Welcome to your daily briefing on construction developments in Michigan. Today we're covering 7 key stories including updates on michigan construction headlines, background & context. Let's dive in.
4 stories
The city of Detroit, Michigan has launched an open data portal that includes a summary of building permits.
MI construction professionals can access permit data to identify project trends, track market activity, and benchmark against local building patterns.
A video guide outlines the step-by-step process for obtaining a general contractor license in Michigan.
Michigan construction professionals need clear licensing guidance to operate legally and grow their businesses in the state.
The Builders Exchange offers a construction project database that highlights the expertise and hard work behind every finished building project.
MI construction professionals can leverage this database to discover new project opportunities and showcase the industry's behind-the-scenes effort to potential clients.
Procore has published a guide covering the licensing and registration requirements contractors need to operate in Michigan.
Staying compliant with Michigan's contractor licensing rules protects your business from penalties and keeps projects moving without regulatory interruptions.
Connect with contractors and builders
3 stories
In most MI jurisdictions, the lien filing deadline runs from last day on the project OR last delivery of materials, whichever is later — but several states use a project-wide cutoff (substantial completion) regardless of when your specific work ended. Counting the wrong start date is the leading cause of waived liens.
A blown lien deadline drops your collateral down to a personal-guaranty claim, which often means recovery cents on the dollar. The window is short — 60 to 120 days in most states.
"Substantial completion" is achieved when the owner can occupy the project for its intended use — not when a punch list is finished or a percentage is hit. The status starts warranty clocks, transfers risk of loss, and triggers retention release in most contracts. Disputes over whether SC has been achieved are common at month-end.
Premature certification of substantial completion commits the contractor to warranty coverage on incomplete work; delayed certification gives the owner leverage to extend retention. The legal definition controls, not the status meeting.
"Pay-when-paid" sets a timing condition only — the GC must still pay even if the owner never does. "Pay-if-paid" creates a true condition precedent — no owner payment, no GC payment to subs. Many states will not enforce pay-if-paid clauses without unmistakably clear language; ambiguity defaults to pay-when-paid.
The risk allocation between subcontractors and GCs hinges on this one phrase. Subs who sign pay-if-paid contracts effectively underwrite owner credit risk on top of project risk.
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