Lakeville, MN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum heat
- 68°F in all habitable rooms (IPMC § 602.2/602.3)
- Code adopted
- 2006 IPMC by Ord. 826, eff. 6-1-2007
- Ceiling height
- 7 feet minimum, narrow exceptions (§ 404.3)
- Window light
- 8% of floor area glazed (§ 402.1)
- Enforcement
- Chief building official, zoning administrator (§ 1-4-1-1)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, state maximum fine (§ 1-4-1)
Summary
Lakeville adopted the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code by City Code § 9-8-3, and its own amendments force every landlord who lets a dwelling or sleeping unit to supply heat maintaining at least 68°F in all habitable rooms. Cooking appliances cannot stand in for real heating equipment, and the same amendment sets minimum ceiling height, window light and plumbing-connection standards a rental unit must meet before it is legally habitable in the City of Lakeville, Minnesota.
602.2 Residential Occupancies. Dwellings shall be provided with heating facilities capable of maintaining a room temperature of 68°F (20°C) in all habitable rooms. Cooking appliances shall not be used to provide space heating to meet the requirements of this section. ... 602.3 Heat Supply. Every owner and operator of any building who rents, leases, or lets one or more dwelling units or sleeping units on terms, either expressed or implied, to furnish heat to the occupants thereof shall supply heat to maintain a temperature of not less than 68°F (20°C) in all habitable rooms.
Full Breakdown
Under § 9-8-3, adopted by Ordinance 826 (April 16, 2007, effective June 1, 2007), the city amended IPMC § 602.2 and § 602.3 so that every dwelling must have heating facilities capable of maintaining 68°F in all habitable rooms, and any owner or operator who rents, leases or lets a dwelling or sleeping unit must actually supply that heat to the occupant, whether the duty is express or implied in the lease. The code separately amends § 402.1 to require every habitable room to have a window providing at least 8 percent of the room's floor area in glazing (or, for an interior room lit through an adjoining room, an opening of at least 8 percent of the interior room's floor area or 25 square feet, whichever governs), and § 404.3 sets a 7-foot minimum clear ceiling height for habitable spaces, hallways, and habitable basements, with narrower exceptions for beams, laundry basements and sloped-ceiling bedrooms.
Section 505.1 requires every sink, tub, shower and water closet to connect to an approved public or private water system, and kitchen and bath fixtures must deliver hot or tempered water under the state plumbing code. Because chapter 8's deletions in § 9-8-2 struck all of IPMC chapter 1 except a short list of sections, the enforceable habitability floor in Lakeville is this handful of amended numeric standards rather than the full model code. A tenant facing an unheated or substandard unit can point directly to these sections when reporting a violation to the city's building inspections division.
Violations & Fines
Violating any property maintenance standard is a misdemeanor under the general penalty, City Code § 1-4-1, punishable up to the maximum fine and jail term Minnesota sets for misdemeanor offenses. Section 1-4-1-1 authorizes the zoning administrator, community and economic development director, community service officers, fire chief, fire marshal and chief building official to issue a citation in lieu of arrest or pursue civil action, and pursuing one remedy does not bar the city from pursuing another.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature must a Lakeville landlord keep a rental unit at?
Does Lakeville use the full International Property Maintenance Code?
Who enforces habitability standards in Lakeville rentals?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakeville
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