Cleaning Service Permit Requirements in Detroit, MI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. MI Sales Tax License

   Commercial and residential cleaning services themselves are NOT subject to Michigan sales or use tax — Michigan taxes tangible personal property and only enumerated services (MCL 205.93a), which does not include general cleaning/janitorial services. If you sell cleaning supplies/products at retail, those sales are taxable at 6% and require a Michigan sales tax license from the Department of Treasury.

   Official government source

   Free·1-2 weeks

   Free

   1-2 weeks

2. MI Business Registration (LARA Corporations Division)

   Required by LARA's Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, Corporations Division, for LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. An LLC files Articles of Organization (form CSCL/CD 700); a for-profit corporation files Articles of Incorporation (form CSCL/CD 500). Filings are submitted through the MiBusiness Registry Portal, which replaced the old system on June 23, 2025 and now handles all annual reports and annual statements — LARA no longer accepts paper annual reports or statements. Sole proprietors and general partnerships operating under a trade name do not register an entity; they file an assumed name certificate with the county clerk — the Wayne County Clerk for a Detroit business. Michigan does not license cleaning or janitorial services, so this entity filing is the only state-level registration required.

   Official government source

   LARA's published Filing Fees schedule sets exact amounts, not a range: LLC Articles of Organization (form 700) $50; Professional Service LLC (form 701) $50; a for-profit corporation's Articles of Incorporation (form 500) is a $10 nonrefundable fee plus a share-based organization fee — $50 for 1-60,000 authorized shares (a $60 minimum), $100 for 60,001-1,000,000, $300 for 1,000,001-5,000,000 — so a corporation's total can exceed $100. A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name for an LLC or corporation is $25 (LLC) or $10 (corporation); a sole proprietor's assumed name filing with the Wayne County Clerk is $16 and is separate. Filing fees are waived for qualifying veterans.·LARA publishes no standard processing turnaround for Corporations Division filings. The only timings it publishes are optional expedited tiers, charged in addition to the filing fee: $50 for 24-hour formation/qualification documents, $100 same-day formation, $100 for 24-hour existing-entity documents, $200 same-day existing-entity, $500 two-hour, and $1,000 one-hour. Filing online through the MiBusiness Registry Portal (live since June 23, 2025) is the fastest standard route; mailed filings add transit time, and overnight packages route through the State of Michigan mail center, adding a day or more.

   LARA's published Filing Fees schedule sets exact amounts, not a range: LLC Articles of Organization (form 700) $50; Professional Service LLC (form 701) $50; a for-profit corporation's Articles of Incorporation (form 500) is a $10 nonrefundable fee plus a share-based organization fee — $50 for 1-60,000 authorized shares (a $60 minimum), $100 for 60,001-1,000,000, $300 for 1,000,001-5,000,000 — so a corporation's total can exceed $100. A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name for an LLC or corporation is $25 (LLC) or $10 (corporation); a sole proprietor's assumed name filing with the Wayne County Clerk is $16 and is separate. Filing fees are waived for qualifying veterans.

   LARA publishes no standard processing turnaround for Corporations Division filings. The only timings it publishes are optional expedited tiers, charged in addition to the filing fee: $50 for 24-hour formation/qualification documents, $100 same-day formation, $100 for 24-hour existing-entity documents, $200 same-day existing-entity, $500 two-hour, and $1,000 one-hour. Filing online through the MiBusiness Registry Portal (live since June 23, 2025) is the fastest standard route; mailed filings add transit time, and overnight packages route through the State of Michigan mail center, adding a day or more.

1. City of Detroit Business License (not required for cleaning services)

   Detroit does not require a general business license for commercial activity — BSEED states 'Not all businesses need a license' and licenses only enumerated categories (nightclub/cabaret, vendor, lodging, theater/hall/stadium, amusement, consumer services (bathhouse, massage, tattoo), concert cafe, gas station, motor truck, vehicles for hire, parking lots, valet, cigarette retail, pet shop, second-hand sales, sexually oriented, special event). Cleaning services are not among them, so no Detroit business license applies; state entity registration with LARA and county assumed-name filing still apply.

   Official government source

   $0 — no Detroit business license category covers cleaning services (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025)·N/A

   $0 — no Detroit business license category covers cleaning services (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025)

   N/A

Official Sources

• Detroit BSEED
• MI Department of Treasury - Sales Tax
• MI LARA - Corporations Division

Related Guides