Basement waterproofing permits in Michigan, city by city

The state rule, and where it stops

Michigan has no page that says in plain words that waterproofing, underpinning or crawl space work needs a building permit. What it has is the base code. Section R105.1 requires a permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure and to install or repair plumbing, gas, mechanical or electrical systems. Michigan’s R 408.30505 lists what is exempt, and it names accessory sheds up to 200 square feet, fences, low retaining walls, driveways and sidewalks, and finish work such as painting and tiling. Foundation repair and waterproofing are not on that list, which is our reading of it. Whether your particular job counts is decided by the building official in your city.

All ten cities in this guide enforce the code themselves, so what each city prints is the useful information. What follows is what we read on October 19, 2026.

What ten cities print

City	What the city prints	Fees as printed
Ann Arbor	Fee sheet has an explicit line: basement waterproofing is the same as a building permit and requires Grading Plan Review and a Grading Permit based on estimated construction cost.	Base application $15; permit $100 plus $10 per $1,000 of cost for $1,000 to $50,000; plan examination 20% of the permit fee; $35 per extra inspection. Sheet revised July 15, 2025.
Dearborn	Renovation sheet lists “waterproofing of basement interior and exterior systems” as work needing a Renovation permit.	Processing fee $100; permit $100 minimum then $15 per $1,000; plan review $1 per $1,000 (the sheet says it includes waterproofing); plumbing lines for sub-soil drains $15 and sumps $15, trade minimum $180.
Livonia	A “Residential Basement Waterproofing Application Checklist” calls for a building permit, plan review, two sets of drawings, and a plumbing permit.	$45 administration fee; building and plan review fees are “based on construction cost” and we did not find the schedule.
Sterling Heights	Plumbing fee chart names basement waterproofing, radon, sump and sump-to-storm lines. The plan review checklist is based on the 2015 code.	Application $55; basement waterproofing $55; sump $25; sump connection to storm sewer $57; radon $125; backwater valve $25. 2026-2027 chart.
Warren	Plumbing permit application lists basement waterproofing and sump lines. The building list names additions and alterations but not foundation repair.	Basement waterproofing $80; sump $25; backwater valve $10; interior storm drain $80; permit total at least $80. Building sheet dated March 26, 2014.
Westland	Plumbing form lists “interior perimeter subsoil ground water drainage and sump pit”. No page names foundation repair.	Subsoil drain and sump pit $50; sump pump $20; backwater valve $25; $100 administration fee; minimum permit $100. Revised July 1, 2026.
Grand Rapids	Says a building permit is required for any project that changes the structure of a house; lists no foundation line.	Sump, catch basin or roof drain $5 each; backwater valve $5. Building permit $79 for $1 to $1,000 of value, $215 for $20,001 to $21,000.
Lansing	Application lists “Alteration” and “Repair”. No page names foundation or waterproofing.	$175 for $4,001 to $10,000 of value; 20% plan review above $3,000. Effective July 1, 2026.
Troy	Residential requirements cover new construction and additions. Nothing on foundation repair or waterproofing.	We could not read Troy’s current fee schedule.
Detroit	Pages blocked our reader.	Nothing read.

Some notes on reading that table. Warren’s building-permit schedule is a 2014 sheet, so ask for the current one. Livonia’s checklist also calls for an engineering permit and bond if the work is in the right of way or connects to the storm sewer, and Westland requires an Engineering permit for any connection to a storm water structure. Sump discharge rules are their own topic, covered in sump pump and drainage rules.

A fee example from Ann Arbor’s printed formula, by our arithmetic: an $8,000 job costs $15 plus $100 plus $10 for each $1,000, or $195, before the 20% plan examination charge. That is the city’s fee, not a contractor’s price. Dearborn’s formula on the same job comes to roughly $335 before plumbing permits, again our arithmetic.

Why waterproofing is plumbing and building at once

Look at the table again and you will see the pattern. Cities that name waterproofing often do it on the plumbing side, because an interior drain and sump pit connects to drainage. Warren, Sterling Heights, Westland and Dearborn put the line on a plumbing form. Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Livonia put it on a building permit. So one job can need two permits and two licenses: the builder or maintenance and alteration craft for the structure, and plumbing for the pit and discharge. A waterproofing contractor holding only a maintenance and alteration license is not a plumber, and that is the first question to ask about who will pull which permit.

Who may pull the permit

A contractor charging $600 or more for labor and materials needs a LARA residential builder or maintenance and alteration license, and a craft that covers the work: “waterproofing a basement” is a named craft. An owner doing work on their own occupied home does not need the license. Sterling Heights’ form carries a homeowner affidavit that says the owner must follow the code, not cover work before inspection and arrange inspections. Dearborn’s page lists a homeowner affidavit form too, and says contractors must hold a state license and register with the City Clerk. Grand Rapids lets homeowners do their own work with the permits but says landlords generally must hire a licensed and registered contractor, and it notes that permit and inspection records are public and can surface during a home sale. Read how to check a builder license before you accept a contractor’s word.

What skipping the permit can cost

Cities print their own penalties. Warren says doing work without permits may result in fines up to $1,000. Westland charges $110 plus the permit fee for installations made without a permit. Dearborn charges a $100 investigative fee for trade work done without a permit. Grand Rapids lists an administrative fee of $173 for working before a permit. These are fees on the permit counter, separate from any trouble at resale. Michigan’s Seller Disclosure form asks about structural alterations or repairs made without necessary permits or licensed contractors.

How to ask your own city

Call or write the building department, not the contractor, and ask in this order:

1. Does basement waterproofing, a new interior drain or a crawl space repair at my address need a building permit, a plumbing permit, or both?
2. Does the city want a grading plan or an engineering permit for the sump discharge?
3. Who may apply, and is there a homeowner affidavit?
4. What is the current fee for a job of about this size, and what does it include?
5. Which edition of the residential code do you enforce? (Our code guide explains why you are asking.)

Get the answers in writing or note the name and date. The state’s Single State Construction Code Act gives the enforcing agency 10 business days to grant or deny a complete building permit application.

Before you sign

Ask the contractor which permits the price includes and who pulls them. LARA’s own contract checklist says the contract should state that the contractor will obtain all required building permits. If the answer is “you will not need one,” ask which city office said so. Basement waterproofing lists the questions to ask about the job itself.