Detroit — Ch. 8 Art. XV Div. 3 Requirements for Rental Property (Registration + Lead) § 8-15-86
Caretaker; responsible person; warning devices
Operative Text
(a) Where the owner of the rental property does not reside in the building, the owner shall designate a responsible person who resides in each building with a common entrance and eight or more dwelling units, seven or more sleeping rooms, or any combination thereof. The unit occupied by the responsible person shall be identified and the information posted in a visible place at the common entrance of the building, except for rental property that has a business office with posted regular office hours on site. Where there is no centralized business office and a number of buildings exist which are owned by the same rental property owner, the responsible person may be located in a remote location, provided, that the location of the responsible person is identified and posted in a conspicuous location at the common entrance of each building. (b) In addition, all Group R-1 multiple rental properties that neither are of fire-proof construction nor are protected with an approved sprinkler system or an approved, self-supervised and properly maintained automatic fire alarm system, that has sleeping accommodations for over 50 persons above the first floor, shall have one employee, and more if necessary, on duty at all times able to notify the tenants and the Fire Department in case of a fire or other emergency. There shall be at least one employee on duty at all times for this purpose for each 100 persons and for each next fraction of 100 persons in the building.
Detroit § 8-15-86 establishes two related requirements for certain rental properties. First, when an owner does not live in the building, a responsible person must be designated and identified at the common entrance for buildings meeting specific size thresholds—eight or more dwelling units, seven or more sleeping rooms, or a combination. Second, larger Group R-1 multi-family rental properties that lack fire-resistant construction, sprinkler systems, or approved automatic fire alarm systems and house more than 50 persons above the first floor must maintain at least one employee on duty at all times capable of alerting tenants and the Fire Department in an emergency, with staffing scaled to building occupancy.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Detroit § 8-15-86, operators of qualifying buildings where the owner does not reside on-site generally ensure that a responsible person is designated, that their unit is clearly identified, and that this information is posted conspicuously at the common entrance—unless a staffed on-site business office is present. For multi-building portfolios without a centralized office, compliant operators post the responsible person's remote location at each building's entrance. Owners of larger Group R-1 properties without qualifying fire-protection systems also maintain around-the-clock staffing at a ratio of at least one employee per 100 occupants to fulfill the emergency notification requirement of § 8-15-86(b).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Detroit § 8-15-86 gives tenants in qualifying buildings the right to know who the designated responsible person is and where to find them, with that information required to be posted visibly at the building's common entrance. Tenants in larger Group R-1 buildings without adequate fire-protection systems are also entitled to have staff on duty at all times to assist in emergencies. If this posted information is missing or emergency staffing appears absent, tenants may consider documenting the condition, contacting the City of Detroit's building or housing enforcement offices, or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options under § 8-15-86.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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