A house in Dearborn and a house in Livonia can list for the same price, show the same square footage, and clear the same mortgage underwriting in the same number of days. Then one of them follows a different process: the city requires a point-of-sale inspection before closing. Livonia's published guidance centers on new construction, not routine resale.
Most people assume a home closing runs on one clock: the lender's. In parts of Wayne County, it runs on two. The second clock belongs to the local building department, and it doesn't care what date is typed into the purchase agreement.
The rule that isn't on the listing sheet
Nothing about a property's condition, price, or age tells you whether it falls under a point-of-sale inspection ordinance. The only thing that matters is which city line it sits inside. Four cities in this stretch of Wayne County illustrate just how differently that plays out.
| City | What triggers it | Fee | What you get | What happens if repairs aren't done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dearborn | Dearborn code covers every sale or transfer, including land contracts | Set by inspection type | Dearborn's buying-a-house guidance says the Certificate of Occupancy is issued in the buyer's name | Dearborn's buying-and-selling FAQ allows a compliance agreement signed at closing in lieu of the C/O |
| Westland | Westland's Buying or Selling a Home guidance covers every home sale or transfer | $225 application fee | Certificate of Approval, valid six months | Buyer purchases a $40 Approval Letter to Close plus a signed Remaining Violations Disclosure Form |
| Flat Rock | Flat Rock's Certificate of Occupancy for Resale guidance covers every residential resale (since July 2020) | $200 inspection fee | Certificate of Occupancy after passing inspection | Temporary Certificate of Occupancy with an Affidavit to Assume Repairs, up to three months to finish |
| Livonia | New construction and major projects, per Livonia's new home guidebook | Varies by project | Certificate of Occupancy | Published guidance centers on new construction, not routine existing-home resale |
Three of these four cities built an entire administrative process around the moment a house changes hands. The fourth didn't.
Dearborn: the certificate has your name on it
Dearborn's ordinance is direct about who it applies to. Under the city's code, it is unlawful for an owner, agent, lender, title company, broker, or salesperson to help consummate a sale or transfer of real property in the city, land contracts included, without first presenting the buyer with a Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Department of Economic Development.
The certificate is put in the buyer's name once issued, and the city's own guidance walks sellers through what happens next. A city inspector completes a pre-sale inspection, the seller receives a report of every code violation found, and Dearborn's home-selling guidance gives the seller one year from the date of that inspection to correct everything and pass a re-inspection. If the violations aren't fixed by closing, the transaction can still proceed through a compliance agreement that the buyer signs in lieu of the certificate, which is the mechanism behind most "as is" sales in the city.
There's a second timer running underneath that one. Once a property is actually approved for occupancy, the certificate is only good for six months for closing purposes. If the sale hasn't closed within that window, the certificate expires. A seller who orders the inspection too early in a slow-moving deal can find themselves paying for a second one simply because the calendar moved past them.
Dearborn also requires a carbon monoxide check on heating equipment as part of this process, performed by a licensed heating and cooling contractor.
Westland: a different rulebook, another closing option
Westland's version runs on its own paperwork but solves the same underlying problem. A seller files a Home Sale or Transfer Application and pays a $225 fee, and a city housing inspector completes a code inspection of the property. The heating system has to be tested and certified separately by a licensed contractor before final approval is granted.
If the seller finishes the process and passes, the city issues a Certificate of Approval, and it's good for six months. If the seller doesn't get through it in time, the deal doesn't have to stall. The buyer can purchase a $40 Approval Letter to Close and sign a Remaining Violations Disclosure Form, and the sale proceeds.
The $40 letter is a separate closing option, not a substitute for the application and inspection; the disclosure form records the remaining violations.
Flat Rock: the newest addition to the list
Flat Rock didn't always require this. The city council approved resale inspections on all residential homes starting July 6, 2020, which makes it one of the more recent additions to this pattern in the area. The process now runs on a $200 fee.
If the seller and buyer agree that the buyer will handle the remaining repairs instead, Flat Rock has a specific path for that too: a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy paired with a signed Affidavit to Assume Repairs. New owners get up to three months to finish. Anything flagged as a life safety issue on the report, marked LS, has to be corrected before anyone occupies the home regardless of which path is chosen.
Livonia: betting the certificate matters most at the start
Livonia's building department materials describe a Certificate of Occupancy process built around new construction. The city's own new home guidebook lays out how a C/O gets issued once a house is built and inspected, and notes that state law allows five business days from request to issuance, though the city's normal turnaround runs closer to 24 hours.
Livonia's published new home guidebook focuses on new construction, unlike the resale-specific requirements Dearborn, Westland, and Flat Rock publish. If you're moving between an existing home in Livonia and one in Dearborn or Westland, the published materials describe different processes, even though they might be ten minutes apart by car.
What this actually means if you're closing soon
The three cities describe different ways for a sale to proceed when repairs remain: Dearborn's compliance agreement, Westland's Approval Letter to Close, and Flat Rock's Temporary Certificate with an assumption-of-repairs affidavit. Each option has its own paperwork and requirements.
For a seller in Dearborn, Westland, or Flat Rock, those options for handling unfinished repairs don't remove the need to plan for the inspection itself: schedule it the moment the home goes on the market, not after an offer is accepted. Waiting until you're under contract to find out what a city inspector will flag turns a routine repair list into a closing-date negotiation.
For a buyer comparing homes across these city lines, the purchase agreement should specify who is responsible for a fresh inspection if the timeline slips, and whether an as-is path through a compliance agreement or letter to close is something you're prepared to accept. A six-month-old Certificate of Approval in Westland or a lapsed Certificate of Occupancy in Dearborn can turn a closing that was two weeks out into one that's two months out.
None of this shows up in a listing description, a home value estimate, or a portal search filter. It shows up the first time your closing date bumps into a city inspector's calendar.
If you're weighing a move within this stretch of Wayne County, it's worth having someone walk the timeline with you before you write an offer, not after. Helm & Associates works this corridor regularly and can tell you upfront which of these ordinances applies to the specific address you're looking at. You can browse current listings in the area, get a sense of what selling here actually involves, or request a free home value estimate before you set a closing date you might not be able to keep.
A few questions worth asking before you sign
Does every city in Wayne County require a pre-sale inspection? No. Dearborn, Westland, and Flat Rock each publish resale-specific inspection requirements. Livonia's published guidance centers on new construction rather than a blanket resale ordinance.
Can I still sell my house as-is if it doesn't pass inspection? In most cases, yes. Dearborn allows a compliance agreement in lieu of a Certificate of Occupancy, Westland allows a buyer-purchased Approval Letter to Close, and Flat Rock allows a Temporary Certificate paired with an affidavit assuming repairs. Each comes with its own paperwork.
How long is a certificate good for once it's issued? Westland's Certificate of Approval and Dearborn's Certificate of Occupancy for closing purposes are both valid for six months from approval. If your sale doesn't close inside that window, expect to pay for a new inspection.
Who should schedule the inspection? In Dearborn, Westland, and Flat Rock, the inspection is part of the process, and a real estate agent often handles scheduling. Doing it before you list, rather than after you accept an offer, is the difference between a manageable repair list and a closing-date scramble.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
