Detroitculture & etiquette

Michigan's no-fault system, reformed in 2019 with coverage choices available from July 2020, still leaves Detroit among the most expensive places in America to insure a car — and premiums vary sharply between Detroit ZIP codes and the suburb a mile north of Eight Mile. The difference between two addresses can exceed the rent difference between them. Quote the actual address, with the actual car, before you commit to either.

Michigan taxes income at a flat state rate, and the City of Detroit adds a city income tax on top: a higher rate for residents and roughly half that for non-residents who work in the city. Living in Ferndale and commuting downtown does not avoid it. Detroit city returns are administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury alongside the state return, so it is one filing system, but it is two taxes.

Michigan expects a new resident to obtain a Michigan licence on establishing residency rather than granting a long grace period, and Secretary of State branches run largely on booked appointments. Book before you need it. Confirm the current requirement and the document list with the Secretary of State, because the deadline framing here is stricter than in most states.

The Social Security Administration verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so going in on day two usually wastes the trip. Only work-authorised people qualify; everyone else files IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN. The card is free.

Michigan is one of only a handful of states issuing an Enhanced Driver's License, which works as a border document for land and sea entry from Canada. Windsor, Ontario is directly across the river through a tunnel — Detroit is the only major US city where you cross into Canada by heading south — so an EDL means not carrying a passport for an evening out. It requires proof of US citizenship, so visa holders should not plan around it.

Detroit's effective property tax rate is among the highest in the country relative to what homes are worth, the city's assessment history is contested, and Wayne County tax foreclosure is a live process rather than a historical one. Confirm no unpaid taxes ride with the parcel, and check whether you qualify for the city's HOPE homeowners property tax exemption. A cheap house with a tax history attached is not cheap.