Farmington Hills particulars
Roughly half of Farmington Hills housing is older than 1980: 53.7 percent of homes were built before then, and older houses tend to carry older furnaces and ductwork. The median home value is $333,200. Homeowners pulling their own mechanical permit face an extra step. Instructions on the Building Division's page, effective August 2026, require a signed, notarized Homeowner Affidavit attached to each BS&A Online permit application, followed by online payment.
Contractors register with the city instead. The page does not name mechanical permit types, so confirm the right category with the division at 248-871-2450, 31555 W. Eleven Mile Road. The city also runs a mandatory Single-Family Rental Dwelling Registration, Safety and Maintenance Inspection Program for rentals. For heat, we use the Detroit Metro airport normals as our nearest station, about 6,067 heating degree days a year (base 65 F). Only DTE Electric reaches Farmington Hills, and the gas is mostly Consumers Energy; confirm by address if you live near a boundary.
A gas furnace replacement points to Consumers Energy's 2026 chart (installs January 1 to December 31, 2026; amounts can change without notice). Farmington, Novi and Southfield have their own offices; for a new thermostat, see thermostat.
AC repair in Farmington Hills: what to know
Farmington Hills' cooling load is about 847 degree days a year at base 65 F, per the Detroit Metro airport normals, the nearest NOAA station in our set. DTE Electric is the only electric utility whose territory covers Farmington Hills. Its AC page lists $300 for central AC at 18 SEER2 or higher, $200 at 16 to 17.99 and $100 at 15.2 to 15.99, and a $50 rebate for a Wi-Fi thermostat, one per household.
The city lists no HVAC rebate that we could find. Permits go through BS&A Online, where contractors register and homeowners attach the notarized affidavit the Building Division requires from August 2026. LARA's permit rule excuses only minor parts, so ask the city which side a repair falls on. Either way, the work belongs to a Michigan mechanical contractor, so ask for the license number and look it up on LARA's lookup.
Permits for ac repair in Farmington Hills
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: ask the company for its Michigan mechanical contractor license number before it gives you a price.
- 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 Farmington Hills 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.