Michigan's MDOT-prequalified contractors: 458 firms, with metro Detroit counties on top

To bid as a prime on Michigan Department of Transportation projects, a contractor must be prequalified, and each call on MDOT's letting lists the classification required. MDOT publishes its prequalified contractors list online. This site loaded the list to start its Michigan contractor directory, which holds 458 prequalified firms with Michigan addresses.

Where they are

• Wayne: 49
• Oakland: 45
• Macomb: 43
• Kent: 29
• Livingston: 17
• Ottawa: 17
• Allegan: 16
• Jackson: 15

The three metro Detroit counties, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb, have 137 firms together, about 30% of the total. Kent County (Grand Rapids) is fourth. West Michigan's Ottawa and Allegan counties and Livingston County, between Detroit and Lansing, also rank high.

How prequalification shows up in bids

MDOT's Notice of Advertisement gives each call a "net classification required." For example, the Dec. 4, 2026 reconstruction of M-49 in Camden requires "17341 Ea or Comb/Jt. 17341 Fa, K," and the notice says a prime not prequalified in the project's subclassifications must use prequalified subcontractors designated before award. Contractors apply for prequalification through MDOT.

What is not on the list

Michigan licenses residential builders and residential maintenance and alteration contractors through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and licenses skilled trades separately. LARA offers online license lookups; complete licensee lists are available through a paid public records request. This site has not bought those lists, so licensed builders and trade contractors that do not work for MDOT are not yet in the Michigan directory. Any Michigan contractor can add a free listing.

Licensing matters for getting paid. Under MCL 339.2412, a person or company required to be licensed as a residential builder or maintenance and alteration contractor cannot bring or maintain a lawsuit to collect compensation for work that required a license without alleging and proving it was licensed during the work. Owners should check a builder's license on LARA before hiring.

About the data

Only firms with Michigan addresses matched to a county are counted here. The list was retrieved Oct. 30, 2026. Prequalification changes over time, so check MDOT's current list before relying on it.

Use the directory

Each firm has a basic listing on its county hub. Prequalified firms can claim their listing free to add trades, service areas and contacts. Owners and primes can search by county in the GC Finder.

The Nov. 6 letting alone has 71 calls, and nine are in Wayne County, so metro Detroit's prequalified firms have plenty of nearby work to pursue.

By MDOT region

MDOT is organized into seven regions. By region, the 458 firms break down like this:

• Metro Region: 137
• Grand Region: 86
• Bay Region: 76
• University Region: 69
• Superior Region: 34
• North Region: 33
• Southwest Region: 23

The Metro Region (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties) has the most, followed by the Grand Region around Grand Rapids. The Superior Region covers the Upper Peninsula and has 34 firms.

Small businesses

MDOT's list marks firms that are in its Small Business Program. In this directory, 72 of the 458 carry that flag. The most are in Wayne County (16) and Oakland County (7). On the Nov. 6 letting, 18 calls have an SBP participation goal, and one is open only to MDOT-approved small businesses as prime.

By city and trade

By mailing address, Grand Rapids has the most firms (19), followed by Utica (12), Detroit (11), Jackson (9), and Brighton and Sterling Heights (8 each). This site tags each firm with a trade based on its MDOT listing: 253 are tagged bridge and highway, 73 site work and excavation, 39 concrete, 29 paving and asphalt and 19 electrical. MDOT's own list is the authority on what a firm is prequalified to do.

Get listed

Listings built from public lists show only what the source publishes: name, city, county and the license or prequalification entry. A firm that claims its free listing can add trades, service areas, a description and contact details.