Commercial Compliance Hub
Check requirements

13 permits · verified 2026-09-28

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Wayne County?

In short

No permit applies to every contractor or trade in Wayne County, MI. All 13 depend on your premises, the work you do or how you are set up. Wayne County Clerk, Assumed Names Division charges $16 one-time filing fee, payable by money order, cashier's check, or an in-state company check only — personal checks are not accepted (Wayne County Clerk's current fee) for the assumed name (dba) certificate. 4 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-28 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Wayne County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permitonly if it applies to youWayne County Department of Public Services (DPS), Engineering DivisionFees are calculated from Wayne County DPS Engineering's own Plan Review Cost Schedule, applied per project scope — driveway approaches, sidewalk work, utility installations or cuts, storm drain work, tree removal or trimming in the right-of-way, and road closures for events. Applicants submit a minimum of three plan sets plus the department's checklist, and the Permit Office calculates the fee from that schedule against the submitted plans.per project; the permit covers the specific right-of-way work described in the approved plan set2026-09-28
Contractor Licensing — State LARA License Applies (Wayne County)only if it applies to youWayne County Government, Services/BusinessNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Residential Builder Licenseonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes$195 application; $150 to renew every three years3 years — expires 31 May2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Wayne County

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning Approval — City or Township Role (Wayne County)only if it applies to youWayne County Government, Services/BusinessNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Water Well Permitonly if it applies to youWayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health SectionVaries — formula on the Wayne County pageone year to complete construction from permit issuance; a re-issuance fee applies if the permit expires before construction is complete2026-09-28
Building Permit — City or Township Role; County Road Right-of-Way Only (Wayne County)only if it applies to youWayne County Government, Services/BusinessNo feenot applicable2026-09-28
Assumed Name (DBA) Certificateonly if it applies to youWayne County Clerk, Assumed Names Division$16 one-time filing fee, payable by money order, cashier's check, or an in-state company check only — personal checks are not accepted (Wayne County Clerk's current fee)5 years, renewable2026-09-28
On-Site Sewage (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to youWayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health SectionVaries — formula on the Wayne County pageone year to complete construction from permit issuance2026-09-28
General Business License — Wayne County positiononly if it applies to youWayne County Government, Services/BusinessNo feenot applicable — the County's Services/Business page lists no general business license for any of the ten covered industries2026-09-28

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MI registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$50 one-time filing, non-refundableno expiry, but an annual statement is due every 15 February2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau$60 one-time minimum — a $10 fee plus an organization fee from $50, banded by authorised sharesno expiry, but an annual report is due every 15 May2026-09-03
General Business License — Michigan state positiononly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNo feenot applicable at state level2026-09-03
Annual Report or Annual Statementonly if it applies to youMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing BureauVaries — formula on the MI pageannual — 15 February for an LLC, 15 May for a corporation2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Wayne County?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a contractor or trade in Wayne County, MI, 0 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

4 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 5 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit: Fees are calculated from Wayne County DPS Engineering's own Plan Review Cost Schedule, applied per project scope — driveway approaches, sidewalk work, utility installations or cuts, storm drain work, tree removal or trimming in the right-of-way, and road closures for events. Applicants submit a minimum of three plan sets plus the department's checklist, and the Permit Office calculates the fee from that schedule against the submitted plans.

The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Wayne County permits page and the MI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Wayne County?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Wayne County, MI come from 7 separate offices: Wayne County Government, Services/Business, Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services (HHVS), Environmental Health Section, Wayne County Clerk, Assumed Names Division, Wayne County Department of Public Services (DPS), Engineering Division, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities and Commercial Licensing Bureau, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Wayne County that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Wayne County: County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit, Contractor Licensing — State LARA License Applies (Wayne County) and Residential Builder License.

County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit

A contractor performing work that touches a Wayne County-maintained road — a driveway approach, sidewalk work, a utility installation or cut, storm drain work, tree removal or trimming in the right-of-way, or a road closure for an event — needs a County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit from Wayne County's Department of Public Services, Engineering Division. This is not a general building permit; it covers only work touching county road right-of-way, and general building and construction permits remain a city or township function throughout Wayne County. Fees are calculated from the department's own Plan Review Cost Schedule against the scope of the submitted project, and the application requires a minimum of three plan sets plus the department's checklist. Applications go to the Wayne County DPS Permit Office, 33809 Michigan Avenue, Wayne, MI 48184, (734) 858-2774.

Contractor Licensing — State LARA License Applies (Wayne County)

No fee applies. Wayne County's own Services/Business page lists no contractor license or registration, residential or commercial, among the county's business services. Contractor licensing and registration in Michigan — for residential builders, maintenance and alteration contractors, electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors alike — is administered by the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), not by county government. The only contractor-facing process Wayne County itself runs is a Contractor Pre-Qualification Application required of firms that want to bid on Wayne County Drain (public-works) construction contracts — a one-time procurement prerequisite tied to county contracting, not a license a contractor needs to operate generally in Wayne County. A contractor still needs a building permit from the city or township where the work occurs, and, for county-road right-of-way work specifically, the county's own Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit recorded separately.

Residential Builder License

Michigan licenses residential builders and not commercial ones — the construction codes bureau states it directly — so a purely commercial contractor needs no state license, while the skilled trades are licensed either way. The qualifier is that a residential builder's definition reaches a combined residential and commercial structure, so mixed projects are inside the regime. Veterans have the application fee waived. A sixty-hour prelicensure course is required, and continuing education is twenty-one hours in each of the first two renewal cycles then three hours thereafter. A company license needs an individual license holder as its qualifying officer, and if that individual lapses the company is suspended. Exemption threshold: an aggregate contract price under $600. A physical Michigan address is required — a post office box will not do.

The other 6 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Wayne County, MI; what each one involves is set out on the Wayne County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MI and are covered on the MI state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Wayne County?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs County Road Right-of-Way Construction Permit, Contractor Licensing — State LARA License Applies (Wayne County) and Residential Builder License. A auto repair shop needs Auto Repair Facility Registration — State Registration Applies (Wayne County), Motor Vehicle Repair Facility Registration and Mechanic Certification, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Wayne County, MI, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops3033
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops8038
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks7037
Restaurants7037
Retail stores2032
Salons and barbers4034
Veterinary clinics4034

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Wayne County permits page and the MI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Construction Permits — county road right-of-way permit processWayne County Department of Public Services, Engineering · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  2. Wayne County Business Services page — lists only Assumed Names, Environmental Safety, Environmental Services and Food Safety as licensing-adjacent county functionsWayne County, Michigan · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-28
  3. Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes — builder license feesMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  4. Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes — builders FAQ, confirming Michigan licenses residential but not commercial buildersMichigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.