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St. Louis County, MN Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Basis
Discretionary condition, not a fixed curfew
Who sets it
St. Louis County Planning and Zoning Director
Also may require
Fences or vegetative screening
Purpose
Reduce impact on neighboring properties
Violation consequence
Permit becomes null and void
Penalty
Misdemeanor under Art. VIII § 8.2.B

Summary

St. Louis County does not set fixed quiet hours by ordinance, but the Planning and Zoning Director can impose quiet hours as a condition on any short-term rental permit. Zoning Ordinance 62 lets the Director add fencing, vegetative screening, or quiet hours to reduce a rental's impact on neighboring properties, and violating any imposed condition voids the permit.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

d. The St. Louis County Planning and Zoning Director may impose additional standards or conditions that will reduce impacts of the proposed use on neighboring properties. Said Standards or conditions include but are not limited to fences, vegetative screening along property lines or shoreline and quiet hours.

Full Breakdown

2 covers conforming-lot standards for short-term rentals permitted as Residential Use-Class II. Subsection d gives the Planning and Zoning Director discretion to impose additional standards or conditions that will reduce the impacts of a short-term rental on neighboring properties, and it lists fences, vegetative screening along property lines or the shoreline, and quiet hours as examples of what the Director may require. This means noise control for a specific rental is handled case by case at permitting rather than through a countywide curfew: a Director reviewing a rental's location, its proximity to neighbors, or complaint history can attach a quiet-hours condition directly to that property's permit.

Because the standard sits inside the conforming-lot subsection, it commonly accompanies other neighbor-facing conditions on the same permit, such as screening required near a shoreline. The condition becomes part of the performance standard or conditional use permit itself, so it is enforceable the same way as any other permit term, and it can vary from one short-term rental to the next depending on what the Director determines is necessary for that site.

Violations & Fines

Breaching a Director-imposed quiet-hours condition, or any other condition attached to a short-term rental permit, triggers Section 6.32.A.1.i, which deems any violation of the ordinance to make the permit null and void. Operating the rental after the permit is voided is treated as operating without a permit, a misdemeanor under Article VIII, Section 8.2.B, with fines credited to the county's general revenue fund; the Director can also refer an uncorrected violation to the County Attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does St. Louis County set fixed quiet hours for short-term rentals?
No countywide hours are set by ordinance. Instead, Section 6.32.A.2.d lets the Planning and Zoning Director impose quiet hours as a condition on an individual rental's permit when needed to reduce impacts on neighboring properties, so the hours can differ from one rental to the next.
Can my neighbor's short-term rental have quiet hours imposed if it's noisy?
Yes. If the Planning and Zoning Director determines a short-term rental is impacting neighboring properties, the Director can add quiet hours, along with fencing or vegetative screening, as a condition on that property's performance standard or conditional use permit.
What happens if a rental operator ignores an imposed quiet-hours condition?
Violating any condition on a short-term rental permit, including quiet hours, makes the permit null and void under Section 6.32.A.1.i. Continuing to rent the property afterward is treated as operating without a permit, which is a misdemeanor under Article VIII, Section 8.2.B.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in St. Louis County

All St. Louis County rules

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