Stearns County, MN Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Ordinance 439, Sec. 6.62(M)
- Warnings before revocation
- One per permit cycle
- Initial permit term (clean record)
- 2 years
- Second renewal term
- 3 years
- Third+ renewal term
- 5 years
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine / 90 days jail
Summary
Stearns County gives a Vacation/Short Term Rental owner one written warning per permit cycle when the Department documents a violation, before pursuing revocation, while a clean record lets the operator qualify for longer renewal cycles up to five years.
L. Vacation/Short Term Rentals meeting all ordinance provisions will be considered based on the following cycles provided there are no documented violations. Vacation/Short Term Rentals initially permitted prior to 1/1/2023 will be given credit for the years operated regardless of the number of requests made provided there are no documented violations. (1) Initial request: two (2) years from issuance from lodging license (2) Second request: three (3) years from issuance from lodging license (3) Third and subsequent requests: five (5) years from issuance from lodging license. M. The Department will notify the owner if a violation of the permit/registration or Ordinance is documented. One written warning per permit/registration cycle will be issued before the revocation process outlined in Section 4.18 and 4.22 of this Ordinance.
Full Breakdown
22 (the same Interim Use and Provisional Use permit sections that govern the rental's underlying authorization). 62(L) ties good behavior to permit length: an initial approval with no documented violations lasts two years, a second request stretches to three years, and a third or later renewal reaches five years, provided the string of clean cycles continues; rentals initially permitted before January 1, 2023 get credit for years already operated toward that ladder. A single documented violation effectively resets that credit and exposes the operator to the shorter warning-then-revocation track instead of automatic renewal.
62(K) closes the loop by making unpermitted advertising itself a violation subject to the same Section 12 enforcement used for every other Ordinance 439 violation.
Violations & Fines
A documented violation triggers one written warning per cycle under Section 6.62(M); failure to correct it moves the file into the Section 4.18/4.22 revocation process. Independently, Section 12.8 of Ordinance 439 makes any violation of the ordinance's permit conditions a misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many warnings does a Stearns County short-term rental get before losing its permit?
Does a violation affect how long my rental permit lasts?
Is advertising a rental without a permit a violation on its own?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stearns County
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