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.
Furnace repair in Dearborn: what to know
Dearborn has no weather station in our set, so we use the Detroit Metro airport normals as the nearest station: about 6,067 heating degree days a year at base 65 F. DTE Gas holds all of Dearborn's natural-gas territory. Of Dearborn homes, 84.0 percent were built before 1980, and the city's pre-sale inspection means a furnace problem can surface when the house is listed.
A replacement needs a mechanical permit from the Economic Development office at the Dearborn Administrative Center, 16901 Michigan Ave, mostly through BS&A Online Services. The October 2025 fee file lists a $100 administrative fee and an $80 minimum, with $50 for a heating system up to 75,000 BTU and $75 up to 500,000 BTU. One rough and one final inspection are included, and a further inspection costs $60.
Permits for furnace repair in Dearborn
LARA's rule says mechanical work needs a permit except for replacement of minor parts, so a repair that swaps a part generally does not, while replacing the furnace does (our reading of LARA's exemption list).
Furnace problems that cannot wait
- You smell gas: leave, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside.
- A carbon monoxide alarm is sounding: get into fresh air, call 911 and stay out until told it is safe (see the carbon monoxide guide).
- Several people have flu-like symptoms without a fever; SEMCO lists headache, fatigue, nausea and dizziness as carbon monoxide symptoms.
- No heat in freezing weather: see emergency HVAC repair.
- A furnace that heats but runs louder than it used to, with no gas smell and no alarm.
Three checks before you call
Try this first: get the quote to say whether it includes the city permit and the two inspections.
- Set the thermostat to heat, above the room temperature, with fresh batteries if it takes them.
- Check the filter and change or clean it; ENERGY STAR says to do this monthly.
- If it still will not start, note any light pattern or code and stop. Do not remove panels or relight anything after a gas smell.
What furnace 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 furnace repair page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $105 to $550 per repair | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan HVAC technician wage ratio (1.00). |
| Technician wage, Michigan mean | $31.01 an hour | Technician pay (BLS, May 2025), not a price. |
| Furnace replacement permit, Grand Rapids | $21 plus a $52 application | Effective July 1, 2026; $73 by our addition. |
| Gas or oil furnace permit, Sterling Heights | $57 up to 75,000 BTU, plus $55 application | 2026-2027 form. |
| Heating system permit, Dearborn | $50 up to 75,000 BTU | Plus $100 administrative fee. |
| Residential furnace permit, Westland | $83 up to 75,000 BTU | Plus $100 administration fee. |
| Residential furnace permit, Warren | $80 | Form dated 4/25/2023; confirm with the city. |
| Residential heating system permit, LARA state | $50 plus a $75 application | Only where the state 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 furnace repair
What is the average lifespan of a furnace?
The federal and ENERGY STAR pages we could read give none. ENERGY STAR does say equipment more than 10 years old should be evaluated by a professional HVAC contractor, which is a reason to ask for an inspection and gives no expiry date.
How much does furnace repair or a service call cost in Michigan?
The first row of the cost table is a statewide estimate, a model and not a quote. The rows below show technician wages, a Michigan mean of $31.01 an hour (BLS, May 2025), which is pay, not a charge. Ask what the visit fee covers and get the repair price in writing before work starts.
What is the $5,000 rule for furnaces?
Contractors and homeowners pass it around, but no federal or state page we read states it. The repair-or-replace tool shows it only as a labeled rule of thumb; ENERGY STAR's 10-year evaluation advice is the sourced alternative.