Lakeville, MN Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Unlike many cities that restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary, permanent residence, Lakeville's published short-term rental standards impose no primary-residence requirement. The city expressly allows an owner to rent the entire home for short-term use, and its FAQ confirms that the property owner does not need to be present during the short-term rental stay. This makes Lakeville comparatively permissive: investor-owned and non-owner-occupied short-term rentals are not categorically banned the way they are in cities with strict owner-occupancy mandates. The principal ownership-side limit is quantitative rather than residency-based — a single property owner may hold a maximum of two (2) Short-Term Rental Administrative Permits in Lakeville, which caps how many STRs one owner can operate but does not require any of them to be a homestead. The familiar accessory-use rule that allows renting rooms in an owner-occupied dwelling to up to two unrelated individuals remains a separate, distinct pathway; the STR permit is what authorizes true short-term, whole-home or room rentals. Because Minnesota does not preempt local STR regulation, Lakeville is free to choose this more permissive, permit-and-standards approach over a primary-residence mandate.