Building Safety in Saint Paul, MN

If you live in Saint Paul or are thinking about moving there, building safety are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Saint Paul has 11 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of building safety, and some of them might surprise you.

Elevator Maintenance

Saint Paul makes it unlawful to operate any elevator, escalator or similar lifting equipment without a current certificate of inspection posted at the machine. Section 38.04 puts the Division of Housing and Building Code Enforcement in charge of the annual inspection and certificate program, and lets the division tag and shut down any unit that fails inspection or whose owner hasn't paid the required fee.

Key details: Governing section: § 38.04, Elevators, Hoists, Lifts and Moving Stairways. Requirement: Current certificate of inspection posted at equipment. Issuing agency: Division of Housing and Building Code Enforcement. Fee exemption: City of Saint Paul exempt; other govt agencies pay. Enforcement tool: Division may tag/seal unsafe equipment out of service.

Operating an elevator or moving stairway without a posted, current certificate of inspection is unlawful under Section 38.04(a). Equipment found unsafe or non-conforming has its certificate withheld until corrected; if the owner misses the correction deadline, the division tags or seals the equipment out of service, and using sealed equipment, or breaking the division's seal without authorization, is itself a separate violation of the chapter.

Electrical Permits

Saint Paul requires a separate electrical permit for any new electrical installation, remodeling, replacement or repair, apart from minor repairs the state board of electricity exempts, under Legislative Code § 33.03(d), enforcing the National Electrical Code as adopted by the state and incorporated into Chapter 33 under § 34.07's definition.

Key details: Permit trigger: Any new electrical installation, remodel or repair. Exemption: Minor repairs defined by state board of electricity. Adopted code: National Electrical Code per § 34.07. Minimum fee: $85 for one-family dwelling electrical work. Per-permit rule: Separate permit required for each structure.

Performing new wiring, a service change or a circuit alteration without the § 33.03(d) electrical permit is a misdemeanor under § 33.09, and DSI collects the standard fee plus a matching penalty fee for work started before permitting. Citywide, § 1.05 caps that misdemeanor at a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail. Work performed by anyone other than a licensed electrical contractor or a properly licensed employee also violates § 33.03(e).

Lead Paint

Saint Paul bans applying paint with lead content at or above 0.06 percent by weight to any residential surface, interior or exterior, under Sec. 34.10(8)(a). Existing paint that's already deteriorating, blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalked away, can't legally contain lead at or above 0.5 percent by weight or 1 milligram per square centimeter.

Key details: New-paint lead limit: 0.06% by weight (application ban). Deteriorating-paint lead limit: 0.5% by weight or 1 mg/cm². Applies to: interior and exterior residential surfaces. Trigger condition: blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled, or chalked. Penalty: misdemeanor, Sec. 34.18.

Applying paint at or above 0.06 percent lead by weight to a residential surface, or letting existing paint that already exceeds 0.5 percent lead by weight (or 1 mg/cm²) sit blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalking, violates Sec. 34.10(8) and Sec. 34.09(2)(c) and is a misdemeanor under Sec. 34.18. An enforcement officer can order the surface repainted or treated, and severe cases support condemnation under Sec. 34.23.

This is one of the stricter rules in Saint Paul's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed

Saint Paul's demolition licensing chapter requires every wrecking job in the city to provide sufficient scaffolding to protect life, limb and property, under DSI supervision and reasonable restrictions the director may impose, backed by a $10,000 bond and a right of city takeover if the work isn't done safely.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 368.04(a). Standard: 'sufficient scaffolding' to protect life, limb, property. Supervising agency: Dept. of Safety & Inspections. Bond backing the license: $10,000 (Sec. 368.03(a)). City takeover remedy: DSI can finish work + lien property, 6% interest.

A wrecker who fails to keep the site properly scaffolded can be ordered by DSI's director to correct the condition; if the contractor doesn't comply, the department may enter the site, complete the work at the wrecker's expense, and recover unpaid costs as a property lien carrying 6% annual interest under Sec. 368.04(b). The $10,000 bond required at licensing also stands behind any resulting damage claim.

Childcare Center Rules

Saint Paul requires child care centers in RL-H1 residential districts to occupy a nonresidential building formerly used by a church, school or community center, and mandates a 3.5-foot fence around any play area facing a street.

Key details: RL-H1 siting requirement: nonresidential bldg formerly church/school/community center. Industrial district use: accessory only to a permitted principal use. Required play-area fence height: at least 3.5 feet. Fence trigger: front yard or adjacent to a street. Family day care cap (separate use): 10 children, county-licensed.

Operating a child care center in an RL-H1 district without the required nonresidential building history, or without the mandatory 3.5-foot play-area fence, is a zoning violation enforced by Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections through its site plan and permit review process under Sec. 65.222; noncompliant facilities can be denied a certificate of occupancy or ordered to correct the fencing or siting before operating.

Building Permits

Saint Paul requires a building permit from the Department of Safety and Inspections before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a building or structure. Only maintenance-only repairs and minor alterations costing $500 or less are exempt under Legislative Code § 33.03(a).

Key details: Permit trigger: Any construction, alteration, repair, move or demolition. Repair exemption: Maintenance-only repairs $500 or less need no permit. Enforcing agency: Department of Safety and Inspections building official. Permit expiration: Void after 180 days without starting work. Working without permit: Standard fee plus equal penalty fee.

Working without a permit under § 33.03 triggers double fees. DSI charges the standard permit fee plus a matching penalty fee before signing off on the job, and unpermitted work is a misdemeanor under § 33.09. Citywide, § 1.05 caps a Legislative Code misdemeanor at a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail; petty misdemeanors specifying only a fine top out at $200. DSI may also revoke a permit issued in error.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Saint Paul requires carbon monoxide alarms in every dwelling, lodginghouse, apartment house and hotel under Chapter 39, adopting the state's CO-alarm mandate (Minn. Stat. §§ 299F.362, 299F.51) directly into city code. Owners of rented dwellings must keep alarms working and repair or replace any defective unit within 24 hours of being notified. CO alarms may be battery-powered, plug-in, or hard-wired to house current.

Key details: Governing sections: §§ 39.01–39.03, Smoke and CO Alarms. State cross-reference: Minn. Stat. §§ 299F.362, 299F.51. Power source: CO alarms: battery, plug-in, or AC-wired. Repair deadline: 24 hours after notification of a defective alarm. Tied to: Fire certificate of occupancy renewal affidavit.

An owner who fails to maintain a required CO alarm, or who doesn't repair or replace a defective one within 24 hours of notification under Section 39.02(b), is out of compliance with Chapter 39; because Section 39.02(c) requires an affidavit that all alarms are operational with every fire certificate of occupancy renewal, an owner cannot truthfully renew that certificate without fixing the alarm first.

Plumbing Permits

No one may install, remove, alter, repair or replace plumbing, gas or drainage piping, a standpipe or sprinkler system, or water heating/treating equipment in Saint Paul without a permit from the building official under Legislative Code § 33.03(b), which enforces the Minnesota State Plumbing Code as adopted into Chapter 33 under § 34.07's definition.

Key details: Permit trigger: Install, alter, repair or replace plumbing/gas piping. Adopted standard: Minnesota State Plumbing Code per § 34.07. Base fixture fee: $92 base plus $36 per fixture. Sewer permit fee: $85 flat building sewer permit. Per-structure rule: Separate permit required for each building.

Plumbing, gas piping or fixture work done without the § 33.03(b) permit is a misdemeanor under § 33.09, and DSI adds a penalty fee equal to the standard permit fee for work started before permitting. The citywide misdemeanor cap under § 1.05 is a $1,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Water and sewer connections must also conform to water utility standards and the state plumbing code under separate chapter 95 requirements.

Door Locking Hardware

Saint Paul's property maintenance code requires that every door serving as a building exit be openable from the inside easily and without a key, so occupants can never be locked in during a fire or other emergency. Section 34.09(4)h applies to every regulated residential structure citywide, with a narrower deadbolt exception carved out only for single-family homes and grade-level duplex or townhouse units under Minnesota Rule 326B.106.

Key details: Governing section: § 34.09(4)h, Property Maintenance Code. Rule: Exit doors must open from inside without a key. Exception: Single-family & grade-level duplex/townhouse. Minn. Rule 326B.106. Enforcement: DSI, via Chapter 40 fire certificate of occupancy inspection. Related clause: §34.09(4)j: patio/glider door locks must be repaired.

DSI code enforcement inspectors cite non-compliant exit locks during routine or complaint-based inspections and issue a written correction order; Chapter 34 compliance is folded into the Chapter 40 safety-code inspection behind every fire certificate of occupancy, so an uncorrected key-locked exit can block certificate issuance, trigger a lower renewal classification, or delay renewal for licensed rental and commercial buildings until the hardware is replaced and reinspected.

Building Inspections

Saint Paul's building official issues a certificate of compliance confirming a building meets Chapter 34's property maintenance standards, charging $540 for a single-family dwelling and $678 for a two-family dwelling inspection under § 33.06(a): separate from the fee-free final inspection new construction gets under its building permit.

Key details: Certificate fee, single-family: $540 inspection and certificate of compliance. Certificate fee, two-family: $678 inspection and certificate of compliance. New construction: No fee: inspected under the building permit. Vacant remodel rate: $152 single-family / $176 two-family. Reinspection fee: $85 per hour, one-hour minimum.

Occupying or selling a building that requires a code-compliance inspection without obtaining the § 33.06 certificate exposes the owner to code enforcement action and, for buildings flagged as dangerous or nuisance structures under chapters 43 and 45, blocks any further building permit until the inspection and certificate are obtained. General violations of chapter 33 carry the misdemeanor penalty in § 33.09, capped citywide at $1,000 and 90 days under § 1.05.

Green Building Code

Saint Paul requires city- and HRA-funded construction and major renovations to meet a certified green building standard under Legislative Code Chapter 81, plus the city's own "Saint Paul Overlay" performance requirements. The rule reaches beyond city buildings to private projects that receive more than $200,000 in city funding.

Key details: Governing chapter: Legislative Code Ch. 81, adopted 2018. Funding trigger: Private projects over $200,000 in city funds. Major renovation size: 10,000+ sq ft with new HVAC systems. Commercial standards: LEED silver/gold/platinum, MN B3, or Port Authority review. Residential standards: LEED, MN B3, GreenStar, or Green Communities.

Compliance is enforced through the funding relationship rather than fines: for privately owned projects receiving more than $200,000 in city assistance, Sec. 81.04(b) makes certification and Overlay compliance a condition of the grant, loan, TIF, or bond funding itself, so non-compliance puts continued disbursement or the funding agreement at risk. The Director of Planning and Economic Development administers the standards, and the city council or HRA board of commissioners is the only body that can grant a waiver under Sec. 81.05.

The Bottom Line

Saint Paul's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Saint Paul is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Saint Paul's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.