Bruce Township, Michigan
Looking for a Bruce Township home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Bruce Township, seven days a week. Home inspection reports come back in 24 hours.
Schedule your inspectionCall 734-331-3269
Services
For buyers, sellers, and homeowners keeping an eye on the place they already own. On new construction we also do pre-drywall inspections and 11-month builder’s warranty inspections. Our certified inspectors walk every major system in your Bruce Township home and tell you plainly what they found — then put it in a photo-rich digital report within 24 hours.
Following the InterNACHI Standards of Practice:
Included free with every home buyer inspection— and none of them require us to sell your information.
SatisfactionIf you are unhappy with your inspector on the day of the inspection, before you have seen your report, tell us and we will make it right — or you owe us nothing.
30-Day WarrantyA free 30-day Guard home warranty trial, negotiated for you with no obligation. Activate it whenever you are ready.
$100 OffThe buyer’s protection guarantee: if the first home we inspect for you does not make it to the closing table, for any reason, we take $100 off any further home buyer inspection within 30 days of the original.
Optional services at an additional cost — not part of a standard inspection. Tap one to see what it covers.
A camera down the main sewer line, watching its condition from the inside — roots, breaks, bellies and blockages no visual inspection can find. More about sewer scope inspections
The wood-destroying organism report VA buyers are typically asked to provide, on the federal NPMA-33 form. Carried out during the same visit. More about Veterans WDO inspections
Up to five air samples sent to an accredited laboratory, added to the same appointment rather than booked as a second visit. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Offices, retail, multifamily and warehouses in Bruce Township and across Macomb County. Know what condition a building is in before you sign — or stay ahead of problems in the one you already own. Reports in 24 to 72 hours depending on size.
Following the CCPIA commercial standards:
Commonly added to a commercial inspection at additional cost.
Commercial laterals are longer, older and carry more. A camera is the only way to see the condition of the one you are buying. More about sewer scope inspections
Air samples to an accredited laboratory, which matters most in buildings that have sat empty or had a roof or plumbing leak. More about mold inspection and testing
View a sample report
Add either to a Bruce Township home or commercial inspection, or book it on its own. We test and we never remediate, so there is nothing to sell you on the back of a result — the number you get is just the number.
Radon measured in house on a professional continuous monitor; mold samples to an accredited laboratory:
The other things worth testing while somebody is already there.
Carried out after remediation on the treated area and the areas next to it, to confirm what was found. More about mold inspection and testing
A damp basement can have several causes, and the buried sewer line is the one a visual inspection cannot check. A scope rules it in or out. More about sewer scope inspections
View a sample reportBruce Township housing stock
Bruce Township has roughly 3,804 housing units and about 81% of them are single-family detached. Homes built in a single stretch tend to wear out in the same places at the same time. That is why when somewhere was built is the first thing worth knowing about it.
The busiest stretch of building here was the 1990s: 747 homes, about 20% of everything standing today.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $333,000. 89% are owner-occupied, which is high even for this area. There are around 371 manufactured and mobile homes in Bruce Township. Those are a different inspection — the questions are about the frame, the anchoring and the skirting rather than a basement.
None of this says anything about the specific house you are buying. It is the shortlist a Bruce Township home inspector works through in a home of this age, and every item on it gets photographed and written up whichever way it turns out.
Housing figures: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
When Bruce Township was built
86% of homes here run on utility gas, and 16 still heat with oil. If yours is one of them, the tank is the thing to ask about — where it is, and whether it was ever buried. Another 184 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Bruce Township states its own position plainly: it has a limited area served by sanitary sewers, and the Macomb County Health Department regulates and issues permits for wells and septic fields. Its home page links a state water test form.
That single sentence changes what a buyer needs to line up here. On most properties in this township the water comes from a well on the parcel and the waste goes to a septic system on the parcel, and both of those are county health department territory rather than anything a home inspection covers.
We do not evaluate septic systems and we do not test water. What we do is inspect the building: the roof, structure, foundation, drainage, electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing and the accessible interior. A well and septic evaluation runs alongside that, and on a property here you want both booked before your contingency period runs out rather than after.
The other thing to settle early is which government you are dealing with. The Township’s own offices carry a Romeo mailing address, and Romeo is a separate village government. A Romeo postal address does not tell you whose ordinances apply to the property.
The housing is unusually evenly spread. Of roughly 3,804 units, no single decade dominates — 747 from the 1990s is the largest — and the township is still building, with 404 units added since 2010. About 81% is single-family detached.
Before you buy
Wells and septic
On a property served by a well and a septic field, three separate things need looking at and only one of them is ours.
The septic system — tank, distribution and drainfield — is evaluated by or through the county health department. So is the well and the water it produces. Those evaluations answer questions a visual home inspection cannot: whether the field is failing, whether the tank has been pumped, and what is actually in the water.
What we inspect is everything from the building side of those systems inward. The condition and operation of the accessible plumbing, the drain and vent arrangements we can see, whether fixtures drain properly under load, the pressure tank and pump equipment where it is visible, and the condition of the building itself. Where a drain runs slow or a fixture behaves oddly, we describe it accurately and say what it might indicate without pretending to a certainty a camera or a health department test would give you.
The surface question matters too. On a parcel with a drainfield, what happens to roof and surface water is not a cosmetic concern — downspouts, grading and any sump discharge that puts water where the field is trying to work make a real difference. We report the fall of the ground around the building and where the discharges appear to go.
Where a property is inside the sewered area, the Township issues the sanitary sewer permits itself, so that work should appear in the township file rather than the county’s.
Permits
The Building Department publishes its permit triggers in plain language, and one of them is more precisely worded than most.
A building permit is required for new construction, structural changes, decks, swimming pools, accessory buildings over 200 square feet, and replacement of roofing when the original shingles are removed. That last phrase is the interesting one: the trigger is the tear-off. For a buyer it means a properly done re-roof here should have left a permit record, and a permit record carries a date — which is the single most useful number for judging what is left of a covering’s service life.
Separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are required as well, and the Township names examples that people routinely assume are exempt: lawn sprinklers, fireplaces, and replacing or adding a furnace or air conditioning. Residential trade permits are issued without a separate review process, which keeps small jobs moving.
Since September 2021 the Township has also required a steel inspection before foundation walls are poured. That is a local addition worth knowing about on any recently built house here — and with 404 units added since 2010, recently built is not a rare category in this township.
On an inspection we report the condition and apparent function of what is there rather than issuing code findings. But work that plainly should have been permitted and shows no sign of having been is worth knowing about, and a permit search on a property here is cheap diligence.
Scheduling
If you are planning permitted work around a closing date, the Township’s schedule is worth building into the plan from the start.
Inspections require 24 hours notice, must be requested by 3:00pm for the following business day, and are carried out Monday through Thursday. The building inspector is generally available for questions between 8:15 and 9:00 in the morning, and otherwise the inspectors return calls as their schedules allow.
A four-day inspection week with a mid-afternoon cutoff means a request made late on a Thursday does not get looked at until the following week. On a project with a deadline that is the detail most likely to cost you time, and it is entirely avoidable if you know it in advance.
The Township also asks for any special entry instructions when an inspection is booked, which is a small thing that matters on rural parcels with gates, long drives and dogs.
Our own scheduling is separate from any of this, and we work around real estate timetables rather than office hours. Get in touch and we will tell you honestly what we can fit and when.
Rural township details
Three things Bruce Township publishes are the sort of local detail nobody tells a buyer until it becomes a problem.
The first is address posts. The Township requires them at all residential dwellings under its street number ordinance — a post, not just numbers on the building. On rural roads with long drives and setbacks that is a genuine emergency-services requirement rather than tidiness, and it is easy to check on a walkthrough.
The second is that the Township names a fence viewer among its officials — a long-standing Michigan township office concerned with boundary fences between properties. On parcels with real acreage and working fence lines that office exists for a reason, and it is worth knowing it is there before a boundary fence becomes a conversation with a neighbor.
The third is financial. The Township states that water and sewer balances six months or more in arrears are placed on the winter tax bill, and it asks specifically to be contacted as soon as possible about any inquiry relating to a closing. An unpaid utility balance that has migrated onto the tax roll attaches to the property, not the person who ran it up. That makes it a title and closing question, and one worth asking early.
The Township also publishes a dangerous building inspector among its roles, alongside its regulatory ordinances covering soil removal, open burning, land development and engineering design standards — the ordinance set of a township where land itself is still being worked and developed.
What we look at
Bruce Township is one of the few places on this list where the housing does not cluster in one era. There are 334 units predating 1940 and 102 built since 2020, with every decade in between represented. That means the inspection you need genuinely depends on the house rather than the town.
On the older properties the questions are about what has been replaced and how well: electrical service and distribution, plumbing that has either been renewed or is very old, insulation and ventilation, foundations, and heating equipment added to a building that predates it. On the newer ones the questions are about build quality, drainage, and the first round of equipment replacements.
Where a property is on the sanitary sewer, the drain line from the building to the connection is the owner’s. On an older house that pipe has been in the ground for decades under a mature lot. We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Bruce Township laterals are generally made of.
A sewer camera inspection records what is actually inside the line — roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages where they exist, and a clear run where they do not. It is added to the same appointment rather than booked separately. On a septic property the same camera can document the building drain out to the tank, which is still the owner’s pipe and still worth seeing.
Alongside it we offer radon testing, mold inspection and testing, and commercial building inspections to the CCPIA standard for offices, retail, multifamily and warehouse property. You can read what our clients say, look through answers to common questions, or read about what a buyer’s inspection covers.
Local information from Bruce Township — Building Department, permit triggers and inspection scheduling · Bruce Township — sewer and water billing, arrears and closings · Bruce Township — regulatory ordinances, including the street number ordinance. Municipal requirements change — verify current details with the municipality.
Radon in Macomb County
Zone 3 is the lowest of the three EPA categories — the predicted average indoor level across the county is below 2 pCi/L. So Bruce Township is not where the state’s worst readings turn up, and we would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.
We place a continuous monitor for 48 hours and read the result on site — no mail-in kit, no lab wait. How radon testing works · Macomb County radon and inspection coverage
Zone from the EPA Map of Radon Zones.
Why choose us
Five reasons people here pick us as their Bruce Township home inspector.
Family owned since 2009, more than 16,000 inspections completed and over 2,000 five-star reviews across Michigan. We also handle home buyer inspections, commercial building inspections, mold testing and radon testing.
We do not sell mold remediation or radon mitigation, so there is nothing to gain from a result that comes back bad. The number you get is just the number.
Radon, mold, sewer scope and wood-destroying organism inspections go on the same appointment as the home inspection rather than costing you a second morning.
Most people do, and it is the most useful hour of the whole purchase. Ask anything while we are standing in front of it.
InterNACHI and CCPIA certified, with four Certified Master Inspectors and National Home Inspector Examination passes on the team — none of which Michigan requires. The standards we inspect to are published and you can hold the work against them.
Including weekends, because inspection windows sit on closing dates and closing dates do not care what day it is.
Reviews
Mitch did our inspection for the sale of our home and he was professional, efficient and friendly. The report was sent to me and my agent in a timely fashion and I appreciated how quickly the appointment was made and everything was finished! Would recommend to others.
Kendra AllenRoseville, MII recently hired Trademark for a full home inspection on a new purchase, including sewer scope and radon testing. It was a phenomenal experience from beginning to end. Our inspector, Mitch, did a fantastic job explaining all the findings, and the digital report with photos and videos was superb. Would definitely recommend without hesitation.
Salina HamiltonOak Park, MIWe had Mitch inspect our prospective house and he was amazing. He was thorough, patient to answer my questions and provide feedback on what areas he would recommend having a follow up expert and why. The office was responsive and I was able to book multiple services to be done in the same visit (inspection, radon test, sewer scope).
Chris PlaweckiOak Park, MIWhat happens
Questions
Only in part. The Township states that it has a limited area served by sanitary sewers, and that the Macomb County Health Department regulates and issues permits for wells and septic fields. On most properties here you should expect a well and a septic system and plan the county evaluations into your timetable early.
No. Both go through the county health department. We inspect the building and the accessible plumbing inside it, report how fixtures behave under load, and note the visible condition of pump and pressure equipment. A septic and well evaluation runs alongside our inspection rather than instead of it.
The Township lists replacement of roofing when the original shingles are removed among the work requiring a building permit. That means a tear-off should have left a permit record with a date on it, which is the best available guide to how much service life a covering has left.
Accessory buildings over 200 square feet require a building permit. Decks, swimming pools, structural changes and new construction do as well, and separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are needed for work including lawn sprinklers, fireplaces, and replacing or adding a furnace or air conditioning.
At least 24 hours, and requests have to be in by 3:00pm for the following business day. Inspections run Monday through Thursday, so a request made late on a Thursday waits until the next week. The Township also asks for any special entry instructions when you book, which matters on parcels with gates and long drives.
Because unpaid water and sewer balances do not stay with the person who ran them up. The Township places balances six months or more in arrears on the winter tax bill, which attaches them to the property. It asks to be contacted as soon as possible about any closing inquiry, and that is worth doing early rather than at the last minute.
The Township requires address posts at all residential dwellings under its street number ordinance — a post carrying the number rather than numbers on the building alone. On rural roads with long drives it is an emergency-services requirement, and it is one of the easier things to check when you first walk a property.
Yes. The building drain from the house out to the tank is still the owner’s pipe, and it can carry roots, bellies, cracks and blockages like any other buried line. A camera inspection documents it, and on a sewered property it does the same for the run to the main. Either way it is added to the same visit rather than booked separately.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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From the blog
October 22, 2024
November 23, 2020
Your local Bruce Township home inspector, seven days a week. Home inspection reports in 24 hours.
