The Department of Administrative Hearings (DAH) was established in January 2005 as a major component of the City of Detroit's efforts to address blight in the city. The DAH is a quasi-judicial body that adjudicates blight violations in Detroit.
Ordinance violations are really quality-of-life issues for the city’s residents. Blight violations have a major impact on the quality-of-life for Detroit citizens. For this reason, the City worked successfully to change state law to allow the City to create a new, innovative quasi-judicial approach to municipal ordinance enforcement: the DAH.
The DAH is an independent department of the City of Detroit. The Director of the DAH is appointed by the Mayor and also serves as the Chief Hearings Officer. The Department is divided into the Property Maintenance Division, the Zoning Division and the Illegal Dumping/Solid Waste Division. Licensed attorneys serve as administrative hearing officers.
In surveys across the nation, residents have ranked blight-related offenses among one of their top concerns. The Department of Administrative Hearings (DAH) provides a legal forum where such cases are heard in a fair, expedient and cost-effective manner.