Stearns County, MN Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Ordinance 272, Section 5.7
- Multi-family rule
- Locks must open from inside without a key
- Enforcing official
- Environmental Services Director
- Max fine
- $1,000 plus up to 90 days jail
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days to Board of Adjustment
Summary
Stearns County Ordinance 272 requires every exterior door of a rental dwelling unit to have a safe, functioning lock, and requires multiple family buildings to use locking devices on unit entry doors that still open freely from inside without a key.
5.7 Door Locks. No owner shall occupy nor let to another for occupancy any dwelling unit unless all exterior doors of the rental dwelling unit are equipped with safe, functioning locking devices. Multiple family dwellings shall also be furnished with door locks as follows: 5.7.1 Every door that is designed to provide ingress or egress for a dwelling unit within a multiple family rental dwelling shall be equipped with an approved locking device, provided, however, that such door shall be openable from the inside without the use of a key or any special knowledge or effort.
Full Breakdown
7, 'Door Locks,' of Ordinance 272 bars an owner from occupying or letting a rental dwelling unit for occupancy unless every exterior door of that unit is equipped with a safe, functioning locking device. 1: every door designed to provide ingress or egress for a dwelling unit within a multiple family rental building must have an approved locking device, but that door must remain openable from the inside without a key or any special knowledge or effort, so residents are never locked in during an emergency.
2, which requires every window, exterior door and hatchway to be substantially tight, in sound condition, and constructed to exclude rain, wind, vermin and rodents. Together these sections make functioning, code-compliant locking hardware a baseline occupancy requirement rather than a landlord option. 1 requiring the owner to install or repair locking hardware within a set deadline.
Violations & Fines
A missing or nonfunctioning lock found on inspection draws a written Compliance Order under Section 8.1 with a correction deadline, appealable to the Board of Adjustment within 30 days under Section 8.2. Failing to comply is a misdemeanor under Section 10.1: a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must every exterior door of a Stearns County rental have a lock?
Can a multi-family rental in Stearns County require a key to exit a unit?
What happens if an inspector finds a broken lock on a Stearns County rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stearns County
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