Saint Paul Legislative Code Chapter 65 (Zoning) and Chapter 376 distinguish between owner-occupied short-term rentals (host present during stay) and unhosted whole-home rentals, with stricter conditions on the latter.
Saint Paul splits STRs into two licensing tiers. Host-present rentals — where the operator lives onsite during the guest stay — face simpler approval and often qualify in residential zones outright. Unhosted whole-home rentals trigger additional conditions: rental-dwelling licensing, neighbor notice in some districts, and stricter occupancy and parking review. Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) issues both license types and verifies homestead status. Operators must designate a 24-hour local responsible party reachable for complaints regardless of host presence.
Operating an unhosted whole-home STR under a host-present license risks license revocation, daily fines, and an order to cease rentals until the correct tier is issued.
Saint Paul, MN
Saint Paul requires an annual STR Host License ($42) under Chapter 379. Non-owner-occupied properties need a Fire Certificate of Occupancy. Operating unlicen...
Saint Paul, MN
Saint Paul restricts most whole-home short-term rentals to the operator's primary residence, with limited exceptions for licensed investor-operated units, he...
See how Saint Paul's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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