What underpinning is, explained from the footing rule
No government or extension page we could read defines underpinning, so this is a general explanation from the code text. The 2015 International Residential Code, which Michigan's code is based on, says foundation walls, piers and other permanent supports must be protected from frost by going below the frost line, by a frost-protected shallow design, or by bearing on solid rock, and that footings shall not bear on frozen soil unless the frozen condition is permanent.
Underpinning is what you do when an existing footing no longer does that job: part of the house has dropped because the soil under it gave way, or a footing was never deep enough. A crew takes the load down to soil that will carry it. How many supports, how deep and what type is a design question. We found no government or extension source on pier types or load testing, so we will not say one type is better. Settlement that has stopped, a crack that has not moved or a wet wall are often not pier jobs at all.
What piering and underpinning cost in Michigan: estimates, not quotes
Our estimate for piers in Michigan is $890 to $1,950 per pier, installed, and a whole underpinning job is estimated at $8,925 to $36,200 per underpinning job. Both are modeled from published national ranges and adjusted by Michigan's cement mason wage ratio (1.05); neither is a quote, and we have collected no Michigan quotes. The rows are wages and general building permit fees, and none names piers.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $890 to $1,950 per pier, installed | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan cement mason median wage ratio (1.05). No Michigan foundation company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a price we could count. |
| Estimated range per underpinning job, not a quote | $8,925 to $36,200 per underpinning job | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan cement mason median wage ratio (1.05). No Michigan foundation company price is shown, because none of the companies we looked at published a price we could count. |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers, Michigan median | $59,860 a year | What workers are paid (BLS 2025 data via O*NET), not what you are charged. |
| Civil engineers, Michigan median | $92,100 a year | What workers are paid, not an engineer's report fee. |
| Building permit, Ann Arbor | $100 plus $10 per $1,000 of project cost | Fee schedule revised July 15, 2025. |
| Building permit, Lansing | $175 for $4,001 to $10,000 of work | Schedule dated July 1, 2026. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes two published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's cement mason median wage ratio to the US (1.05, BLS 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine). No permit fee is added: the city permit rows below are shown as printed. The wage and permit rows are what workers are paid and what a city's own schedule charges, and neither is a price. Your soil, water and the repair method move a real quote well outside any range, so get an independent diagnosis first. We have not collected quotes, and we found no Michigan foundation company that publishes a price we could count. Full method. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
Why 42 inches matters in Michigan
Michigan amends the base code: all exterior footings and foundation systems shall extend 42 inches below actual grade, and the building official may change the depth on evidence about freezing, soil type, ground water, snow depth or exposure (R 408.30522). It is a footing rule, not a rule about burying water lines.
The rule is written for new work, so applying it to repair footings is our reading, but ask any contractor to state the footing depth in writing and what it is measured from. Our guide on Michigan frost depth and frost heave covers the exceptions.
Who may do underpinning in Michigan
There is no pier or underpinning license. A contractor taking $600 or more in labor and materials needs a LARA residential builder license or a maintenance and alteration license with a fitting craft. Concrete, masonry or excavation are the likely fits, but the statute names no foundation craft and the match is our reading. We have not verified it, so ask LARA to confirm. An owner working on their own occupied home is exempt.
Read the crafts on the LARA license search; our guide to checking a builder license shows how.
Get the engineer's read before you agree to a pier count
Pier work is where the company that diagnoses is most often the company that sells. A salesperson who quotes a pier count has an interest in the count; an engineer who sells nothing has an interest only in the report. Only a licensed engineer may practice engineering in Michigan, and a firm may offer it only if two-thirds of its principals are licensees, so ask who signed an in-house report.
State law exempts design of a detached one or two family home up to 3,500 square feet from the engineer license article, so no statewide rule makes a stamp mandatory for a repair, but a city may still ask for engineered drawings. Use the do I need an engineer tool and our guide on getting an engineer first, then ask each contractor to bid against the report.
Digging notices and city inspections
Piers and new footings mean digging. An excavator must notify MISS DIG at least 72 hours, excluding non-business hours, and no more than 14 calendar days ahead. The source is a state summary, so confirm the timing with MISS DIG.
The base code requires a permit to repair or alter a structure, and the state exemption list does not include foundation work. No city page we read names piers, so your building department decides. The code's foundation inspection comes after trenches are dug and steel is in place, before concrete; that is a new-foundation rule, so applying it to underpinning is our inference.
When a settling foundation cannot wait
- A wall or floor is visibly moving or dropping this week.
- Water is coming through at a new crack.
- A gas or utility line is pulled at the wall, or the structure feels unsafe: leave and call 911.
- Old settlement that has not changed against a pencil mark.
- A sticking door and no new cracks.
What to do before you call about settlement
- Mark each crack end with a pencil and date, and photograph it with a coin for scale. Check again in a month.
- Note which doors and windows stick and whether that changes with the seasons.
- Write down where water comes in, if it does. Drainage problems often look like foundation problems.
Permits and licensing for piers and underpinning
Ask your building department whether the job needs a permit, and put who pulls it in the contract.
Ask for the contractor's license number and check it with your state licensing agency before you sign anything.
- MCL 339.2401 Definitions (Occupational Code art. 24) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.2404 (license scope, crafts and trades) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.2403 (exemptions) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- LARA: Find / Verify a Licensed Professional or Business Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Ann Arbor building permit fee schedule Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Lansing building permit fee schedule Read Oct 19, 2026.
- LARA: Helpful Information for Homeowners Read Oct 19, 2026.
A tool for this job
Do I need an engineer first?
This is the trade where the company that finds the problem often sells the fix. Answer two questions and the tool tells you whether to call an engineer, get a second opinion, fix the water path or wait. It runs in your browser and asks for nothing.
Open the toolQuestions people ask
What is foundation underpinning?
It is giving a house a new or deeper footing so the load rests on firmer soil. No government page we read defines it, so we explain it from the 2015 IRC footing rules.
How deep must a footing be in Michigan?
Michigan requires footings 42 inches below actual grade, with exceptions a building official may grant (R 408.30522). It is a footing rule written for new work.
Does piering or underpinning need an engineer in Michigan?
No statewide rule requires one for a one or two family home design up to 3,500 square feet, but a city may ask. Get an independent engineer's read before you sign. See getting an engineer first.
Does piering need a building permit in Michigan?
Foundation work is not on the state exemption list, and the base code requires a permit to repair or alter a structure. No city page we read names piers, so ask before work starts.
Do I have to call MISS DIG before pier work?
Yes, an excavator must notify MISS DIG at least 72 hours, excluding non-business hours, before digging. That comes from a state summary, so confirm the timing.
How much do foundation piers cost in Michigan?
Our estimate for foundation piers in Michigan is $890 to $1,950 per pier, installed, from a model and not a quote, because we have collected no Michigan quotes. The total depends on how many piers the plan calls for. Get two written bids that follow the same engineer's report.
- ICC: 2015 IRC ch. 4 Foundations (R403.1.4.1) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Mich. Admin. Code R 408.30522 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.2001 Definitions (Occupational Code art. 20) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.2010 (firm) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.2012 (persons exempted) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MPSC: Damage Prevention Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- ICC: 2015 IRC ch. 1 (R109.1.1) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor), Michigan wages, Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), republishing BLS OEWS 2025 Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- FoundationMatch: how we estimate costs (editorial policy) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor), Michigan wages, Civil Engineers (SOC 17-2051), republishing BLS OEWS 2025 Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Mich. Admin. Code R 408.30505 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 19, 2026.