Hennepin County, MN Ordinances (2026)

Hennepin County denies cannabis retailer registrations within 350 feet of a school, day care, residential treatment facility, or park area used by minors.

Hennepin County stops issuing new cannabis retailer registrations in a city once that city reaches one retailer per 12,500 residents, though hemp-edible shops are exempt.

Adults 21 and older in Hennepin County may grow up to eight cannabis plants per household under Minn. Stat. 342.09, with no more than four mature plants flowering at one time.

Hennepin County's recycling ordinance doesn't ban yard waste pickup, but collecting yard waste alone never counts as a city meeting its recycling mandate.

Hennepin County requires recycling and organics containers at multifamily and commercial properties to be just as accessible as trash containers, at all times.

Hennepin County requires every city to adopt an ordinance guaranteeing curbside recycling pickup for single-family homes through fourplexes with their own trash carts.

Hennepin County Ordinance 2 flatly bans operating an open dump and makes the responsible party pay to haul the waste to a licensed facility.

Before building or remodeling a public pool in Hennepin County, plans go to the state Pool Engineer first: the ordinance covers public pools, not private backyard pools.

Hennepin County adopts state pool safety law, including the Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act, and requires a county license to operate any public swimming pool.

Hennepin County declares junk or rubbish accumulations and structures made dangerous by sanitary defects to be public health nuisances subject to abatement.

Minnesota's statewide Earned Sick and Safe Time law at Minn. Stat. 181.9445 took effect January 2024, requiring all Hennepin County employers to provide paid sick leave, with stricter…

Minnesota Statute 504B.178 caps security deposits at no specific amount but requires landlords return deposits within 21 days of lease termination with itemized deductions. Landlords…

Minnesota Statute 471.9996 allows rent control only if approved by city or county voters at general election. Saint Paul passed rent stabilization in 2021. Minneapolis voters…

Hennepin County recreational fires must follow Minnesota DNR open-burning rules and city codes. Fires are limited to three feet wide by three feet tall, set back 25 feet from…

Aerial and explosive consumer fireworks are illegal statewide in Minnesota under Minn. Stat. §§624.20-624.25. Only non-aerial, non-explosive 'sparkling items' - wire/wood sparklers (up…

Hennepin County Public Health and HCSO investigate animal hoarding under Minnesota cruelty statutes 343.21 and city pet-limit ordinances. Cases often involve seizure, criminal charges…

Minnesota Statutes 346.155 ban private ownership of regulated exotic animals such as big cats, bears, and most primates. Hennepin County cities add their own restrictions on venomous…

Open containers of alcohol are prohibited in vehicles statewide and on most public streets and parks across Hennepin County, with limited exceptions for licensed events and patios.

Hennepin County bans selling flavored tobacco and vape products unless a retailer meets narrow adult-only shop exemption criteria.

Hennepin County will not permit a subsurface sewage treatment system located in a floodway, and floodplain siting must be avoided wherever possible; flood-fringe placement is allowed…

Right-of-way permit holders in Hennepin County must use Best Management Practices to control erosion, sediment, and dust on their work sites, and provide it on department request.

Hennepin County requires a food establishment license for mobile food units and itinerant food stands before they may operate.

Trees or plants removed or damaged during Hennepin County right-of-way work must be replaced in kind, and a tree replacement plan is required with the removal permit application.

Hennepin County adopts the state certified food manager rule, exempting some food establishments if the person in charge still gets sanitation training.

Hennepin County's Public Health Nuisance Ordinance declares rat, mouse, and other vermin infestations a public health nuisance subject to county abatement.

Short-term rentals in Hennepin County collect 6.875% Minnesota sales tax plus city-specific lodging taxes ranging from 3% (Bloomington) to 6.5% (Minneapolis), totaling roughly 10-13%…

Hennepin County enforces Minnesota Statutes 144.9501 to 144.9512 governing lead hazards in pre-1978 housing. Hennepin County Public Health performs lead inspections, mandates…

Hennepin County requires any retailer selling tobacco, e-cigarettes or nicotine products to hold a county license first.

Hennepin County requires a Health Authority license before anyone can own, operate, or work in a body art establishment offering tattoos or piercings.

Hennepin County levies a 0.5 percent county lodging tax on top of the 6.875 percent Minnesota sales tax, with cities like Minneapolis adding their own lodging taxes for a typical 13 to…

Hennepin County bars juveniles from public places at night, with curfew start times tiered by age from 9 p.m. up to 11 p.m. depending on the child's age and day of week.

Hennepin County requires a right-of-way permit before anyone obstructs, works in, or places facilities within county road right-of-way, with only narrow exceptions like sidewalk…

Aircraft noise around Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is governed by federal FAA rules and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, with mitigation programs across south…

Hennepin County is fully incorporated - all 45 cities including Minneapolis enforce their own noise ordinances and the county does not have its own countywide noise rules. Inside…