Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 244.1660
Locks required for rooming houses (Minneapolis Housing Code)
Operative Text
All rooming houses existing now or hereafter constructed shall be provided with dead bolt locks on all entrance doors of each rooming unit. However, rooming houses having six (6) or fewer rooming units and occupied by six (6) or fewer roomers may provide the required security by dead bolt locks on all exterior doors of said rooming house. Key locking shall be as required for other occupancies in this article. (Code 1960, As Amend., § 153.025; Pet. No. 252271, § 37, 5-11-90)
Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 244.1660 establishes dead bolt lock requirements for rooming houses. As a general rule, every individual rooming unit must have a dead bolt lock on its entrance door. An exception applies to smaller rooming houses with six or fewer units and six or fewer occupants, where dead bolts on all exterior doors of the building as a whole satisfy the requirement instead of unit-by-unit locks.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 244.1660, operators of rooming houses must ensure dead bolt locks are installed on the entrance door of each rooming unit throughout the property. Operators of smaller properties—those with six or fewer rooming units and six or fewer roomers—may instead install dead bolts on all exterior doors of the building to meet the standard. Compliant operators also follow the key-locking specifications set out elsewhere in this article for other occupancy types, and they verify that any newly constructed or renovated rooming house meets these requirements from the outset.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 244.1660 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances gives rooming house residents a right to functioning dead bolt locks, either on their individual unit entrance door or, in smaller properties, on all exterior building doors. If a dead bolt is missing, broken, or not provided as required, a tenant may raise this as a housing code violation with the relevant Minneapolis housing inspection authority. Tenant-rights organizations in Minneapolis can help residents understand what documentation to gather and what complaint processes may be available under this provision.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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