Duluth, MN Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Duluth, MN, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Interim use permit under UDC
- Other licenses
- City and state guest-occupancy licenses
- Permit term
- Up to 6 years
- Termination trigger
- Any change in ownership
- Transferability
- Never transferable to new owner/address
- Citywide cap
- Max 120 permits
Summary
Operating a vacation dwelling unit in the City of Duluth requires an interim use permit under the Unified Development Chapter plus any other city and state licenses needed for guest occupancy; the permit runs up to six years, ends immediately if ownership changes, and can never transfer to a new owner, property, or address.
5. Other Licenses Required. ... In addition to the permit issued pursuant to this chapter, the property owner must obtain all licenses and permits from the city of Duluth and state of Minnesota required for guest occupancy on the property. ... ... 9. Termination. The interim use permit shall terminate upon change in ownership of the property or in six years after the date of issuance, whichever occurs first. Upon permit termination, property owner may reapply. The permit is only valid for the property and applicant or property owner that it was initially issued to and the permit shall not be transferred to a new applicant or property owner, or to a new property or different address.
Full Breakdown
5 of the Unified Development Chapter requires the property owner to hold 'the permit issued pursuant to this chapter,' meaning the interim use permit that authorizes the short-term rental use in the applicable zone district, plus every other license the city of Duluth and the State of Minnesota separately require for guest occupancy, such as lodging or transient-accommodation licensing. That interim use permit is not indefinite. 9 terminates it automatically upon any change in ownership of the property or six years after it was issued, whichever comes first, and the owner must then re-apply from scratch if they want to keep renting.
The permit is non-transferable in every direction: it belongs only to the specific applicant and property it was issued for and cannot be assigned to a new owner, a new applicant, a different property, or a new address. 10 caps the citywide inventory at 60 vacation dwelling unit permits, rising by up to ten percent of the prior year's net new housing units (or ten new permits, whichever is less) up to an absolute ceiling of 120 units, so even a fully compliant application can be turned away once the cap is reached.
Violations & Fines
Operating a vacation dwelling unit without a current interim use permit, or without the other city and state licenses guest occupancy requires, is grounds for permit denial or non-renewal by Planning and Economic Development's Land Use Supervisor. Because the permit automatically terminates on any ownership transfer and can never be assigned to a new owner or address, a buyer who keeps renting without applying for a new permit is operating unlicensed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Duluth require a permit for short-term rentals?
How long is a Duluth vacation rental permit valid?
Is there a cap on how many vacation rental permits Duluth issues?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Duluth
How Duluth compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Duluth to another location·View the Minnesota short-term rentals overview
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