InstaBidsHow do you check a plumbing license in Michigan?
LARA’s Bureau of Construction Codes provides the official public lookup for plumbers. Its plumbing licensing page distinguishes journey, master and contractor licenses. Open the agency’s lookup as an optional public-record step, and use the agency guidance below to distinguish the contractor role from master plumber representation.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
The license lookup is yours to run on the state's site.
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=licence-michigan--plumbing&utm_campaign=licence&page_type=licence&job=plumbing&place=michigan&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
Key facts
- The contractor license will not be issued without master plumber representation.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
- the applicant must either hold a master plumber license or employ the holder of a master plumber license as his or her representative.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
- you should first contact the local enforcing agency
Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, read 5 November 2026.
Where is the official lookup for plumbers in Michigan?
Open the plumbing licensing information from LARA and follow its public license search link. The current portal could not be captured for this article; current search-field instructions and result-screen descriptions are omitted.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
The agency names its contractor category "Plumbing Contractor License". Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
The contractor category on LARA’s page can inform your own research while you describe the installation or repair in your InstaBids request.
How do contractor and master plumber licenses differ?
The contractor role includes master plumber representation; the two labels describe different roles in the Michigan sources.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
LARA states: "The contractor license will not be issued without master plumber representation." Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Plumbing licensing information from LARA, read 5 November 2026.
The Michigan Legislature publishes section 339.6111(1): "(1) To qualify for a plumbing contractor license, the applicant must either hold a master plumber license or employ the holder of a master plumber license as his or her representative." Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, page 3, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
Read Michigan’s master plumber representation provision separately from your job description, then keep the work and responsibilities clear in the request on InstaBids.
Which license rule applies to plumbers in Michigan?
The Michigan Legislature publishes the licensing requirement in section 339.6107(1), with work exceptions in the following subsection.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
Section 339.6107(1): "(1) A person shall not engage in or work at the business of a plumbing contractor, master plumber, journey plumber, or apprentice plumber unless that person is licensed or registered under this article." Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, page 3, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
Section 339.6107(2)(a): "(2) A license under this article is not required to perform any of the following work: (a) Minor repair work." Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, page 3, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
The minor repair exception in Michigan is a separate research topic; describe the specific repair you want contractors to discuss through InstaBids.
Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Michigan?
The Michigan Legislature includes a homeowner-work clause within the exceptions in section 339.6107(2).
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
Section 339.6107(2)(d): "(d) The installation by a homeowner of his or her own plumbing, building sewer, or private sewer in his or her single-family dwelling if a permit is secured." Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, page 3, read 5 November 2026.
Source: Michigan Legislature Article 11, read 5 November 2026.
Michigan’s homeowner installation clause gives you a specific provision to read while deciding which parts of the work to describe on InstaBids.
Where can you send a complaint about a plumber?
The BCC Enforcement Section publishes a complaint guide that includes plumbers and explains the local enforcement route.
Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, read 5 November 2026.
The same guide states: "If code activities for your unit of government are enforced at the local or county level, you should first contact the local enforcing agency to see if the matter can be resolved with them before submitting a complaint to the state." Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, page 1, read 5 November 2026.
Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, read 5 November 2026.
Its jurisdiction limitation reads: "The Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Enforcement Section (ES) does not have jurisdiction over contractual, monetary, or warranty issues, nor does BCC have authority to conduct criminal prosecution." Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, page 1, read 5 November 2026.
Source: BCC Filing a Complaint guide, read 5 November 2026.
Keep Michigan BCC complaint research separate from the request itself; use InstaBids to describe the work you want contractors to discuss in writing.
Where does InstaBids fit in?
One point about InstaBids follows. There is no cost to see a request or bid.
Describe the job once on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope. Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing.
Homeowners anywhere in the US can post a job; once you send it, InstaBids finds contractors to bid on it.
Start my request