Rental Property Rules in Saint Paul, MN (2026)
10 verified rental property rules for Saint Paul, Minnesota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Saint Paul voters approved a rent stabilization ordinance in November 2021, making it one of few U.S. cities with rent control outside of California and New York. The ordinance limits annual rent increases to 3% for most residential rental units. Exemptions and implementation details have been refined through subsequent amendments by the City Council.
Saint Paul Rent Control & Stabilization
Heavy RestrictionsJust Cause Eviction
Saint Paul adopted tenant protections alongside its rent stabilization ordinance. Minnesota law requires landlords to follow the formal judicial eviction process. While Saint Paul's specific just cause provisions complement the rent stabilization framework, landlords must provide valid reasons for eviction of tenants in rent-stabilized units to prevent circumvention of rent caps.
Saint Paul Just Cause Eviction Protections
Some RestrictionsRental Registration
Saint Paul requires rental property registration through the Department of Safety and Inspections. Landlords must register their rental units and properties are subject to periodic inspections for code compliance. The registration program helps enforce housing standards and the rent stabilization ordinance.
Saint Paul Rental Property Registration
Some RestrictionsRelocation Assistance
When Saint Paul DSI condemns a rental unit or displaces tenants for code violations, landlords are generally required to provide relocation assistance under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 504B and city housing-code provisions.
Relocation Help For Condemned Or Displaced Tenants
Some RestrictionsSecurity Deposit Rules
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 504B controls security deposits for Saint Paul rentals, requiring interest at 1% per year, return within 21 days of move-out, and itemized written deductions for any withholding.
Security Deposit Caps And Interest Rules
Some RestrictionsMinn. Stat. 504B.178 (Interest on Security Deposits; Withholding Security Deposits; Damages; Limit on Withholding Last Month's Rent), Subd. 1-3
504B.178 INTEREST ON SECURITY DEPOSITS; WITHHOLDING SECURITY DEPOSITS; DAMAGES; LIMIT ON WITHHOLDING LAST MONTH'S RENT. Subdivision 1. Applicability. Any deposit of money, the function of which is to secure the performance of a residential rental agreement or any part of such an agreement, other than a deposit which is exclusively an advance payment of rent, shall be governed by the provisions ...
No-Fault Evictions
Saint Paul's rent-stabilization framework and Minnesota landlord-tenant law together limit no-fault evictions; landlords must rely on enumerated grounds such as owner move-in, substantial rehab, or removal from the rental market.
Limits On No-Fault Evictions Under Just-Cause Rules
Some RestrictionsPass-Through Charges
Saint Paul Chapter 193A allows limited pass-through of certain documented costs — capital improvements, government fees, and property-tax shifts — but only above the 3% base cap when approved through the city's rent-stabilization petition process.
Pass-Through Charges Under Rent Stabilization
Some RestrictionsTenant Anti-Harassment
Saint Paul tenants are protected from landlord harassment by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 504B, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and city rental-licensing rules requiring landlords to provide quiet enjoyment and avoid retaliatory conduct.
Protections Against Landlord Harassment
Some RestrictionsMinn. Stat. 504B.441 (Residential Tenant May Not Be Penalized for Complaint)
504B.441 RESIDENTIAL TENANT MAY NOT BE PENALIZED FOR COMPLAINT. A residential tenant may not be evicted, nor may the residential tenant's obligations under a lease be increased or the services decreased, if the eviction or increase of obligations or decrease of services is intended as a penalty for the residential tenant's or housing-related neighborhood organization's complaint of a violation....
Source-of-Income Discrimination
Saint Paul prohibits discrimination by housing providers against applicants using lawful sources of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, under city civil-rights rules and the broader Minnesota Human Rights Act framework.
Ban On Source-Of-Income Rental Discrimination
Heavy RestrictionsSection 8 Voucher Acceptance
Saint Paul Public Housing Agency administers federal Housing Choice Vouchers, and city civil-rights rules combined with HUD program requirements bar landlords from refusing applicants solely because they hold a voucher.