• The Accessory Structure Lot must be street adjacent to an occupied property, and must be used for residential, recreational, or agricultural purposes.
• Accessory structures may include garages, sheds, gazebos, carports, or similar, with maximum size of 750 square feet.
• Accessory structures will be sold for $250, unless the value of the lot, as determined by the DLBA, exceeds $2,500.
• The DLBA will hold applications for ten days from the date the first Complete Application is received before a purchaser is selected. If more than one Complete Application is received, the DLBA will prioritize buyers based on:
  1. The applicant living directly street adjacent to the Accessory Structure Lot; and
  2. The first applicant to submit a complete application

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.

• Oversized Lots must measure 7,501 – 15,000 square feet
• Oversized Lots will be sold for $200, unless the value of the lot, as determined by the DLBA, exceeds $2,500.
• Oversized Lot must be Street Adjacent to the applicant’s occupied property
• May not contain an accessory structure (garages, sheds, gazebos, or carports)
• Limits sales to one per household
• Purchasers must have a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE). As an alternative to having evidence of a PRE, property owners may demonstrate owner occupancy by submitting all of the following:
  • a copy of their valid state-issued identification with an address matching the address of the Applicant’s Occupied Property; and
  • a recorded deed showing ownership in the owner’s name.

Check to see if you have filed a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE): https://www.michigan.gov/PRE

Office of the Assessor - (313) 224-3035

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.

• Allows homeowners to purchase lots within 500 feet of their primary residence
• Purchasers must have a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE). As an alternative to having evidence of a PRE, property owners may demonstrate owner occupancy by submitting all of the following:
  • a copy of their valid state-issued identification with an address matching the address of the Applicant’s Occupied Property; and
  • a recorded deed showing ownership in the owner’s name.
• An applicant can purchase up to 2 lots per calendar year (January – December)
• Sales will have a three-year Compliance period, allowing the DLBA to reconvey the lot if the purchaser is found to be at fault for blight violations
• Requires the endorsement of a registered Neighborhood Lot Endorser (NLE). Eligible organizations include, Block Clubs registered with the City’s Department of Neighborhoods, DLBA Community Partners in good standing, or a Department of Neighborhood District Manager or Deputy District Manager.

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.

• DLBA to sell vacant lots for the development of new housing
• Targeted at 1-2 lot projects to create opportunities for local small-scale developers
• Purchaser to provide a thorough project plan, including financing and design documents, which will be reviewed by the DLBA and City Planning staff
• Developers of affordable housing units subject to monitoring by the City’s Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity Department for 10 years shall receive a discount of:
  1. 50% off of the purchase price, if at least 25% of the units are affordable to those earning no more than 80% of AMI; or
  2. 80% off of the purchase price, if at least 25% of units are affordable to those earning no more than 50% of AMI.

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.

For similar projects see New Build Opportunities.

• DLBA will select bundles of vacant lots to be sold alongside certain homes via Own It Now, Auction, and Rehabbed & Ready listings. The lot must be either:
  1. Adjacent to a DLBA-owned residential property that includes an existing residential structure of 1-4 units, or
  2. part of a contiguous assemblage of Homestead Lots that are Adjacent to such a property
• If a purchaser defaults on Compliance terms of the house, DLBA will have the right to take back title to Homestead Lots
• Lots sold for $100 each ,in addition to the sales price of the bundled property.

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.

• Inclusive Housing Opportunity Areas: where home sales have averaged $100/square foot, or more, over the last year. These are areas where housing inclusivity is, or is likely to become, a pronounced challenge.

• Jobs and Amenity Development Areas: where publicly owned vacant lots account for a third or more of all parcels. These may create opportunity for the development of large-scale public or private Revitalization projects.

• Project Coordination Areas: where City planning, housing, infrastructure, economic development, or recreation agencies have formally requested that the DLBA coordinate sales in connection with planned or ongoing Revitalization projects that use DLBA properties.

• Project Hold Areas: where City Revitalization Offices have agreements in place barring or restricting the sale of DLBA property in that geographic area.

• Residents can access the map of Land Review Areas, here.

Read our Vacant Land Policy here.