Saint Paul, MN Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

231 of the Saint Paul Zoning Code permits up to two additional dwelling units on an H1 residential lot, or one additional unit on an H2 lot, plus an extra five percent of lot coverage, through any combination of four bonus methods. The affordable rental path grants two extra H1 units or one extra H2 unit if 20 percent of the lot's total principal units are leased at or below the 60 percent area median income (AMI) rent limits set by the Multifamily Tax Subsidy Program published by Minnesota Housing, affordable for at least ten years, with each affordable unit matching the floor area of another unit on the lot; a table keyed to total units on the lot sets the number that must be affordable: one affordable unit for lots with two, three, or four total principal units, and two for lots with five or six.

The affordable owner-occupied path adds one unit for each principal unit sold at a price affordable to a household earning up to 80 percent AMI under the Metropolitan Council's Livable Communities Act limits. A three-bedroom bonus adds one unit for each principal unit with three or more bedrooms, and a conversion bonus adds one unit where at least 50 percent of an existing structure's floor area is retained. Before a building permit issues, the owner must document the affordability commitment as a deed restriction, city contractual agreement, or HRA financing agreement, and post-occupancy the household income qualifications must be documented to DSI.