Do you need a license to work as a handyman in Saginaw, MI?

Q: Do you need a license to work as a handyman in Saginaw, MI?

Michigan's small-job figure is $600. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits. Saginaw requires a City General Business License (Code § 110.37) from the City Clerk for all businesses doing business in the city; get it within 15 days of starting (50% late charge). Nonresident contractors owe Saginaw city income tax on earnings over $750 from work in the city. Building/mechanical permits from the Inspections Division, 1315 S.

Handyman License Requirements in Saginaw, MI

By Ray Duke, Founder of Bulletproof Handyman · Michigan rules checked November 2, 2026 · Saginaw local rules checked November 2, 2026

Saginaw requires a City General Business License (Code § 110.37) from the City Clerk for all businesses doing business in the city; get it within 15 days of starting (50% late charge). Nonresident contractors owe Saginaw city income tax on earnings over $750 from work in the city. Building/mechanical permits from the Inspections Division, 1315 S.

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Saginaw requirements

Source link: cityofsaginawmi.gov · codelibrary.amlegal.com · saginaw-mi.com · checked November 2, 2026

Local business license

Depends

Name: City of Saginaw General Business License (Code of Ordinances § 110.37)
Applies when: CONDITIONAL
Office: City Clerk's Office, Saginaw City Hall, 1315 S. Washington Ave (fee paid to Finance Director); fee schedule on file with City Clerk
Fee: Not stated online (schedule 'on file in the Office of the City Clerk'); 50% late charge if not obtained within 15 days of commencing business; license year June 1 - May 30

"If doing business in the City of Saginaw, all businesses are required to have a City business license. Contact the City Clerk's office for application."

Source: cityofsaginawmi.gov · checked November 2, 2026

Local contractor or handyman license

Our check could not confirm this from an official page, so we don't state it. Ask the city or county office.

County: Saginaw County

The Michigan rule

Regulator: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes - Residential Builders' and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors' licensing (Article 24, Occupational Code). Trades: LARA Bureau of Construction Codes under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407).

$600

Michigan job-size figure

MCL 339.2403(f): no license needed for '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.' Strictly LESS THAN $600 (so $600.00 exactly requires a license). Exemption void if the work is part of a larger operation or split into contracts under $600 to evade the act. Other exemptions: owner for own use/occupancy; rental-property owner for maintenance/alteration of own rental; subs working solely under contract with a licensed builder/M&A contractor; licensed electrical/plumbing/mechanical contractors within their trade.

What counts toward it: labor+materials

"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."

Source: legislature.mi.gov · checked November 2, 2026

State registration

Individual Residential Builder or Individual M&A Contractor license application $195 per LARA form BCC-2000 (relicensure $185); 60-hour LARA-approved prelicensure course required (waivable in some cases) plus state exam. No separate state registration tier found.

Source: michigan.gov · checked November 2, 2026

Forming an LLC in Michigan

State filing fee: $50.