Garage door rules & licensing in Michigan

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes - Licensing Section (Residential Builders) — official site

MCL 339.2401(b) defines a 'Residential maintenance and alteration contractor' as a person who, for compensation other than wages for personal labor only, 'Undertakes with another for the repair, alteration, or addition to, subtraction from, improvement of, wrecking of, or demolition of a residential structure, or building of a garage, or laying of concrete on residential property.' LARA states: 'A person engaged in the construction of a residential structure or a combination residential and commercial structure must be licensed as a Residential Builder with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.' The M&A licence is issued by trade, and LARA's published list of M&A trades is: carpentry; concrete; excavation; insulation work; masonry; siding; roofing; screens and storm sash; gutters; tile & marble; house wrecking; swimming pools; basement waterproofing. MCL 339.2404(3) gives the same statutory list. No garage door trade classification appears on either list - which trade (if any) LARA assigns to garage door work is NOT VERIFIED here.

$600 - MCL 339.2403(f) exempts from licensure 'A person that is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00. The exemption described in this subdivision does not apply if the work of a construction is only a part of a larger or major operation... or in which a division of the operation is made in contracts of amounts less than $600.00, to evade this act.'

LARA Bureau of Construction Codes: 'Before construction of a building or structure, an owner, or the owner's builder, architect, engineer, or agent, shall submit an application in writing to the appropriate enforcing agency for a building permit. A permit is also required when the use or occupancy of a structure or portion thereof is changed.' And: 'A permit is not required for ordinary repairs. Ordinary repairs to structures may be made without permit, but such repairs shall not include the cutting away of any wall, partition or portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any structural beam or bearing support, or the removal or change of any required means of egress, or rearrangement of parts of a structure affecting the exit requirements.' A Residential Builder licence is required to secure a building permit for residential construction, subject to the exceptions in 1980 PA 299.