Gutter permits and contractor licenses in Detroit
The permit question has three answers here, and one of them is that nobody publishes one. Below is what the city and the state put in writing, and what each costs.
A referral service for Detroit homeowners. An automated assistant answers; calls are recorded.
Typical cost: $271.43 for a city building permit where construction value is $2,000 or less, plus $34.09 per $1,000 above that — if a permit is required (the city's fee schedule (PDF)); the city charges a contractor $46 a year to be registered here
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Three questions, three different answers
They are not variations of one answer. Two are settled in writing and the third is not published at all.
Disconnecting a downspout — no permit
The city states it plainly: a permit is not required to perform downspout disconnections for residential customers. Non-residential customers are told to contact the buildings department at 313-224-2733 for current requirements, and any other city, state or federal permitting still applies (the city's drainage guide (PDF)).
Replacing or recovering a roof — permit required
A permit must be obtained prior to starting work to recover or replace a roof, and the published requirements come with it: ice and water shield at the eaves extending at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, attic ventilation of 1/150 maintained, rotted wood replaced, and two inspections — one at the tear-off, one at the end (the city's roof requirements (PDF)).
Gutters on their own — no published answer
There is no gutter, downspout, roofing or siding line anywhere in the city's fee schedule, and the city's permit pages do not say whether gutter work alone needs a building permit.
The city's own instruction is what goes here instead: visit its permits page to determine whether your repairs or improvements require a permit and to apply, and if you are working with a contractor, the contractor will typically handle all of the necessary permitting on your behalf (the city's page · the permit index). The buildings desk is 313-224-3202.
If you rent the house out
Gutters are an inspection item. Point 3 of the city's fifteen-point rental checklist reads: roof, exterior walls, and gutter/downspout system do not allow entry of rain or snow (the checklist (PDF)).
Operating a rental without a certificate of compliance draws tickets from the buildings department starting at $400, and unpaid tickets become liens against the property (the landlord guide (PDF)). This applies to rentals, not to a house you live in.
The fee lines
The city's own numbers. The permit lines apply only if a permit is required.
- Building permit, construction value $2,000 or less — flat
- $271.43
- Building permit — first $2,000, base
- $271.43
- Building permit — each $1,000 or fraction above $2,000
- $34.09
- Contractor registration with the city — residential builders, alterations and maintenance, each
- $46
The building permit lines are based on construction value and apply only if a permit is required, which the city's pages do not answer for gutters alone. Both rows are from the city's fee schedule (PDF). The registration line is what it costs a contractor to be registered to do business in Detroit each year, and it is checkable.
Michigan licenses gutters as its own trade.
The state's list of maintenance and alteration crafts names gutters, and any job totaling $600 or more in labor and materials must be done by a licensed contractor. the state's trades list · what the state tells homeowners
Ask to see the pocket card and check which trades are printed on it. Any license can be looked up in a minute.
What the state says about the license
- The trades a maintenance and alteration contractor may hold are listed by name, and gutters is one of them, alongside carpentry, concrete, masonry, roofing, siding, insulation, excavation, tile and marble and the rest (the state's list).
- The trades the holder is qualified to practice are printed on the license itself — so a license is not a yes or no, it is a list, and gutters has to be on it.
- Any contractor offering work totaling $600 or more in labor and materials must be licensed by the state (what the state tells homeowners). Splitting one project into smaller contracts to get under the threshold is specifically not allowed (the state's FAQ (PDF)).
- The license must be displayed at the place of business, and every contractor and salesperson must carry a pocket card, which you should ask to see. If they cannot show it, the state says to check its license database or call its residential builders' section at 517-241-9309 (what the state tells homeowners).
We do not check anybody's license for you, and we are not going to say we do. The lookup is public and takes a minute: the state's license lookup.
What the city says to require of a contractor
The city's own words: it is critical to do your due diligence in finding an experienced professional, because choosing the wrong contractor could cost you money and time — and to ask any prospective contractor for proof of required licensing and insurance. Its four requirements, in its order:
- Be licensed by the State of Michigan.
- Be registered to do business in the City of Detroit. The city charges a contractor $46 a year for that registration, and it is checkable (the city's fee schedule).
- Hold property liability insurance.
- Hold workers compensation insurance.
Then its three quick tips, also in its order: get references, confirm the business is properly licensed and registered, and confirm that the business has a certificate of good standing (the city's page).
Paying for it — the state's own advice, in the state's order
- Never pay for the entire job in advance.
- Make a deposit when work begins to cover materials and startup costs. Pay by check to the company name and always get a receipt.
- Make scheduled payments as work progresses.
- Get all agreements in writing, and be sure the estimate specifies the total price, the terms of payment, the kind of materials to be used, and the expected time to complete the job.
- Be wary of special prices because of left-over materials, other jobs in the neighborhood, or discounts if you agree to get other customers — the state calls these gimmicks used to get you to buy.
- If you were solicited and signed the contract in your home, you have three days to cancel, by sending the contractor a registered letter saying so.
All six from what the state tells homeowners. The warning about special prices and the right to cancel within three days are the two to remember when someone knocks on the door.
Questions
Checked October 10, 2026
So do gutters need a permit in Detroit or not?
- The city's pages do not answer it either way, and there is no gutter line in the city's fee schedule. The city's own instruction is to check its permits page, or to let the contractor handle the permitting, and the buildings desk is 313-224-3202 (the city's page).
Who pulls the permit if one is needed?
- The city says a contractor will typically handle all of the necessary permitting on your behalf (the city's page). If the job turns into a roof replacement, a permit is definitely required before work starts (the roof requirements (PDF)).
How do I check a contractor's license?
- At the state's public lookup, in a minute, by name or license number: the state's license lookup. Ask to see the pocket card as well — the state says every contractor and salesperson must carry one.
Is a $400 job exempt from licensing?
- The state's threshold is $600 in labor and materials on one project (the state's FAQ (PDF)). Dividing a larger job into contracts under $600 to get around it is expressly not allowed.