Building Safety in Minnesota (2026)
38 rules on the books across Minnesota, 10 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Lead Paint
Local lead-paint rules for older housing, hazard abatement orders, inspection triggers, and how local requirements sit alongside the federal disclosure and RRP rules.
Hennepin County
Heavy RestrictionsHennepin County enforces Minnesota Statutes 144.9501 to 144.9512 governing lead hazards in pre-1978 housing. Hennepin…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Heavy RestrictionsSaint Paul bans applying paint with lead content at or above 0.06 percent by weight to any residential surface…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsBefore signing a lease, Minneapolis landlords with a rental license must hand new tenants copies of every unresolved…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance 272 requires every interior wall and ceiling in a rental dwelling unit to be free of flaking…
Read full rule →Elevator Maintenance
Inspection schedules, maintenance requirements, and safety certifications for residential and commercial elevators and escalators.
Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed
When scaffolding or sidewalk sheds are required on building facades, how long they can remain, and maintenance and lighting requirements.
Childcare Center Rules
Building safety standards specific to family childcare homes and centers, including egress, sprinklers, lead and asbestos clearances, and outdoor play standards.
Door Locking Hardware
Code requirements for emergency-egress door hardware, including thumb-turn locks, panic bars, and one-action egress required by the building code.
Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis requires dead bolt locks on entrance doors of rental dwellings, rooming houses, and hotels, with minimum…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul's property maintenance code requires that every door serving as a building exit be openable from the inside…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance 272 requires every exterior door of a rental dwelling unit to have a safe, functioning lock…
Read full rule →Anti-Mansionization
Floor-area-ratio (FAR) and bulk limits added to single-family zones to prevent oversized rebuilds, including LA's Baseline Mansionization Ordinance updates.
Green Building Code
CALGreen and equivalent state green building codes, plus reach codes that go further (electric-only new construction, EV-readiness, low-VOC materials).
Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul requires city- and HRA-funded construction and major renovations to meet a certified green building standard…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Light RestrictionsMinneapolis has no mandatory green building code, but developers can earn zoning bonuses by meeting LEED, PHIUS, or SB…
Read full rule →Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Where CO detectors are required (typically near sleeping areas in homes with fuel-burning appliances or attached garages), and seller/landlord deadlines.
Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis Code § 244.2100 adopts Minnesota's carbon monoxide alarm law as city ordinance, requiring approved CO…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester requires carbon monoxide alarms in every dwelling under Code section 7-8-48, incorporating Section 915.2 of…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul requires carbon monoxide alarms in every dwelling, lodginghouse, apartment house and hotel under Chapter 39…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance 272 requires every rental dwelling unit to be supplied with a functioning carbon monoxide…
Read full rule →Building Permits
When a building permit is required, new work, renovations, reroofing, decks, the small-project exemptions, and what unpermitted work costs when it surfaces at sale or inspection.
Maple Grove
Significant RestrictionsMaple Grove requires a permit before you erect, wreck, or move any building within city limits, with permit issuance…
Read full rule →Carver County
Some RestrictionsCarver County requires a building permit for work governed by the Minnesota State Building Code, which the county has…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis building permits lapse after 180 days of inactivity, and the building official inspects only with occupant…
Read full rule →Olmsted County
Some RestrictionsOlmsted County requires a zoning certificate before anyone builds, alters, converts, enlarges or occupies a building or…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester enforces the Minnesota State Building Code as its local building code, with permit fees scaled to project…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul requires a building permit from the Department of Safety and Inspections before anyone constructs, enlarges…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County requires a construction site permit before anyone erects, alters or moves a structure, or excavates…
Read full rule →Washington County
Some RestrictionsWashington County requires a Certificate of Compliance and building permit before any structure is erected, moved onto…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury requires a building permit for construction, additions and alterations under the Minnesota State Building…
Read full rule →Electrical Permits
Which electrical work (panel upgrades, EV chargers, solar inverters, sub-panels) requires a licensed-electrician permit vs. an owner-builder permit.
Maple Grove
Some RestrictionsMaple Grove requires anyone performing new electrical work in the city to request a city inspection before starting…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester requires a permit from the department of building safety before any electrical system is installed, enlarged…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul requires a separate electrical permit for any new electrical installation, remodeling, replacement or…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury bars anyone from erecting, constructing, altering or changing an electrical system without first securing an…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Few RestrictionsMinneapolis does not issue its own electrical permits. The State of Minnesota administers and enforces the electrical…
Read full rule →Plumbing Permits
Which plumbing work (water heaters, sewer-line replacement, repipe, gas-line) requires a permit, and which minor repairs are typically exempt.
Maple Grove
Some RestrictionsMaple Grove, Minnesota requires a permit before any plumbing installer connects a building sewer, and adopts the state…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis requires a permit for plumbing work under its building code, and only state-licensed individuals or…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester requires a permit from the department of building safety before any plumbing system is installed, enlarged…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsNo one may install, remove, alter, repair or replace plumbing, gas or drainage piping, a standpipe or sprinkler system…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury requires a permit from the building official before any plumbing, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water service…
Read full rule →Building Inspections
Required inspection types (rough framing, electrical, plumbing, final), how to schedule, what inspectors look for, and how to handle a failed inspection.
Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis building inspectors need the owner or occupant's consent to enter a property; without it, the city must go…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsSaint Paul's building official issues a certificate of compliance confirming a building meets Chapter 34's property…
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