Bathroom Remodel — Michigan license requirements
01 The project
The starting point is the work itself — Bathroom Remodel in Michigan. The job determines which trades are involved, and the trades determine which license classifications may be required.
| Component | Trade |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | Plumbing |
| Electrical | Electrical |
| Tile | Tile |
| Framing | Framing |
| Drywall | Drywall |
| Painting | Painting |
02 Jurisdiction
This project is evaluated for Michigan — the no-GC-licence state. There is no statewide general-contractor licence: the individual Residential Builder and Maintenance & Alteration Contractor licences (Article 24, MCL 339.2401 et seq.) cover the residential structure — a detached 1- or 2-family dwelling or a townhouse of not more than 3 stories — and the skilled trades run on their own articles of the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (electrical Art. 7, mechanical Art. 8, plumbing Art. 11). The statute's only dollar figure is the $600 anti-splitting exemption, and permits come from the local building department. Michigan jurisdiction page.
Local building and permit fees were not read — LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED — and the RB/M&A PSI examination fee plus the initial master-plumber and plumbing-contractor licence amounts are unpublished (NOT_VERIFIED). Michigan imposes no surety bond and no state general-liability minimum on these credentials (verified absences), but the WDCA workers' compensation rule bites at 3+ employees (or 1+ at 35+ hours/week for 13+ weeks). Inside the City of Detroit the electrical credential is issued locally. State requirements are not the complete story for any city or township.
03 Trade → license
Relations below are recorded per state — only this jurisdiction's classifications are shown.
Trades involved: Plumbing, Electrical, Tile, Framing, Drywall, Painting.
- May require MA-CONTRACTOR — Residential Maintenance & Alteration (M&A) Contractor confirmed S-MI-MCL-2404 rule MI-RB-LICENSEThe M&A licence carries carpentry, concrete, tile and marble, waterproofing (basement) and insulation crafts for the bathroom build-out; the licence specifies the craft held and incidental/supplemental crafts around it are allowed.
- Component basis MECHANICAL-CONTRACTOR — Mechanical Contractor License confirmed S-MI-MECH-APP rule MI-MECHANICAL-CONTRACTORWhere the job touches ducted mechanical equipment or a mechanical exhaust unit, the Mechanical Contractor licence applies ($300 initial; three-year cycle by 8/31).
- May require ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR — Electrical Contractor License confirmed S-MI-LARA-ELEC rule MI-ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTORGFCI circuits, exhaust fans and lighting need the Electrical Contractor licence with an associated Master Electrician; LARA: 'A Master Electrician can only associate with one Electrical Contractor at a time.'
- May require PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR — Plumbing Contractor License confirmed S-MI-MCL-6111 rule MI-PLUMBING-CONTRACTORFixture replacement and re-piping are plumbing installation: Plumbing Contractor licence, examination, and a representing master plumber (named on the application with residence address and licence number); 30 days to redesignate if the master leaves.
04 Scope
What the official sources say about the work involved — typed assertions, never a boolean "covers". Interpretations are marked as such.
- Officially included ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR Electrical Installation Maintenance And Repair As A Business With An Associated Master Electrician (may_perform) Skilled Trades Reg. Act Art. 7; MCL 339.5707 S-MI-LARA-ELEC MCL 339.2403(g) exempts this licensee from Article 24 for electrical work only — see SCOPE-MI-TRADE-CONTRACTORS-NON-TRADE-WORK.
- Officially included MECHANICAL-CONTRACTOR Mechanical Installation Maintenance And Repair As A Business (may_perform) Skilled Trades Reg. Act Art. 8, MCL 339.5801–5819 S-MI-MECH-APP MCL 339.2403(i) exempts this licensee from Article 24 for mechanical work only.
- Requires another classification ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR Article 24 Licence For The Non Electrical Scope Of A Residential Project (requires) MCL 339.2403(g)-(i) S-MI-MCL-2403 The same B_requires_other_class determination applies to michigan:plumbing-contractor (for (h)) and michigan:mechanical-contractor (for (i)) — one row per trade pair would duplicate the verbatim text, so the single row carries all three citations.
- Officially excluded ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR State Article 7 Licensing Authority Inside The City Of Detroit (may_not_perform) LARA electrical page (official local carve-out) S-MI-LARA-ELEC The one verified local licensing carve-out read this phase; every other locality remains LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED (research §I item 5).
- Officially included MA-CONTRACTOR Repair Alteration Addition Improvement Wrecking Or Demolition Of A Residential Structure Plus Garage Building And Residential Concrete (may_perform) MCL 339.2404(3); MCL 339.2401(b) S-MI-MCL-2404 The M&A licence carries the twelve statutory crafts and the garage/concrete activities; roof, siding, masonry and carpentry work on a residential structure sits here rather than under the RB licence when the contract is repair/alteration.
- Officially included PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR Plumbing Installation Maintenance And Repair As A Business Under Master Plumber Representation (may_perform) MCL 339.6111(1)-(7) S-MI-MCL-6111 MCL 339.2403(h) exempts this licensee from Article 24 for plumbing work only.
- Not determined ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR Examination Status CONFLICT-MI-001 Preserved From Two Official Sources (requires) MCL 339.5707(1); LARA electrical page; form BCC-974 S-MI-LARA-ELEC Both sides are official — CONFLICT-MI-001 is preserved UNRESOLVED.
05 Requirements
| Requirement | Kind | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acting as a residential builder or M&A contractor in Michigan requires an Article 24 licence unless an exemption applies MCL 339.2403 opening paragraph verbatim (read 2026-10-05) | license | MCL 339.2403 (read verbatim 2026-10-05): 'Notwithstanding article 6, a person may engage in the business of or act in the capacity of a residential builder or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor or salesperson in this state without a license under this article, IF the person is 1 of the following' — the nine enumerated exemptions (a)–(i). Every person outside those nine exemptions needs the licence, which LARA issues only after the 60-hour prelicensure education, the PSI examination and the $195 application (MCL 339.2404; LARA prelicensure page). | S-MI-MCL-2403Source S-MI-MCL-2403 — Michigan Legislature — Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov)MCL 339.2403 — Acting as a residential builder or M&A contractor without a license (the exemptions, incl. the $600 anti-splitting rule) — MCL 339.2403 opening paragraph verbatim (read 2026-10-05) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-339-2403 Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim exemptions (a)-(i): authorized representatives of government; an owner of property as to a structure for the owner's own use and occupancy; an owner of rental property as to maintenance and alteration of that rental property; an officer of a court within scope; a person (other than a salesperson) working solely under contract with a licensed RB or M&A contractor; 'a person that is working on 1 undertaking or project by 1 or more contracts, if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00' — void where the work is part of a larger or major operation or the operation is divided into sub-$600 contracts 'to evade this act'; licensed electrical contractors (Art. 7) for electrical work only; licensed plumbing contractors (Art. 11) for plumbing work only; licensed mechanical contractors (Art. 8) for mechanical work only. Amended 2016 PA 412, effective 2017-04-04. |
| Plumbing contractor licence — hold or employ a master plumber, pass the examination, supervise jointly MCL 339.6111(1)-(7) verbatim (read 2026-10-05) | license | MCL 339.6111 verbatim: 'To qualify for a plumbing contractor license, the applicant must either hold a master plumber license or employ the holder of a master plumber license as his or her representative'; 'Only an individual who is a sole proprietor, a partner in a partnership, an officer of a corporation, or a member of a limited liability company, may apply'; the application lists the representing master's 'name, residence address, and license number'; the applicant 'pays the applicable examination fee established under section 207 and passes an examination provided for by the board and the department.' LARA adds: 'The contractor license will not be issued without master plumber representation.' | S-MI-MCL-6111Source S-MI-MCL-6111 — Michigan Legislature — Michigan Compiled Laws (legislature.mi.gov)MCL 339.6111 — Plumbing contractor license; master plumber representation; branch offices — MCL 339.6111(1)-(7) verbatim (read 2026-10-05) https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-339-6111 Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim: 'To qualify for a plumbing contractor license, the applicant must either hold a master plumber license or employ the holder of a master plumber license as his or her representative'; only a sole proprietor, partner, corporate officer or LLC member may apply; the application lists the representing master plumber's name, residence address and license number; the applicant 'pays the applicable examination fee established under section 207 and passes an examination provided for by the board and the department' and pays the license fee 'described in article 4'; branch offices allowed with a licensed master plumber in charge of each; contractor and master are jointly and severally responsible for supervision; if the representing master leaves, the contractor has 30 days to designate another master plumber and notify the department in writing. |
| An Electrical Contractor licence (with an associated Master Electrician) is required to do electrical business LARA electrical page verbatim + MCL 339.5707(7) (read 2026-10-05) | license | LARA verbatim: 'Electrical Contractor License — This is required if you want to do business as an electrician.' 'You need to either hold a Master Electrician license or hire someone who holds a Master Electrician license … A Master Electrician can only associate with one Electrical Contractor at a time. Without a Master Electrician, an Electrical Contractor's license is put on hold.' MCL 339.5707(7): the licence 'expires December 31 of every third year' with a $300.00 three-year renewal fee. | S-MI-LARA-ELECSource S-MI-LARA-ELEC — Electrical Administrative Board (Article 7, Skilled Trades Regulation Act)Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information (LARA BCC) — LARA electrical page verbatim + MCL 339.5707(7) (read 2026-10-05) Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Verbatim: 'Electrical Contractor License — This is required if you want to do business as an electrician'; requires an associated Master Electrician (a master may associate with only one contractor; without a master the contractor license 'is put on hold'); 'There is no test required to be an Electrical Contractor, but you still have to apply for the license'; header note 'we no longer require an examination for Electrical Contractor, Fire Alarm Contractor, or Sign Contractor license. Examinations are conducted by PSI' — while the linked application is titled 'Application for Electrical/Fire Alarm/Sign Contractor Examination and License' and MCL 339.5707(1) prices a $100 examination fee (CONFLICT-MI-001). 'Michigan does not hold reciprocity with any other state/country.' 'If you live in the City of Detroit, they issue their own licenses and registrations locally.' Exams based on the 2023 National Electrical Code / 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. |
| Mechanical contractor licence — $300 initial, PSI examination, three-year cycle by 8/31 MECHANICAL-APP form + renewals page verbatim (read 2026-10-05) | license | The official MECHANICAL-APP form verbatim: 'INITIAL Mechanical Contractor License/Classification $300.00'; 'Adding classification in first year of license cycle $300.00 / second year $200.00 / third year $100.00'; 'Pursuant to statute, the license fee must be paid at time of application. The application fee is non-refundable.' Veterans are exempt from the initial licensing fee under MCL 339.5417. LARA's renewals page: 'You must renew every three (3) years by 8/31 … It is $300.00 to renew your license. If you do not renew before your license expires, you have to pay a $100.00 late fee … If your mechanical contractor license is expired more than 3 years, you will need to re-apply and re-test.' | S-MI-MECH-APPSource S-MI-MECH-APP — Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Licensing SectionApplication for Mechanical Contractor Examination & Licensing (LARA BCC) — MECHANICAL-APP form + renewals page verbatim (read 2026-10-05) Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Official form read 2026-10-05. Fees verbatim: 'INITIAL Mechanical Contractor License/Classification $300.00'; 'Adding classification in first year of license cycle $300.00'; 'second year of license cycle $200.00'; 'third year of license cycle $100.00'; Veteran Exemption (MCL 339.5417) — fee waived. 'Pursuant to statute, the license fee must be paid at time of application. The application fee is non-refundable.' Applicants are notified by PSI to schedule the examination; the examination fee is paid to PSI. |
| Building permits are local, under the Michigan Residential Code Consumer guide + Michigan Residential Code Notification (read 2026-10-05) | permit | Michigan publishes no statewide building-permit process on the pages read: the Michigan Residential Code Notification (2018-01-30) records that 'Pursuant to MCL 125.1504(6) the department has determined to not update the Michigan residential code,' and LARA's co-branded consumer guide instructs consumers to confirm 'local regulations, permit requirements' and states 'The contractor should handle permits.' Permits are therefore issued and enforced by the local building department for the municipality where the project sits, and any permit-fee answer is LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED. | S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDESource S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDE — Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Licensing SectionMichigan Co-Branded Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Projects (LARA) — Consumer guide + Michigan Residential Code Notification (read 2026-10-05) Retrieved 2026-10-05 · last verified 2026-10-05 Official consumer guide linked from the Licensing Section page, read 2026-10-05: 'Verify contractor licenses or registrations with state licensing agencies'; 'The contractor should handle permits'; 'Confirm the contractor's insurance coverage'; 'Consider performance bonds for large projects' (consumer choice, defined as 'a financial guarantee that protects project' performance — NOT a licensing condition); glossary defines License, Bond and Permit; warns about unlicensed/unsolicited contractors and contractors with 'no insurance or contracts.' No dollar threshold appears anywhere in the guide. |
06 Rule: MI-RB-LICENSE
Article 24 licensing: a person may act as a residential builder or M&A contractor without a licence ONLY inside MCL 339.2403's nine exemptions (MI-EXEMPTIONS). RB covers the erection, construction, repair, alteration or addition of a residential structure for compensation other than wages for personal labor only; M&A covers repair, alteration or improvement, building a garage, laying concrete on residential property and serial flipping, carrying the twelve statutory crafts.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| construction-new-or-whole | residential_builder_license_required |
|
| repair-alteration | ma_license_required |
|
| labor-only-wages | outside_license_scope |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MCL-2403S-MI-MCL-2401S-MI-MCL-2404
07 Rule: MI-MECHANICAL-CONTRACTOR
Mechanical Contractor licence (Skilled Trades Reg. Act Art. 8): 'INITIAL Mechanical Contractor License/Classification $300.00'; adding a classification $300/$200/$100 by cycle year; PSI examination with the exam fee paid to PSI; renewal every three years by 8/31 at $300 (+$100 late); re-apply and re-test beyond 3 years expired (LARA). MCL 339.2403(i) exempts the licensee from Article 24 for mechanical work only.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| mechanical-business | mechanical_contractor_license_required |
|
| expired-over-3-years | reapply_and_retest |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MECH-APPS-MI-LARA-RENEWALS
08 Rule: MI-ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTOR
LARA verbatim: 'Electrical Contractor License — This is required if you want to do business as an electrician.' The licence needs an associated Master Electrician (one master per contractor; without one the licence is on hold), costs $300 for the three-year cycle expiring December 31 of every third year (MCL 339.5707(7)), and is the licence MCL 339.2403(g) exempts from Article 24 for electrical work only.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| electrical-business | electrical_contractor_license_required |
|
| master-not-associated | license_on_hold |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-LARA-ELECS-MI-MCL-5707
09 Rule: MI-PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR
MCL 339.6111 verbatim: 'To qualify for a plumbing contractor license, the applicant must either hold a master plumber license or employ the holder of a master plumber license as his or her representative' — only a sole proprietor, partner, corporate officer or LLC member may apply, the application names the representing master, the examination is passed and the licence fee paid; LARA: 'The contractor license will not be issued without master plumber representation.' Renewal: three years by 4/30 at $300 (+$100 late).
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| plumbing-business | plumbing_contractor_license_required |
|
| master-leaves | redesignate_master_within_30_days |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-MCL-6111S-MI-LARA-RENEWALS
10 Rule: MI-LOCAL-PERMIT
Michigan publishes no statewide permit process: permits are issued by the local building department under the Michigan Residential Code (LARA's 2018 notification records the MCL 125.1504(6) decision), and LARA's consumer guide says 'The contractor should handle permits' while telling consumers to confirm 'local regulations, permit requirements'. Permit fee answers are LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED.
| Outcome | Conclusion | Caveats |
|---|---|---|
| local-permit | local_permit_required |
|
Rule confidence: confirmed. Missing inputs produce NOT_DETERMINED — never a forced answer. Sources: S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDES-MI-MRC
11 The three-credential choreography
| Portion of the job | Michigan credential | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The build-out (carpentry, tile, waterproofing, insulation) | M&A licence — the craft list is carried on the licence and must specify the craft held | S-MI-MCL-2403 |
| Fixtures, drains, supply | Plumbing Contractor licence + representing master plumber (named with residence address and licence number); 30 days to redesignate if the master leaves | S-MI-MCL-6111 |
| GFCI circuits, fans, lighting | Electrical Contractor licence — 'A Master Electrician can only associate with one Electrical Contractor at a time' | S-MI-LARA-ELEC |
| Ducted exhaust / mechanical equipment | Mechanical Contractor licence ($300 initial; 8/31 three-year cycle) | S-MI-MECH-APP |
| The permit | local building department — 'The contractor should handle permits' | S-MI-CONSUMER-GUIDE |
Note: the $600 anti-splitting exemption (Project under $600 aggregate contract price — licence not required, with the anti-splitting rule)and the local permit layer (Building permits are local, under the Michigan Residential Code) are stated in full on the Michigan jurisdiction page.