Fence or deck costs in Detroit

If you're building a deck in Detroit, look closely at the railing design before you fall for it. The city's residential deck requirements prohibit horizontal intermediate guardrails because they create a ladder effect, the kind of rail a small child can climb. Spaces between balusters have to be 4 inches or less. Any deck surface more than 30 inches above grade needs a guardrail around it, and that guard must be at least 36 inches high.

Fences get extra rules in Detroit's local historic districts. The Historic District Commission's fence and hedge guidelines don't allow stockade fencing, bar slats in chain link and limit a lot to two fencing materials. Front-yard fencing is off the table except on a corner lot, where a 3-foot run can go along the side street, and rear property-line fences can reach 8 feet. Hedges count as fences there, so a new privet row follows the same height and location rules.

Zoning sets how far a deck can reach anywhere in the city. It can't project more than 18 feet into a rear yard, can't sit in any easement and can't push into a required side yard setback. Corner lots carry two front-yard setbacks. Your permit application needs a plot plan with distances to lot lines and easements. The city says it doesn't scale drawings, so write every dimension on the plan.