Rental Property Rules in Minnesota (2026)
33 rules on the books across Minnesota, 9 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Minnesota: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsMinnesota has no statewide rent cap and generally bars local rent control under Minn. Stat. § 471.9996, but it carves…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Significant RestrictionsSaint Paul caps annual rent increases at 3% of the existing monthly rent for most residential rental units under…
Read full rule →Hennepin County
Few RestrictionsMinnesota Statute 471.9996 allows rent control only if approved by city or county voters at general election. Saint…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Few RestrictionsMN Stat 471.9996 preempts local rent control absent voter approval. Minneapolis voters approved a 2021 charter…
Read full rule →Scott County
Few RestrictionsMinnesota neither bans local rent control outright nor allows it freely. Under MN Stat. §471.9996 a city, county, or…
Read full rule →Wright County
Few RestrictionsMinnesota neither bans local rent control nor allows it freely. Under MN Stat. §471.9996 a city, county, or town may…
Read full rule →Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis requires 'cause' before a new owner can end an affordable-housing tenant's lease during the three-month…
Read full rule →Scott County
Some RestrictionsMinnesota has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Scott County city adds one. But Chapter 504B gives tenants…
Read full rule →Wright County
Some RestrictionsMinnesota has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Wright County city adds one. But Chapter 504B gives tenants…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Light RestrictionsSaint Paul does not require landlords to have just cause to end a tenancy. Legislative Code § 193A.05(b) states nothing…
Read full rule →Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Minneapolis
Significant RestrictionsMinneapolis owners must hold a valid rental dwelling license, administrative registration, or short-term rental…
Read full rule →Rochester
Significant RestrictionsEvery dwelling, apartment or rooming unit rented out in Rochester needs a registration certificate before an owner may…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Significant RestrictionsNo one may let a residential building as a rental in Woodbury without a city license under City Code section 6-208…
Read full rule →Maple Grove
Some RestrictionsMaple Grove requires every landlord to hold a rental license before renting out a dwelling, with licenses issued for…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsThe moment a Saint Paul owner-occupied home turns into a rental, Section 40.01(b) starts a 30-day clock: the owner must…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
Minnesota: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsMinnesota sets no statutory cap on residential security deposits under Minn. Stat. § 504B.178. The landlord must return…
Read full rule →Hennepin County
Some RestrictionsMinnesota Statute 504B.178 caps security deposits at no specific amount but requires landlords return deposits within…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinnesota Statute Section 504B.178 caps rental security deposits and mandates return within 21 days after lease end…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsMinnesota Statutes Chapter 504B controls security deposits for Saint Paul rentals, requiring interest at 1% per year…
Read full rule →Tenant Anti-Harassment
Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.
Rent Increase Notice
How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.
Minnesota: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsMinnesota has no rent control statute and no dollar cap on rent increases. A rent change on a month-to-month tenancy…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsWhen a Saint Paul landlord wins city approval to raise rent above the 3% cap, § 193A.07(c)(4)-(5) requires the…
Read full rule →Landlord Entry & Notice
How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under state law.
Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
Minnesota: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsMinn. Stat. Sec. 504B.161 imposes non-waivable covenants that the premises are fit for the intended use, kept in…
Read full rule →Minneapolis
Some RestrictionsMinneapolis landlords must maintain habitable rooms at 68F from October through April (65F in the May and September…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester landlords who rent, lease or let a dwelling unit or sleeping unit must supply heat once the outside…
Read full rule →Saint Paul
Some RestrictionsChapter 34 sets the baseline every Saint Paul rental and owner-occupied dwelling must meet: heat to at least 68°F even…
Read full rule →Stearns County
Some RestrictionsStearns County Ordinance 272 sets minimum habitability standards for every rental dwelling unit in the unincorporated…
Read full rule →Woodbury
Some RestrictionsWoodbury's Housing and Property Maintenance Code sets specific habitability rules for rentals: heat must run September…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.