Duluth, MN Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Occupancy formula
- 1 person + 2 per bedroom
- Occupancy ceiling
- 9 persons maximum
- Bedroom cap
- 4 bedrooms may be rented
- Grandfather clause
- Pre-Dec. 1, 2021 licenses only
- Exemption ends
- Upon any ownership transfer
Summary
The City of Duluth caps how many guests a licensed vacation dwelling unit can host: one person plus two per bedroom, capped at nine total, and no more than four bedrooms may be rented, though units licensed before December 1, 2021 with more bedrooms keep operating until the property changes hands.
2. Maximum Number of Persons and Bedrooms. The total number of persons that may occupy the vacation dwelling unit is one person plus the number of bedrooms multiplied by two, which shall not exceed nine. The maximum number of bedrooms that may be rented may not exceed four. Vacation dwelling units licensed before December 1, 2021, that exceeded four bedrooms are entitled to continue operating, however, this exemption expires upon transfer of any ownership interest in the permitted property.
Full Breakdown
2 sets a hard cap on how many guests each licensed unit can host overnight. The formula is one person plus two guests per bedroom, so a one-bedroom rental tops out at three guests, a three-bedroom unit at seven, and the citywide ceiling is nine people no matter how large the home is. The same subsection separately caps how many bedrooms may be counted toward a rental in the first place: no more than four bedrooms may be rented as part of a vacation dwelling unit, even in a larger house.
Owners who had already secured their vacation dwelling license before December 1, 2021 and were renting out more than four bedrooms at that time are grandfathered in and may keep operating under their existing bedroom count, but that grandfathered status is personal to the current owner: it expires automatically the moment the property changes hands, at which point the new owner's permit reverts to the standard four-bedroom, nine-guest ceiling. 1, and does not apply to vacation dwelling units located in the city's Form Districts (F1 through F9), which are governed by separate standards.
Violations & Fines
Advertising or hosting more guests than the one-plus-two-per-bedroom formula allows, or renting out more than four bedrooms without the pre-December 2021 grandfather protection, is a violation of the vacation dwelling unit's interim use permit. The city can decline to renew the permit or revoke it outright, and because the permit is tied to the specific owner and property, exceeding the cap after a sale carries no grandfather defense at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many guests can stay overnight at a Duluth vacation rental?
Can a Duluth vacation rental have five or more bedrooms?
What happens to a grandfathered vacation rental when it's sold?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Duluth
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