Columbia Heights, Minn., Mun. Code Ch. 5A (2026) § 5A.401
OCCUPANCY LICENSE REQUIRED
Operative Text
(A) No person, firm, government agency or corporation shall own a premises that is rented, leased, let, or used for any type of occupancy in the city without having first obtained an occupancy license (license) as hereinafter provided and outlined in the property maintenance inspection policy. Each such license shall register annually with the city. If the license is denied, no occupancy of a premises, then vacant or which become vacant, is permitted until a license has been issued. Apartment units within an unlicensed apartment building for which a license application has been made and which units are in compliance with this chapter may be occupied provided that the unlicensed units within the apartment building do not create a hazard to the health and safety of persons in occupied units. (B) Rental density for detached single-family dwellings. (1) In any zoning district, the quantity of detached single-family dwellings eligible to obtain a rental occupancy license on any block shall not exceed the number prescribed in Table 1, unless a temporary license is granted by the City Council as provided herein. Table 1 indicates how many detached single-family dwellings per block are able to be licensed as a rental property based on the number of detached single-family dwellings that exist in a block. TABLE 1 Lots/Block Rental Units Allowed TABLE 1 Lots/Block Rental Units Allowed 1-14 1 15-24 2 25-34 3 35-44 4 45-54 5 55-64 6 65-74 7 75-84 8 85-94 9 (2) The following guidelines shall apply to determine eligible detached single-family dwellings, blocks and lots: (a) For the purposes of this section, a BLOCK shall be defined as an area of land enclosed within the perimeter of streets, watercourses, public parks, municipally owned lots, and city boundaries and further defined by an official map maintained by the city. (b) This section shall apply to legally conforming lots of record and legally nonconforming lots of record. For the purposes of this section, lots of record may also be referred to as PROPERTIES , PROPERTY , or LOTS . (c) If a block contains more than one type of residential dwelling, only lots that contain detached single-family dwellings shall be included in the calculation of the total number of lots per block. (d) Two-family, town home, twinhome, multiple-family, commercial, public, institutional, and industrial uses located in any zoning district shall not be included in the calculation of the total number of lots per block. (3) If the number of detached single-family rental dwellings meets or exceeds the permitted number of rental properties per defined block on the effective date of the ordinance from which this section is derived, no additional detached single-family dwelling rental licenses shall be approved for the block, unless a temporary license is granted by the City Council as provided herein. Existing detached single-family dwelling rental licenses may be renewed; however, should a rental license not be renewed, terminated due to the sale of a property by the current license holder, transfer of property ownership occurs, or if the rental license is revoked or lapses, the rental license shall not be reinstated unless it is in conformance with this section and other applicable sections of the city code. (4) If the number of detached single-family dwelling rental properties meets or exceeds the permitted number of rental properties per defined block on the effective date of the ordinance from which this section is derived, a property owner may request a temporary license to allow an additional rental property for that block. The City Council may grant or deny a temporary license in its sole discretion. Persons requesting a temporary license must make an annual application to the city. No property owner shall hold a temporary rental license for the same property for more than two consecutive years. (C) Exception. Owner occupied single-family home occupancies. (Ord. 1532, passed 11-26-07; Am. Ord. 1685, passed 8-14-23) Penalty, see § 5A.702
Columbia Heights Ch. 5A Rental Housing § 5A.401 establishes that any property rented or leased within the city must be covered by a valid occupancy license, which must be renewed annually. If a license is denied, vacant units generally cannot be re-occupied until a license is issued, though compliant units in a partially unlicensed apartment building may remain occupied as long as unlicensed units do not pose a health or safety hazard. The ordinance also caps how many detached single-family homes on any given block may hold rental licenses at one time, using a sliding scale based on the total number of such homes on that block, with limited exceptions for temporary licenses granted by the City Council.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 5A.401, operators of rental property in Columbia Heights are expected to obtain and annually renew an occupancy license before renting or leasing any unit. Compliant landlords track the rental density limits for their block using Table 1 in the ordinance, and they do not allow a unit to be occupied after a license denial until a valid license is in hand. When a rental license lapses, is revoked, or changes hands due to a property sale or ownership transfer, operators generally confirm that the block's rental density cap still permits re-licensure before re-renting the property, and they may apply to the City Council for a temporary license if the cap has been reached—though no temporary license may be held for the same property for more than two consecutive years.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section § 5A.401 gives tenants a basis to verify that their landlord holds a current, annually renewed occupancy license for the rental property. Tenants in an apartment building where some units are unlicensed may have the right to remain in compliant units, provided the unlicensed units do not create a health or safety hazard. Tenants who have concerns about whether their unit or building is properly licensed can contact the City of Columbia Heights directly, consult a local tenant-rights organization, or review the property maintenance inspection policy referenced in § 5A.401 to understand what standards apply.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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