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City Departments

Building Department

Building in Southfield
photo of man with ladderBefore Starting Construction

Before beginning a building project, whether new construction, alteration or repair, the homeowner and/or builder should be aware that permits may be required. Please call the City of Southfield Building and Safety Engineering Department at (248) 796-4100 for specific information about the permits required for a particular project.

As a general rule, any construction involving a structural change to a building, complete or partial rehabilitation, new or re-roofing, or any new construction, will require a building permit. Work not requiring permits include most routine maintenance and repair, such as painting, caulking, vinyl sheet flooring, carpeting,  new cabinets and tuckpointing.

It is important to note that the City of Southfield and State of Michigan Law requires separate permits for electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. Homeowners should take care to select qualified, licensed and insured contractors to perform this work.

For more information, call the Building Department at (248) 796-4100.
 

Did You Know?

  • Temperature of water and time until skin damage
  • 120°                        4 minutes and 50 seconds
  • 125°                        50 seconds
  • 130°                        15 seconds
  • 135°                        5.5 seconds
  • 140°                        2.6 seconds
  • Greater than 140°     Less than 1 second

  • Residential plans are required to be kept by the Building Department for 10 years. As a courtesy, the plans are returned to the property owner after that time period.

  • The required width of an exit door in a residential home is 3 feet. This dimension was based on the ability to get a coffin through the door.

  • It's OK to be square.....sometimes.
    When the top and bottom are the same length and the sides are identical the job should be square (90 degree angles).

  • The weight of one cubic foot of concrete weighs 150 pounds.

  • The weight of the average house is 40 pounds per square foot.

  • The Building Code of Hammurabi, King of the Babylonian Empire, is the earliest known written Building Code of Law, written in 2200 B.C. It is noted that exact requirements for construction are not given; rather, the code assesses penalties if the building is not properly constructed. An example: In Hammurabi’s kingdom the ultimate penalty for unsafe construction was death.