has seams, and they are the schedule's own. Each band's printed Base is close to — but not exactly — what the band below produces at its top: $271.43 plus 23 steps of $34.09 is $1,055.50 against the printed $1,055.57, a seven-cent gap that widens to $26.67 by the top band. This site charges the printed figure of whichever band the project falls in rather than chaining the arithmetic, because the document's numbers are the document's numbers.
Three of the City's own charges sit outside this total and inside the same document: plan review at 7% per trade, the 35% (or, two sentences later, 30%) deposit on building, structural and zoning review, and $158 plus $53 a sheet for revised plans. BSEED issues the permit through the Accela portal with plans in ProjectDox, and publishes turnaround times of 5 days for residential permits and 20 for commercial.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the schedule's nine-band building ladder only. It excludes:
- Plan review, all three of its published forms — 7% "of Bldg. Permit Fee" for each trade plan review (prepaid), the building/structural/zoning deposit at 35% of the building permit fee (called "The deposit of 30%" two sentences later), and $158 for the first three sheets plus $53 per sheet for revised plans. The first needs a permit fee a building permit has but quotes a base the schedule never disambiguates, the second is stated two ways, and the third needs a sheet count this calculator does not collect — so none is summed and all three are named.
- Refunds and their deductions — 35% of the building permit fee for a building-permit refund, 25% of any permit capped at $100, requests open for one year from issuance — plus the 10% delinquent service charge and the $35 returned-check fee.
- Demolition and wrecking, priced on cubic volume: $143 without a basement and $249 with one up to 30,000 cubic feet, then the Detroit Demolition Wrecking Fee's own ladder, with explosives at $8,858.
- Change of Use ($249), revised permits ($187 minimum plus the difference between the new and old permit fee), temporary permits for trailers, tents and retail sales, and the special-event inspection rows.
- Sign permits, zoning fees and site plan review ($210 minor / $466 major), certificates of occupancy ($147), temporary certificates ($520), permit extensions ($227), consultation meetings ($190), and the $176 "fail to obtain permit" and "fail to gain access" charges.
- Water and sewer permits (Water & Sewerage Department) and right-of-way permits (Department of Public Works) — other authorities' charges.
- The square-foot cost table the City estimates project cost from — named as "attached" to the schedule and published nowhere this pass could reach on 2026-09-25.
What you need before applying
- One application through the Accela portal, with plans in ProjectDoxRequired
Applications run through the City's permit portal at https://permits.detroitmi.gov across the seven-step process the building permits page publishes, with plans uploaded to ProjectDox — the City's "ePLANS" workflow. The published turnaround times are 5 days for residential and 20 days for commercial permits, and the application help line is (313) 224-3179.
- Sealed drawings by a Michigan-registered architect or engineer, three setsRequired
The construction page's own submittal list: sealed drawings by a professional registered in Michigan, three sets plus calculations and specifications, a site plan, and a geotechnical report where one applies — alongside the codes in force (Michigan Building/Residential/Rehabilitation Codes and the rest). This changes what must be submitted, not what the permit costs.
- A licensed contractor for residential work, or an owner filing with deed and IDMay be required
The building permits page states the rule per permit type: residential contractors need a Builder's License and City registration, while for commercial building permits the page states "No license required". Trade work is different — it always needs the trade's own City licence (see the electrical and plumbing requirements), and an owner filing for their own property brings the deed and a photo ID.
- Plan review covers zoning and every Michigan code the division listsRequired
BSEED's plan review page defines the review as "verification of compliance to City of Detroit Zoning Ordinance, Michigan Building Code, Michigan Residential Code, Michigan Rehabilitation Code, Michigan Electrical Code, Michigan Mechanical Code, Michigan Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code, City Elevator Code and Boiler Code", done through ePLANS against the published checklists, with a Pre-Plan Consultation available before filing. The schedule charges for this review three ways — 7% per trade, a 35% building/structural/zoning deposit, and $158 + $53 a sheet for revised plans — none of which this site sums.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Detroit?
It depends on the project's cost, across nine printed bands. A project of $2,000 or less is $271.43 — the ladder's floor. Above that, each band adds a rate per $1,000 of project cost over the band's threshold to that band's printed Base: $271.43 plus $34.09 per $1,000 over $2,000 in the second band, $2,895.29 plus $27.82 per $1,000 over $100,000 in the fourth, and $271,433.32 plus $1.81 per $1,000 over $50,000,000 in the last. A $180,000 renovation is $5,120.89.
BSEED Fee Schedule, "A: BUILDING and RESIDENTIAL PERMITS", effective 1/1/2024 as modified 7/18/2025.
Does the fee round up to the next $1,000 of project cost?
Yes. Every rate row in the ladder prints "or fraction thereof", so the cost above a band's threshold is rounded up to a whole $1,000 before the rate is applied: a $2,000.01 project is the $271.43 base plus one full $34.09 step — $305.52 — not $271.46. The phrase is on all eight rate rows of the schedule, which is what makes this a rounding ladder rather than a multiplication.
BSEED Fee Schedule, band rows each reading "Per $1,000 or fraction thereof over $N".
What is the project cost based on?
The schedule's own words: "the project cost (design and construction cost) estimated using the square foot cost table copy attached". That table is named as attached to the printed schedule and appears in no page of the 51-page PDF, nor was it linked from any City page read on 2026-09-25 — so this site takes the basis (project cost) as published and does not reproduce an estimator the City has not published.
BSEED Fee Schedule, sentence introducing the building permit table; the table itself was not reachable.
How much is a demolition permit?
Not from this ladder. Detroit prices wrecking on cubic volume — $143 without a basement and $249 with one up to 30,000 cubic feet, then the Detroit Demolition Wrecking Fee's own ladder ($238; $319 plus $66 per 10,000 cubic feet; $425 plus $35 above 60,000), with explosives at $8,858 — so this site excludes demolition from the valuation bands rather than pricing a wrecking job from a construction value.
BSEED Fee Schedule, demolition and wrecking section.
Is plan review charged on top of the permit fee?
Yes, in three published forms, and none is included in this total. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing plan review are each 7% "of Bldg. Permit Fee", prepaid when review is required; building, structural and zoning review is a deposit of 35% of the building permit fee, described two sentences later as "The deposit of 30% Building Permit fee is adjustable towards the full fee"; revised plans are $158 for the first three sheets plus $53 each, per discipline. The schedule prints both 35% and 30% for the deposit, and this page charges neither figure.
BSEED Fee Schedule, "F: PLAN REVIEW" and the deposit paragraph that follows it.
How do I apply, and how long does review take?
Through the City's permit portal at permits.detroitmi.gov, with plans uploaded to ProjectDox — the City's "ePLANS" workflow — across the seven-step process the building permits page publishes. The published turnaround times are 5 days for residential permits and 20 days for commercial ones, and the application help line is (313) 224-3179. Residential contractors need a Builder's License and City registration; an owner may file for their own property with the deed and a photo ID.
City of Detroit Building Permits page, read 2026-09-25.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
BSEED Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2024, modified July 18, 2025 (51 pages)
Read 2026-09-25 in three pdftotext modes: -layout pushes the fee-amount column into its own stream of numbers with no row to belong to, plain mode separates every label from every amount, and -table pairs them correctly — every figure this site charges is the -table pairing. Parts A–C (licences, certificates, service fees), the building/residential block with the nine-band ladder and the REFUNDS deduction, F: PLAN REVIEW, then the ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING and mechanical trade sections, then property maintenance and the administrative tail. The document page (S2) links this file as the current download; a 2009 "GENERAL FEE SCHEDULE" still on the domain was read only to confirm it is not the linked document — its refund sentence still says 30% where the current one says 35%.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Building Permits — City of Detroit
Read 2026-09-25 (HTTP 200). The seven-step process, the Accela/ProjectDox submission rules, the licence rule per permit type (residential contractors need a Builder's License and City registration; the page states "No license required" for commercial building permits), sealed plans, and the published turnaround times: 5 days residential, 20 days commercial. Also where the City points readers at the Water & Sewerage Department and the Department of Public Works for the permits BSEED does not issue.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Construction — City of Detroit
Read 2026-09-25 (HTTP 200). Submittal requirements in the City's own words — sealed drawings by a Michigan-registered architect or engineer, three sets plus calculations and specifications, site plan, geotechnical report — the codes in force, the trade division phone numbers, and the ten facts about certificates of occupancy. No amount on this site comes from this page.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 (HTTP 200). What plan review is here — "verification of compliance to City of Detroit Zoning Ordinance, Michigan Building Code, Michigan Residential Code, Michigan Rehabilitation Code, Michigan Electrical Code, Michigan Mechanical Code, Michigan Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code, City Elevator Code and Boiler Code" — plus the ePLANS workflow, the plan checklists and the Pre-Plan Consultation. Defines the scope of the percentage charges this site names but does not sum.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.