What you see, and what it points to
A door that starts down and goes back up points to sensors detecting something, or believing they do. A door that will not close from the remote, with a light blinking on one or both eyes, can mean the same. A remote that works while the wall button does not is a different question, covered under opener repair.
What sensor repair costs in Michigan: our estimate and the evidence
Aligning, rewiring or replacing a sensor has an estimate of $130 to $260 per job in Michigan. It is a model, not a quote: national published ranges for the job and for realignment, adjusted for what Michigan garage door technicians are paid. Parts drive most of the difference between jobs, our methodology says, so ask which part is being replaced.
The rows after the estimate are wages, which are pay and not price.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $130 to $260 per job | Built from two national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan garage door technician median wage ratio (0.94). Too few Michigan garage door companies publish a price to show a range, so none is shown. |
| Michigan median hourly wage, mechanical door repairers | $25.18 an hour | Nearest BLS code (49-9011, mechanical door repairers), read through O*NET OnLine. Pay, not price. |
| Michigan 25th to 75th percentile hourly wage | $21.73 to $33.03 an hour | Pay, not price. |
| Michigan median annual wage | $52,370 a year | Pay, not price. |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn median hourly wage | $24.12 an hour | Pay, not price. |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood median hourly wage | $28.65 an hour | Pay, not price. |
| Kalamazoo-Portage median hourly wage | $29.42 an hour | Pay, not price. |
| Lansing-East Lansing median hourly wage | $30.96 an hour | Pay, not price. |
| United States median hourly wage, same occupation | $26.79 an hour | Same occupation, national, comparison only. Pay, not price. |
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 It takes two published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's garage door technician median wage ratio to the US (0.94, BLS May 2025 data read through O*NET OnLine, using mechanical door repairers as the nearest occupation). The wage rows in the table are what that occupation is paid, which is not a price. Where a Michigan company publishes a price, it only keeps the low end of the range from sitting above it. We have not collected quotes, and only two Michigan garage door companies published a regular dollar price we could count, so no range of Michigan prices is shown. A real quote can land outside the range. Full method. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
What the sensors are, and why you cannot do without them
The federal standard for residential door openers, 16 CFR 1211, applies to openers made on or after January 1, 1993. A downward-moving door must start to reverse within 2 seconds of touching an obstruction. A second layer is also required: the opener must use constant-pressure close control, or connect to an external secondary entrapment protection device such as a photoelectric sensor or an edge sensor, or have approved inherent protection. Those protection circuits must meet UL 991 or the supplement for them in UL 325, as the federal text incorporates it.
DASMA, the door manufacturers' association, says photo eyes should be no higher than six inches above the garage floor, and the wall button at least five feet up, out of reach of children. A light beam across the opening is there to detect an obstruction before the door reaches it.
The sensors are a safety system, not an accessory. In 2023 the Chamberlain Group recalled about 96,400 LiftMaster myQ garage door control panels because secondary entrapment protection could fail. That is one labelled example, not a trend.
Do it yourself or call a company
Check yourself, then call. Wiping the lenses with a soft cloth and looking at whether each eye faces the other and sits at the same height needs no tools. Nothing in the sources we cite forbids that, and it does not touch the spring system.
Never bypass, tape over or disconnect a sensor. Secondary entrapment protection is required equipment, and a door that closes without it is the case the rule is written to prevent. If the eyes will not line up, or the door still reverses after you have cleaned and aligned them, the next step is a technician.
DASMA says that if a door does not reverse readily after touching an obstruction, the sensitivity may be set wrongly, which is dangerous, and it recommends a trained door systems technician for that adjustment. After any sensor or opener work, run the monthly test the rule's instructions call for: the door must reverse on contact with a 1 1/2 inch object, or a 2 by 4 laid flat, on the floor. See the reversal test guide.
What to ask the company
Ask which of the sensors, the wiring or the opener is at fault and why, and ask for a replacement sensor to be described by what it replaces. Ask the company to run the reversal test in front of you before it leaves, and to show the eyes at their set height. If the company says the eyes can be left disconnected for now, treat that as a reason to call another one.
Sensor problems that cannot wait
- The door closes on an object, a pet or a person without reversing.
- The door fails the reversal test with the 1 1/2 inch object or the 2 by 4.
- The door is stuck open with the property unsecured overnight and the sensors will not clear.
- A sensor that needs cleaning or a nudge back into line.
What to try before you call
- Clear anything from the door's path and from in front of both eyes, including stored items and cobwebs.
- Wipe each lens with a soft cloth.
- Check that both eyes face each other and sit at the same height, no higher than six inches from the floor.
- Note if the light on each eye is steady, blinking or dark, and write it down for the company.
Permit position for sensor work
Michigan's Part 8 electrical rule says no electrical permit is needed to install or replace equipment approved for connection to suitable permanently installed receptacles. Garage openers are not named in it, so applying it to one is our inference. A new circuit or outlet, on the same inference, is electrical wiring, which Michigan law reserves to licensed individuals (MCL 339.5731), with exceptions such as a homeowner's own work in an owner-occupied single-family home. Ask your city's building department.
Ask the company for its legal name and, if it says it holds a license, the license number, and check that number with the agency that issued it before any work starts.
A tool for this job
Garage door symptom checker
Two questions: is anyone or anything trapped, and what is the door doing. You get what the symptom points to, a plain verdict, either safe to look at yourself or a job for a trained technician, and what we can say about cost. The verdicts rest on the federal opener rule and the trade association's safety pages, and nothing here asks for your name.
Open the toolQuestions people ask
Are garage door sensors required?
Yes, on openers made on or after January 1, 1993, some form of secondary entrapment protection is required. The federal rule allows constant-pressure close control, an external photoelectric or edge sensor, or approved inherent protection, and the circuits must meet UL 991 or the supplement in UL 325.
How high should garage door sensors be mounted?
DASMA says photo eyes should be no higher than six inches above the floor. It also says the wall button belongs at least five feet up, out of reach of children.
How do I know if a garage door sensor is bad?
We cannot give a test that proves it, but a dark light, or one that keeps blinking when the eyes are clean and lined up, is a reason to call. Do not bypass the sensor. After any repair, the door must pass the reversal test with a 1 1/2 inch object or a 2 by 4 laid flat.
Can I replace garage door sensors myself?
We found no rule against it, but the sensors are required safety equipment, and DASMA recommends a trained door systems technician for adjusting how readily the door reverses. If you do replace one, test the reversal afterwards, and never leave the door running without working eyes.
Has a garage door opener or sensor ever been recalled?
Yes: in 2023 CPSC announced a recall of about 96,400 LiftMaster myQ garage door control panels because secondary entrapment protection could fail. No injuries were reported in the U.S. We found no opener recall among CPSC's recalls from October 2023 to October 2026, using our own filter of its feed.
- BLS May 2025 wages for mechanical door repairers (SOC 49-9011), Michigan, as shown by O*NET OnLine Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- GarageDoorMatch: how we estimate costs (editorial policy) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- 16 CFR Part 1211 (eCFR) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DASMA Safety Tips: Garage Door Openers Read Oct 19, 2026.
- CPSC recall: LiftMaster myQ Garage Door Control Panels Read Oct 19, 2026.
- CPSC recall API (saferproducts.gov) Read Oct 19, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- LARA: Helpful Information for Homeowners Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Michigan Admin Code Part 8 Electrical Code, rule set 2022-59 LR, R 408.30818 Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5731 (Skilled Trades Regulation Act, Art. 7) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- City of Kentwood Inspections FAQ Read Oct 19, 2026. The source implies this without saying it, so check with the source before you act on it.
- MCL 339.5703 and 339.5737 Read Oct 19, 2026.