Saint Paul, MN Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

01(a) sets the baseline rule that "all existing buildings in the city are required to have and maintain a fire certificate of occupancy," which DSI treats as proof the building meets "all relevant codes to maintain the health, safety and welfare" of its occupants. 02 carves out an exemption for a single-family house, duplex, or condominium unit that is the owner's own "principle residence," defining owner narrowly as "a natural person," not a corporation, partnership or other entity. 01(b) is the trigger that ends that exemption: "When an owner-occupied dwelling changes to a rental dwelling unit," the owner must, within 30 days of the change in use, submit a completed provisional-certificate application, a completed "owner's self evaluation affidavit," and the provisional-certificate fee.

04(a)(3) confirms the mechanism citywide by listing "one- and two-family dwellings which have a change in status from owner occupied to non-owner occupied or rental" among the buildings that become subject to the fire certificate of occupancy requirement. 04(b)(4) then layers on a training requirement for first-time applicants: an owner applying for their first residential fire certificate of occupancy must complete the DSI Landlord 101 course, or an approved equivalent completed within the prior two years, and submit proof of attendance or enrollment with the application, unless the owner already holds a certificate on another residential building. 04(c).