Blue Earth County, MN Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Rather than a traditional owner-occupancy rule, Blue Earth County's short-term rental ordinance imposes a rental property manager requirement. Sec. 24-337(e)(1) requires every short-term rental unit to have a designated rental property manager who must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; able to respond in person within 120 minutes of notification when patrons are present at the dwelling unit; hold administrative authority over the property; and have knowledge of the short-term rental unit, the property, and the county's rules, standards and procedures.

The owner or designee must give the county the manager's name, address and phone number, and the planning agency then forwards that contact information to neighboring properties within one-quarter mile of the rental at the time the permit is approved, per Sec. 24-337(e)(2). Any change of manager or contact information must be reported to the county within ten days, and the current manager's contact details must be posted at the property or on its booking webpage. Sec. 24-337(f) builds enforcement directly around the manager: complaints go first to the manager for remedy, and if the manager does not acknowledge the issue within 24 hours or resolve it, the complaint escalates to the planning agency for non-emergency issues, while true emergencies go straight to law enforcement.