6 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Verified from official government sources
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 authorized enabling in 2021 but the council has not enacted implementation. Hennepin County itself has no rent control.
Minn. Stat. § 471.9996
471.9996 RENT CONTROL PROHIBITED. Subdivision 1. In general. No statutory or home rule charter city, county, or town may adopt or renew by ordinance or otherwise any law to control rents on private residential property except as provided in subdivision 2. This section does not impair the right of any statutory or home rule charter city, county, or town: (1) to manage or control property in whic...
Minneapolis adopted a non-renewal just-cause ordinance in 2022 requiring landlords to state one of nine approved reasons before refusing to renew a lease. Hennepin County itself has no just-cause rule; Bloomington, Edina, and other suburban cities follow Minnesota state law allowing non-renewal without cause.
Most Hennepin County cities license rental properties annually with periodic inspections. Minneapolis runs a tier-based system based on violation history; Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, and Plymouth conduct triennial inspections. Hennepin County itself does not license rentals; rules come from each city.
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 must pay 1% annual interest on held deposits and face triple damages plus $500 punitive damages for bad-faith withholding.
Minn. Stat. § 504B.178
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 ...
Minnesota Statute 363A.09, amended in 2023, bans landlord refusal to rent based on lawful source of income including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, SSI, child support, and veteran benefits. Hennepin County and all member cities follow this statewide protection.
Hennepin County administers Housing Choice Vouchers through the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Metro HRA, and several suburban PHAs. Wait lists are long but state source-of-income protection means landlords may not refuse vouchers categorically.
1 cities in Hennepin County have their own rental property rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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