Dearborn particulars
Selling a house in Dearborn means passing a city inspection first. The city requires a Certificate of Occupancy before closing: an inspector completes a pre-sale inspection, and every cited violation must be corrected and re-inspected. Rentals follow the same inspection on a 3-year cycle. The page describes basic safety and property maintenance and does not list furnace items, so do not assume the furnace is checked. Mechanical permits cover anything that affects heating, air conditioning or ventilation, and most can be filed through BS&A Online Services at the Economic Development office, Dearborn Administrative Center, 16901 Michigan Ave, 311 or 313-943-2150.
The city's October 2025 fee file lists a $100 administrative fee plus an $80 minimum permit fee, with a tandem permit when heating and cooling are pulled together at a $110 minimum. Housing is old: 84.0 percent of homes predate 1980. DTE Electric and DTE Gas are the only utilities whose territory covers the city. Dearborn's nearest station in our table is Detroit Metro airport, at about 6,067 heating degree days (base 65 F).
The Home Rehabilitation Program offers income-qualified owners a zero-interest deferred loan that can cover furnace replacement; it is a loan, not a rebate. Melvindale and Allen Park are close, and our furnace repair page is the place to start.
AC repair in Dearborn: what to know
Dearborn's cooling figure, about 847 degree days a year at base 65 F, comes from the Detroit Metro airport normals as our nearest station. Dearborn's electric territory belongs to DTE Electric alone. Its central AC page pays $100 for a 15.2 to 15.99 SEER2 unit and climbs to $300 at 18 SEER2 or higher, and heat pump rebates there are for electric customers replacing electric heat.
Dearborn prices cooling work separately from heating: air conditioning under five tons carries $30 on the October 2025 file, after the $100 administrative fee. Pulling heating and cooling together becomes a tandem permit with a $110 minimum. LARA excuses the replacement of minor parts from the permit rule, and whether a given repair counts as minor is a question for the city.
Permits for ac repair in Dearborn
LARA's rule says mechanical work cannot start without a permit, except for replacement of minor parts, and its exemption list names window-type air conditioners of not more than 1.5 hp.
When an AC problem cannot wait
- A heat advisory is in effect, the air conditioner is not cooling, and someone in the house is very young, elderly or medically vulnerable to heat.
- Water is leaking from the unit toward a ceiling, a light fixture or the electrical panel.
- The breaker trips again right after you reset it, or you smell burning near the equipment.
- The system cools, but more slowly than last summer.
Checks to run before you call
Try this first: find out whether the unit can be repaired under the minor-parts allowance or needs a permit before the contractor orders anything.
- Set the thermostat to cool, a few degrees below room temperature.
- Change or clean the filter; ENERGY STAR advises doing it monthly.
- Check the breaker for the indoor and outdoor units, and reset a tripped one once only.
- Look for water around the indoor unit, which points at the condensate drain.
- Do not add refrigerant or open the sealed lines. If the breaker trips again, stop and call.
What ac repair costs
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Dearborn in particular. The same table is on the ac repair page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $125 to $745 per repair | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan HVAC technician wage ratio (1.00). |
| HVAC mechanic and installer wage, Michigan mean | $31.01 an hour | What Michigan heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers are paid (BLS, May 2025), not what you are charged. |
| Same occupation, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn mean | $32.06 an hour | Wage, not a price (BLS, May 2025). |
| DTE AC diagnostic tune-up rebate | $75 | DTE's rebate page, read Oct 19, 2026; funds are limited and first come first served. |
| Mechanical permit if repair turns into replacement, Grand Rapids | $21.00 plus a $52.00 application | Replacement air conditioner; fee schedule effective July 1, 2026. Repairing minor parts does not need a permit. |
| Mechanical permit, State of Michigan, split AC | $30 plus a $75 application | Applies only where LARA, not the city, enforces the code. |
How we estimate costs: the figures here are estimates, not quotes, built from BLS wages, published city permit fees and federal energy-cost evidence. We are collecting the prices Michigan heating and cooling companies publish; we have not yet collected quotes from them, and we will say how many and from when once we do. Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Michigan's HVAC technician wage ratio to the US (1.00, BLS May 2025), plus the local permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. We have too few Michigan company prices yet to show a range. Full method.
Questions about ac repair
How often should an air conditioning unit be serviced?
ENERGY STAR recommends annual pre-season check-ups by a contractor, cooling in spring and heating in fall, with filters changed or cleaned monthly. It is advice, and no Michigan rule requires it.
Why is my AC running but not cooling?
The filter, the thermostat setting, the breaker and water near the indoor unit are the first checks. If those look normal, stop there: refrigerant work can only be done by a certified technician, and we cannot diagnose from here.
How much does AC repair cost in Michigan?
We have not collected Michigan quotes, so the first row of the table is a statewide estimate, a model and not a quote. The wage row shows what technicians are paid, not what you are charged. Ask for the diagnostic fee and repair price in writing first.