Cottage Grove, Minn., Mun. Code Ch. 15 (2026) § 3-15-3

A. General Rules:


1. No person shall operate a rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit in the City without a license obtained pursuant to Title 3, Chapter 1 of this Code. This requirement applies to apartments, short term home rentals and any dwelling unit that is let for occupancy, unless exempted pursuant to Section 3-15-10 .


2. No more than five (5) unrelated persons may reside in one (1) rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit. This requirement does not apply to short term home rentals.


3. Failure to obtain a rental license prior to renting residential property is a violation of this Code, subject to a misdemeanor citation.


B. Applications: An application for a license shall be made on a form provided by the City, and shall include the requisite information under City Code Section 3-1-2 as well as the following information:


1. Contact Information: For single-family residential dwellings, the license applicant must provide 24-hour contact information for one (1) person in any of the following categories. For all other types of dwellings, the license applicant must provide twenty-four (24) hour contact information for two (2) people in any of the following categories:


a. At least one (1) owner of the rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit.


b. At least one (1) person, if different from the owner, who is responsible for compliance with this and any other Code requirement pertaining to the rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit, such as a property manager, who must reside in the Twin Cities 7-County metropolitan area.


c. Any of the owner’s agents responsible for management of the rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit, such as a property management company and the name and contact information of a person at the property management company.


d. Any vendors and all vendees, if the rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit is being sold pursuant to a contract for deed.


2. Number and Type of Units: The license application must contain the number of units and types of units (condominium, apartment, townhome, etc.) within the rental dwelling.


3. Inspection Report: The license application must have a satisfactory City approved inspector’s report before it will be submitted to the City Council. A satisfactory City approved inspector’s report may be dated within the previous twenty-four (24) months for single-family dwellings and twelve (12) months for multi-family dwellings. A tenant shall not occupy a dwelling unit that is the subject of a compliance order until the corrective action has been completed and approved. If the owner submits an affidavit with the housing official setting forth a date by which the corrective action will be completed, occupancy shall be permitted pending completion of the corrective action, unless the dwelling unit has been declared as unfit for human habitation. Inspections shall be scheduled pursuant to subsection C of this Section.


4. Notification of Changes: The applicant must notify the City Clerk in writing of any changes to the information on the application within five (5) business days of the change.


5. Existing License Holders: Owners of rental dwellings who hold a current rental property license from the City as of the effective date of this Chapter, shall apply for a license pursuant to this Chapter and shall comply with all requirements contained herein. The existing license shall be allowed to continue for a reasonable time pending approval of the new license application.


C. Inspections:


1. The owner or the owner’s agent is responsible for scheduling all required inspections with the Building Department staff.


2. If an owner or the owner’s agent in charge of a dwelling unit licensed under this Section fails to schedule a required inspection within fourteen (14) days of the rental license application being deemed complete, the housing official may recommend suspension, revocation or denial of the license following the process in City Code Section 3-1-11 .


3. Except in the case of emergency, inspections will be conducted during normal City working hours. The housing official must present evidence of official authority to the occupant in charge of a licensed dwelling unit.


4. The owner or the owner’s property manager must be present during the inspection and must permit free access and entry for inspection purposes. If access is denied, the housing official may administer reinspection fees or may recommend suspension, revocation or denial of the license following the process in 3-1-11 of this Chapter.


D. Compliance Orders:


1. Compliance Order: A compliance order documenting corrective actions with compliance date will be sent to the owner. The owner is responsible for assuring all corrective actions are made by the compliance date and a reinspection is scheduled.


2. Corrective Actions: If an owner or the owner’s agent in charge of a dwelling unit licensed under this Section fails to make corrective actions listed in the compliance order or fails to schedule a reinspection by the compliance date, the Housing Official may recommend suspension, revocation, or denial of the license, may administer abatement as described in Title 4, Chapter 1 of this Code or may recommend the issuance of a misdemeanor citation.


3. Appeal: Right of Appeal; Procedure: When it is alleged by a person to whom a compliance order is directed that the compliance order is based upon erroneous interpretation of this Chapter or upon a misstatement or mistake of fact, that person may appeal the compliance order to the City Administrator pursuant to City Code Section 1-3-4 .


(amd. Ord. 1085, 12-4-2024)