Window Replacement in Michigan: LARA Licenses and Climate

In Michigan, residential contractor licensing runs through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Its Bureau of Construction Codes says that all contractors offering to do work that totals $600 or more in labor and materials must hold a license from the department (LARA, Helpful Information for Homeowners) ⁵. There are two licenses for work on a house: a residential builder license and a maintenance and alteration (M&A) contractor license, both defined in the Occupational Code at MCL 339.2401 (MCL 339.2401) ¹. You can check either through LARA's license search before you sign ⁵⁸.

Climate is the other half. ENERGY STAR places every one of Michigan's 83 counties in its Northern window zone, the zone with the strictest U-factor limit ¹⁰¹¹.

The two licenses in the statute

MCL 339.2401 defines both licenses. In the statute's own words (MCL 339.2401) ¹:

• Residential builder, first part: "A person engaged in the construction of a residential structure that, for a fixed sum, price, fee, percentage, valuable consideration, or other compensation, other than wages for personal labor only, undertakes with another or offers to undertake, or purports to have the capacity to undertake with another, for the erection, construction, replacement, repair, alteration, or addition to, subtraction from, improvement, wrecking of, or demolition of, a residential structure." ¹
• Residential maintenance and alteration contractor, first part: a person that, for compensation other than wages for personal labor only, "Undertakes with another for the repair, alteration, or addition to, subtraction from, improvement of, wrecking of, or demolition of a residential structure, or building of a garage, or laying of concrete on residential property." ¹
• Residential structure: "A detached 1- or 2-family dwelling and all related facilities appurtenant to that dwelling, used or intended to be used as an adjunct of residential occupancy," or a townhouse of not more than 3 stories above the grade plane with a separate means of egress ¹.

LARA's homeowner page puts the difference simply: "A Residential Builders license allows a contractor to build a complete residential structure and to do maintenance & alteration (remodeling) work on a residential structure," while an M&A license "indicates that the holder has met requirements for one or more" listed trades ⁵.

Does an M&A license cover windows?

Neither the statute nor LARA names window replacement as a trade. MCL 339.2404(3) lists the crafts and trades an M&A license includes: "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." The same subsection says "A license shall specify the particular craft or trade for which the licensee is qualified," and allows a specialty contractor to take on other trades only when that work is "incidental and supplemental" to the trade on its license (MCL 339.2404) ².

LARA's own M&A page gives the same list in shorter form, with "screens and storm sash" as the closest window-related entry, and adds that "the trades, or crafts for which a maintenance & alteration contractor is qualified to practice are listed on the license" (LARA M&A license information) ⁴. Which license and trade fit a given window job is a question for LARA, not one these pages answer. Ask each installer which license it holds, which trades the license lists, and check both in the lookup.

Who is exempt, and the $600 line

MCL 339.2403 lists who may do this work without a license (MCL 339.2403) ³. Two exemptions matter most for a window job:

• Owners: "An owner of property, with reference to a structure on the property for the owner's own use and occupancy." ³
• Small projects: a person working on one project "if the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00." The exemption does not apply if the work is part of a larger operation or is split into contracts under $600 "to evade this act." ³

Because the line counts labor, material and any other items on the whole project, and splitting a job into smaller contracts to stay under it does not count, ask early whether the company holds a license ³.

How licenses are earned

LARA's prelicensure page says an applicant for either license must complete 60 hours of approved prelicensure education before taking the examination or applying, with at least 6 hours each in seven subjects, among them the Michigan Residential Code and MIOSHA construction safety standards (LARA prelicensure requirements) ⁷. Examinations are run by PSI ⁷. Under MCL 339.2404, licenses are issued for 3 years, and a contractor must keep a place of business in Michigan ². The Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board, created under Article 24 of 1980 PA 299, licenses and regulates this work (LARA board page) ⁶.

How to check a Michigan license

LARA's homeowner page says the holder's state license must be displayed at the place of business and that contractors and their salespersons must carry a pocket card, which you should ask to see. If they cannot show one, it says to check the department's license database or call the Residential Builders' Section at 517-241-9309 (LARA, Helpful Information for Homeowners) ⁵. LARA's license search takes a name, business name, license type, license number or city, and its license types include Residential Builder Individual, Residential Builder Company and Residential Builder M and A Individual and Company ⁸. Before you sign:

• Does the name and license number on the quote match the lookup?
• Is it a residential builder license, or an M&A license, and which trades does it list?
• Does the salesperson's pocket card match the company?

The same LARA page suggests a written contract that names the contractor's license number, states that the contractor will obtain all required building permits before work begins, and sets out the terms of payment, and it advises never paying for the entire job in advance ⁵. Permits are issued locally; see window replacement permits. The guide on how to choose a window installer covers references and warranties.

Michigan's climate, lake shore to inland

The 2025 State Climate Summary for Michigan, from the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies at North Carolina State University, describes a state shaped by the Great Lakes: the lakes make Michigan more temperate and humid than other north-central states, with shorelines warmer in winter and cooler in summer than inland areas (NCICS State Climate Summary) ⁹.

For windows, that means holding heat in through long winters is the main job, while lake-effect snow and wind call for careful flashing and sealing around each opening. The article on window condensation explains why cold glass fogs indoors in winter.

ENERGY STAR zone for Michigan

ENERGY STAR's county list places all 83 Michigan counties in the Northern zone (climate zone finder) ¹¹. The Version 7.0 criteria for that zone (ENERGY STAR criteria) ¹⁰:

Every ENERGY STAR window, in any zone, must also meet an air leakage limit of 0.3 cubic feet per minute per square foot ¹⁰.

What the numbers mean

• U-factor measures how fast heat moves through the whole window; lower insulates better. The Northern zone's 0.22 limit is the lowest in ENERGY STAR's table ¹⁰. The U-factor explainer covers how it is measured.
• SHGC (solar heat gain coefficient) is the share of the sun's heat that passes through. In the Northern zone it is a minimum, not a cap, so winter sun can help heat the house, and a window with a slightly higher U-factor must let in more sun to qualify ¹⁰. The article on the solar heat gain coefficient explains the trade-off.

The article on triple-pane windows covers one way to ask about lower U-factors, and the energy-efficient windows explainer shows how to read the NFRC label.

Cost and next steps

Michigan prices follow the same drivers as anywhere: the number of windows, frame material, glass package, installation method and labor. This article does not quote Michigan prices, because the cost surveys it relies on report national figures; the window replacement cost guide sets them side by side. For the neighboring state, see the Indiana page. Ask each installer to quote the same window, glass and installation method in writing, then use the article on how to compare window quotes.

When you are ready, you can compare quotes from window installers.

About these figures

• ¹ Official record: MCL 339.2401 definitions of residential builder, residential maintenance and alteration contractor and residential structure (1- or 2-family dwelling; townhouse of not more than 3 stories), quoted from the Michigan Legislature, checked October 27, 2026.
• ² Official record: MCL 339.2404(3) list of M&A crafts and trades and the incidental-work rule; 3-year license term and Michigan place of business, checked October 27, 2026.
• ³ Official record: MCL 339.2403 exemptions, including the owner-occupant exemption and the under-$600 project exemption, checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁴ Official record: LARA Maintenance & Alteration Contractor License Information page (list of trades; trades listed on the license), checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁵ Official record: LARA Helpful Information for Homeowners page ($600 licensing line, builder and M&A licenses, pocket card, license database, Residential Builders' Section phone, contract advice), checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁶ Official record: LARA Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board page (created under Article 24 of 1980 PA 299), checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁷ Official record: LARA prelicensure education page (60 hours, at least 6 hours in each of seven subjects, PSI examinations), checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁸ Official record: LARA license search (search fields and the residential builder and M and A license types), checked October 27, 2026.
• ⁹ Reported: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies 2025 State Climate Summary for Michigan (Great Lakes influence, winter lows, summer highs, 30 to 42 inches of precipitation, more than 200 inches of snow in parts of the Upper Peninsula), checked October 27, 2026.
• ¹⁰ Official record: ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 Northern zone criteria (prescriptive 0.22 U-factor and 0.17 minimum SHGC; equivalent paths at 0.23 to 0.26 with 0.35 or 0.40 minimum SHGC) and the 0.3 air leakage limit, checked October 27, 2026.
• ¹¹ Official record: ENERGY STAR county climate zone list for Michigan (all 83 counties in the Northern zone), checked October 27, 2026.