Utica, Michigan
Looking for a Utica home inspector? We do certified home, commercial, mold and radon inspections in Utica, 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 Utica 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 Utica 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 Utica 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 reportUtica housing stock
Utica has roughly 2,624 housing units and about 31% 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 1970s: 529 homes, about 20% of everything standing today. It is also less detached-house territory than most of the area at 31%, so condominiums, duplexes and small multi-family buildings are a bigger share of what we inspect here — and those bring their own questions about what is yours to maintain and what belongs to the association.
The median owner-occupied home here is valued at $199,600. Only 53% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, so a good share of what we inspect here is bought as a rental or sold with tenants in place — which changes what access on the day looks like.
None of this says anything about the specific house you are buying. It is the shortlist a Utica 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 Utica was built
84% of homes here run on utility gas. Another 34 use bottled or LP gas.
Local knowledge
Utica has the smallest share of detached houses of any community we cover. Only about 31% of its roughly 2,624 housing units are single-family detached, which means more than two out of three properties here are a condominium, a townhouse, an apartment or something else attached.
That shapes both what we inspect and what the City concerns itself with. Utica licenses landlords rather than simply registering rental properties: under its ordinance, anyone leasing or renting residential units must hold a biannual license before operating, and the requirement applies to all non-owner-occupied dwellings.
If you think a property is exempt, the City asks you to say so in a signed statement explaining why. That is a different posture from most rental programs, and it puts the burden of establishing an exemption on the owner rather than on the City.
The second local peculiarity is about water. Utica offers an area maintenance meter — a second meter that lets outside watering avoid the sewer charge — and buying one involves a notarized agreement recorded against the property and a backflow preventer installed and inspected before the meter goes in.
The housing itself spans the whole postwar period fairly evenly, with 529 units from the 1970s, 415 from the 2000s, 411 from the 1960s and 365 from the 1950s.
Before you buy
Attached housing
On a detached house everything you can see is yours. On an attached one it is not, and the documents rather than the walls decide the boundary.
The usual arrangement gives the association the roof, the exterior cladding, the structure and the common grounds, and gives the owner everything from the interior surfaces inward. But it is not universal. Some associations hand the owner the windows, the deck or balcony, or the air conditioning condenser even though it sits outside the unit. Limited common elements — parts assigned to one unit but owned collectively — are where the surprises concentrate.
We inspect and report on the accessible components of the unit and, where access allows, the building it sits in: the roof and its drainage where visible, the exterior, the foundation and structure, the electrical, the heating and cooling, the plumbing and the interior. A finding on a shared roof is still a finding worth having, because a special assessment is paid by the owners.
What we cannot tell you is who pays for it. That sits in the master deed, the bylaws and the association’s financial position, and reading those before closing is worth the evening it takes. A reserve fund that has not kept pace with a 1970s building’s roof is a real risk that will never appear in an inspection report.
For a small multi-unit building bought as an investment rather than a home, our commercial building inspections follow the CCPIA standard and cover multifamily, office, retail and warehouse property. On a detached house, a standard buyer’s inspection is the right choice.
Rentals
The City’s landlord information page sets out a program worth understanding before you buy anything here to let.
Licenses run on a biannual cycle and all of them expire on 30 June, regardless of when in the year you acquired the property. Applications and required inspections have to be completed by that date to stay compliant and avoid additional fees or penalties. The registration fee is set per unit, with a lower rate for each additional unit on the same property.
Inspection appointments run Monday to Thursday between noon and four, and the building department itself is open Monday to Thursday from ten until three — a four-day week with a five-hour counter day, which is worth planning around rather than discovering.
Two requirements deserve particular attention. Furnace inspection certificates must be completed by a licensed technician on the City’s own official form, and the City states plainly that alternative forms cannot be accepted — so a certificate from a contractor’s own paperwork will not do. And the City labels its smoke alarm requirements as strictly enforced, in its own words.
If you are buying an existing rental, the license status and where it sits in the cycle are questions the seller can answer, and they cost nothing to ask. If you are buying a house you intend to let, the license has to be in place before you operate.
Our inspection is not the City’s inspection and does not produce a license. But it covers the same building, and on a property heading into a licensing cycle it tells you what you are walking into.
Water
The City’s area maintenance meter packet describes something no other community on our list offers, and the detail is worth knowing because it can come with a property you buy.
The meter allows water used for outside watering to escape the sewer charge, on the reasonable basis that water put on a lawn does not come back to the treatment plant. The City is careful to note there is no guarantee the meter and its reduced rates will always be available.
Getting one is a formal business. An agreement has to be entered into between all the property owners of record and the City, with signatures witnessed and notarized at the City offices, and the agreement is then recorded against the property. Proof of ownership must be a recorded warranty deed with its liber and page number, or the actual title insurance policy — the City specifies that the commitment issued at closing will not do.
And the price schedule includes a plumbing permit for a reduced pressure zone backflow preventer. That is the important part for an inspection. An RPZ assembly is a real device protecting the drinking water supply from whatever the irrigation side might draw back into it, and it has to be installed, inspected before the meter goes in, and maintained afterwards.
On an inspection we look at the accessible plumbing and report what we find, including a second meter where one is visible, backflow assemblies and hose bib vacuum breakers, and connections that are not what they should be. We do not test or certify backflow devices — that is a certified tester’s job — but knowing what is fitted before you own the house is worth a good deal.
Utica’s drinking water comes from the Great Lakes Water Authority, and the City publishes a bill estimator that accounts for the reduced sewer charge where an area maintenance meter is in place.
The buildings
Utica’s housing arrived steadily rather than in one rush, which means the inspection genuinely depends on the property rather than the town.
On the 1950s and 1960s stock — 776 units between them — the questions are about what has been replaced and how coherently. Electrical service sized for a very different household, usually upgraded but to varying depths. Plumbing renewed in part, leaving material transitions worth examining. Roofs on their third or fourth covering. Foundations that have had sixty or seventy years of freeze and thaw.
On the 1970s block, and on the 351 units from the 1990s, the pattern shifts toward second and third generation equipment: furnaces, water heaters and air conditioning replaced once or twice, with venting that has not always kept pace, and windows and exterior finishes at the stage where deferred maintenance shows.
On the 415 units from the 2000s the questions are about the first round of turnover: an original roof now at or past its expected life, mechanical equipment being changed for the first time, grading that has settled, and deck ledger connections and fasteners worth a proper look.
Across all of them, on attached property, the same finding can belong to you or to the association depending on what the documents say — which is why we describe what we find and where it is, and leave the ownership question to the paperwork.
The buried line
The drain line from a building to the main belongs to the property. On an attached building that generally means it belongs to the association rather than to you personally — but a failure is paid for by the owners either way, so its condition is still worth knowing.
On a detached house here it has typically been in the ground between twenty-five and seventy years depending on the era, under a lot that has had exactly that long to grow trees over it. We will not name a material from a build year, because no authoritative source establishes what Utica laterals are generally made of.
A sewer camera inspection records what is actually inside: 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, and on an attached property it is worth discussing in advance, because access to the right cleanout is the first question.
Alongside it we offer radon testing and mold inspection and testing, both of which can be added to a residential or commercial visit.
You can read what our clients say, look through answers to common questions, or get in touch about a specific address in Utica.
Local information from City of Utica — landlord licensing, inspections and the required furnace form · City of Utica — area maintenance meter information packet · City of Utica — water and sewer bill estimator and public works. 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 Utica 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 Utica 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
Yes, and it is most of what comes up — only about 31% of the city’s housing is single-family detached, the lowest share of any community we cover. We inspect the accessible components of the unit and, where access allows, the building it sits in. The association documents decide where your responsibility ends.
Yes. The City’s ordinance requires anyone leasing or renting residential units to obtain a biannual license before operating, and it applies to all non-owner-occupied dwellings. Licenses expire on 30 June, and applications and required inspections have to be completed by then to avoid additional fees or penalties.
The City asks you to contact its office and provide a signed statement setting out your reasoning. That places the burden of establishing an exemption on the owner rather than on the City, so it is worth resolving before you rely on it.
Because the City says so directly: furnace inspection certificates must be completed by a licensed technician using the official City of Utica form, and alternative forms cannot be accepted. A contractor’s own paperwork will not satisfy the requirement.
A second water meter for outside watering, which lets that water avoid the sewer charge. Buying one requires an agreement between all the property owners of record and the City, signed and notarized at the City offices and then recorded against the property, plus a plumbing permit for a reduced pressure zone backflow preventer and an inspection before the meter is installed.
It can. The agreement is recorded against the property, and the backflow preventer that goes with it is a real device that needs to be present and working. On an inspection we report a second meter where visible, along with backflow assemblies and hose bib vacuum breakers, though we do not test or certify them.
Monday through Thursday, from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon, with rental inspection appointments available Monday through Thursday between noon and four. On a project or a license renewal with a deadline that is worth building into the plan.
Often yes, but it is worth discussing in advance, because access to the right cleanout is the first question on an attached building and the line itself usually belongs to the association rather than the unit owner. Where it can be done, a camera inspection documents roots, cracks, displaced joints, bellies or blockages, and is added to the same visit.
More on cost, timing and what is included on the FAQ page.
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Permits, assessing and property records for Utica are handled by the City of Utica, not by us.
From the blog
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Your local Utica home inspector, seven days a week. Home inspection reports in 24 hours.
