Saint Paul, MN Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Chapter 379's licensing scheme defines a 'Responsible Party' in Sec. 01 as an individual with legal authority over tenancy, building maintenance, complaints and repairs relating to applicable safety codes, and requires that person to be available as a point of contact for the city and for any guest for the duration of the guest's stay. Sec. 07, which lists the general provisions every licensed short-term rental host must satisfy, turns that definition into an operating duty: subsection (b) requires hosts to provide local contact information to every guest during their stay, with that local contact available to respond to inquiries at the rental for the length of the stay.

Subsection (i) separately requires hosts to give the department of safety and inspections accurate information on the name and contact details of the responsible party, and subsection (e)(2) requires the contact information for the host or responsible party to be posted conspicuously inside the unit alongside emergency numbers, the street address, and a floor plan showing fire exits. None of this requires the host or owner to physically live at or stay in the unit. Saint Paul's rule is a contactability requirement, not an owner-occupancy or presence-on-site mandate.

Hosts must satisfy all of Sec. 07's subsections, including this one, within five business days of a DSI request, and must provide a signed declaration of compliance under subsection (a). Failing to keep DSI's contact record current or to post in-unit contact information is grounds for license discipline under the chapter's general licensing-compliance authority.