Storm contractor rules in Michigan: price gouging, door-to-door sales and contractor licensing

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections read names tree work or storms, and no official page on a Michigan price gouging rule was read for this page on October 10, 2026.

The sections in one table

Section	What it says
445.903(1)(z), Consumer Protection Act	Among the unlawful methods, acts and practices in trade or commerce is charging the consumer a price that is grossly in excess of the price at which similar property or services are sold. Section 903 also lists representing that a repair service is needed when it is not
445.111, home solicitation sale	A sale of goods or services of more than US$25.00 where the seller solicits in person, by telephone or in writing, the buyer receives the solicitation at a residence, and the buyer's agreement is given there. Sales after prior negotiations at a fixed business location and sales from a printed advertisement in a publication of general circulation are excluded
445.112, cancellation	The buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing. The seller may not use a courier or other third party to collect the payment at the residence until that period has ended
445.112(5), emergency	A buyer may not cancel if the buyer asks for the goods or services without delay because of an emergency and three conditions are met: the seller in good faith makes a substantial beginning of performance before the notice, the buyer gives the seller a separate dated and signed handwritten statement describing the situation and waiving the right to cancel within 3 business days, and, for goods, the goods cannot be returned in substantially as good condition
445.113, agreement and notice	The seller presents a written agreement dated the day the buyer signs, with a cancellation statement next to the signature space and a notice of cancellation form in duplicate, in bold type of at least 10 points. Until the seller complies, the buyer may cancel by any means
445.115(2), services	If the seller performed services before a cancellation, the seller is not entitled to compensation
339.2401, who is covered	A residential maintenance and alteration contractor undertakes, for pay other than wages for personal labour, repair, alteration, addition, improvement or wrecking of a residential structure, or building a garage or laying concrete on residential property. The definition does not name tree work
339.2404, licence	The department may issue the licence to an individual who applies and passes an examination. The licence lists crafts and trades: carpentry, concrete, swimming pool installation, waterproofing a basement, excavation, insulation work, masonry work, roofing, siding and gutters, screen or storm sash installation, tile and marble work, and house wrecking. It runs for 3 years
339.2403, work without a licence	No licence is needed for an owner's own property, for work under contract with a licensed contractor, for licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors within their work, or for one project where the aggregate contract price is less than US$600.00. The exemption does not apply to a part of a larger operation or one split into smaller contracts to evade the act
339.2412, unlicensed work	A person may not sue to collect pay for work that needs a licence without alleging and proving a licence, and may not impose a lien on real property unless licensed under the article during the work. The Attorney General or a prosecuting attorney may bring a civil action against an unlicensed person, with a fine of not less than US$5,000.00 and not more than US$25,000.00

Tree work and the licence

The licence section names a set of crafts and trades, and tree removal or pruning is not among them. The Occupational Code definition covers repair, alteration, addition, improvement and wrecking of a residential structure and the building of a garage. The text read does not say whether taking down a tree is covered.

Cancellation, storms and emergencies

The home solicitation act turns on where the buyer receives the solicitation and signs. Subsection 445.112(5) sets three conditions for the emergency exception, and the third, about goods that cannot be returned, speaks to goods and not to services. The act separately says the seller is not entitled to compensation for services performed before a cancellation. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.

Storm contractor rules in Michigan: price gouging, door-to-door sales and contractor licensing

The sections in one table

Tree work and the licence

Cancellation, storms and emergencies

Sources