Michigan contractor licensing: residential builder licenses, trade licenses and MDOT prequalification
Michigan licenses residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors through LARA. Commercial general contractors are not licensed statewide; MDOT prequalifies highway primes.
Michigan's Occupational Code (Article 24) licenses residential builders and residential maintenance and alteration contractors, administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). An unlicensed person who needed a license cannot sue in a Michigan court to collect compensation for that work (MCL 339.2412). Electrical, plumbing and mechanical trades are licensed separately. Commercial general contracting has no statewide license.
Highway work: MDOT prequalification
MDOT prequalifies contractors by work classification. Each advertisement states the net classification a prime needs for that project. MDOT's prequalified contractors list showed 458 firms with Michigan addresses on October 30, 2026; they seed this site.
Paid data
LARA sells full licensee lists through a records request; we have not bought them. Any Michigan contractor can add a free listing here.
See how to bid MDOT contracts.
Summary for general information, reviewed 2026-10-30. Not legal advice; check the source before relying on a deadline or threshold.
More guides: How to bid MDOT construction contracts 路 Michigan's Construction Lien Act 路 Selling to Michigan government 路 County hubs