Blaine, MN Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

The City of Blaine does not maintain a stand-alone short-term rental ordinance, conditional use permit, or vacation-rental category. Instead, renting a home to others is governed by Blaine's Rental Maintenance Code in Chapter 18, Article VIII of the City Code. The city's rental licensing program, run by Housing Services, states that all rental housing must secure a license before tenants move into the unit, and that the program covers single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condos, and all multi-family rentals of two or more units. Because the code does not distinguish by length of stay, a homeowner who rents an entire dwelling on a platform like Airbnb or VRBO would generally need the same annual rental dwelling license as a long-term landlord. Minnesota does not preempt local short-term rental regulation, so Blaine is free to license and zone these uses; to date it has chosen to fold them into the existing rental license rather than create STR-specific rules. Operators should confirm with Blaine Housing Services (763-785-6146) whether a particular short-term arrangement is treated as a licensed rental, and should also verify the property's residential zoning district (R-1, R-2, R-3, etc.) permits the use. No code section creates a separate short-term rental permit.