Coon Rapids, MN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Section 12-313, Buildings Unfit for Human Habitation, sits inside the Building Maintenance and Occupancy Code's broader habitability scheme, which begins at section 12-306 with minimum standards every common-interest, rental, or single-occupancy facility must meet, covering heating capable of 68 degrees Fahrenheit from October through May, functioning plumbing and kitchen fixtures, adequate light and ventilation, and sound floors, walls and ceilings. Section 12-313(1) lets the Compliance Official declare a building or portion of it unfit for human habitation when it is damaged, decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, pest-infested, or lacks basic illumination, heat, ventilation, or sanitary facilities to a degree that creates a hazard to occupants or the public.

Once declared unfit, the Compliance Official can order the building or affected unit vacated within a reasonable time and placard it, and any existing rental license is subject to revocation. Orders are served the same way as compliance-order notices under section 12-315(3), and the same appeal path applies, to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals under section 12-315(4), except the Compliance Official can still order vacation pending appeal if the Chief Building Official finds an immediate threat to health and safety. Subsection (2) makes it a misdemeanor to use a placarded building for habitation until the defects are corrected, written approval is issued, and, for rental property, a rental license is issued or reinstated; defacing or removing a placard is also a misdemeanor.

Subsection (3) protects tenants directly: no rent may be collected from a tenant of a placarded unit from the date of placarding until the City removes the placard. If the owner never remedies the defects, section 12-314 allows the building to be declared a hazardous building under Minnesota law.