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 operates an open data portal that publishes building permits summaries for public access.
Construction professionals across MI can monitor permit trends, project volumes, and market activity in Detroit to inform bidding and business planning decisions.
ContractorsLiability.com published a video walkthrough explaining how to obtain a general contractor license in Michigan.
Understanding Michigan's licensing requirements helps construction professionals operate legally and avoid costly compliance gaps.
While customers and building inhabitants typically only see the finished product, you know the amount of expertise and hard work that goes into creating.
Relevant to construction professionals operating in MI.
Procore has published a guide covering Michigan's contractor licensing and registration requirements for doing business in the state.
Staying current on licensing obligations helps MI construction professionals avoid penalties and maintain eligibility for projects.
Connect with contractors and builders
3 stories
Most construction contracts require change orders to be in writing, but many states enforce an "oral modification" exception when the parties' conduct shows agreement — especially when the changed work is performed and accepted without protest. Continued performance without written change orders can waive the writing requirement entirely.
Contractors who do extra work hoping to "true it up later" routinely lose those claims because the conduct shows acceptance of the original scope. A signed change order before the work is the cleanest evidence of agreement.
"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.
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.
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