Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 244.1840

Application for license (Minneapolis Housing Code)

In Force
Verified 9/15/2026 · Next check 12/14/2026
MinneapolisHabitability & Repair

Operative Text

Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 244.1840
Within ninety (90) days after the effective date of this article, the owner of each rental dwelling shall make written application to the director of regulatory services for a license to carry on the business of renting residential property. In addition, the owner of each such rental dwelling constructed after the effective date of this article shall make written application to the director of regulatory services for a license as herein provided prior to initial occupancy. Such application shall be made on a form furnished by the director of regulatory services for such purpose and shall set forth the following information:
(1) Name, business or residence address, telephone number, and date of birth of the owner of the dwelling. If the owner is a partnership, the name of the partnership, the name, residence address, and date of birth of the managing partner, and the full name and address of all partners. If the owner is a corporation, the name and address of the corporation, and the name of the chief operating officer; in cases where the owner of a dwelling resides outside of the sixteen-county metropolitan area consisting of the following counties: Hennepin, Rice, Wright, Anoka, Washington, McLeod, Ramsey, Dakota, Scott, Carver, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago, Sibley, Le Sueur and Goodhue; the owner's agent/contact person shall reside within the sixteen-county area.
a. All partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other recognized business associations which own a dwelling required to be licensed under this chapter shall submit, upon request of the director of regulatory services or the director's designee, the name and address of all partners, shareholders or interest holders. If requested by the director of regulatory services or the director's designee, information regarding the names and addresses of all partners, shareholders or interest holders must be submitted in a sworn affidavit. Failure to provide this information upon request and in proper form may result in a five hundred dollars ($500.00) fine or other appropriate enforcement action.
(2) If the owner has appointed an agent authorized to accept service of process and to receive and give receipt for notices, the name, business or residence address, telephone number, and date of birth of such agent.
(3) Every applicant, whether an individual, partnership, or corporation, shall identify in the application, by name, residence or business street address, telephone number, and date of birth, a natural person who is actively involved in, and responsible for, the maintenance and management of the premises. Said natural person shall, if other than the owner, affix his or her notarized signature to the application, thereby accepting joint and several responsibility with the owner (including any potential criminal, civil, or administrative liability) for the maintenance and management of the premises. A post office box or commercial mail receiving service are not acceptable as an address for such person. The individual designated herein may also be the owner of the dwelling or an agent identified in subsection (2) above. The phone number herein required shall be of a phone number that shall be normally answerable twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, not subject to normal business hours. The owner of the property or the person designated as responsible for the maintenance and management of the premises, whether that person is also the owner of the property or a designee of the owner, shall be required to respond to inquiries from the department of regulatory services, the police department or the environmental health division of the Minneapolis Health Department within a reasonable period of time. The duty imposed by this subsection to respond to inquiries shall include a duty to attend an in-person meeting when reasonably scheduled by an employee of the departments referenced herein. Failure to respond in a reasonable period of time may lead to adverse license action pursuant to section 244.1910 (19) of this Code.
a. When an owner and/or the agent/contact person designated in subsection (3) have never owned or managed rental property, the owner and/or the agent/contact person shall, after the first instance in which an administrative citation issued pursuant to chapter 2 of this Code has been paid, upheld upon appeal, or has been neither paid nor appealed, provide proof of attendance and successful completion of a recognized fundamentals of rental property management course approved by the director of regulatory services. Any costs associated with that workshop will be the sole responsibility of the licensee or agent/contact person.
(4) Street address of the dwelling.
(5) Number and kind of units within the dwelling (dwelling units, rooming units, or shared bath units). For each unit, specify the floor number, and the unit number and/or letter and/or designation.
(6) In the event that any of the information required to be provided by this section changes, the applicant or licensee shall, within fourteen (14) days, notify in writing the director of regulatory services, or an authorized representative of the director, of the change. However, if the natural person designated in subsection (3) changes, the licensee or applicant shall file an entirely new application within fourteen (14) days. Furthermore, for just cause, the director of regulatory services, or an authorized representative of the director, may request that an applicant or licensee complete and file a new or replacement application for any rental dwelling, giving the licensee or applicant a minimum of fourteen (14) days to comply.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 244.1840 requires owners of rental dwellings to obtain a license from the city's director of regulatory services before renting residential property. The application must include detailed identifying information about the owner, any business entity, a designated on-site contact person, and the property itself. Owners must keep this information current, notifying the city within 14 days of any changes, and must file an entirely new application if the designated management contact changes. Failure to provide certain required information—such as ownership details for business entities—can result in a $500 fine or other enforcement action.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 15, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 244.1840, compliant rental property operators in Minneapolis submit a completed license application to the director of regulatory services before initial occupancy of any new rental dwelling, or within 90 days of the ordinance's effective date for existing ones. The application designates a natural person—reachable by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—who accepts joint and several responsibility for maintenance and management, and that person must be available to respond to city departments and attend in-person meetings when reasonably scheduled. Operators who own property through a partnership, LLC, or corporation keep records of all partners, shareholders, or interest holders ready to submit in sworn affidavit form upon request, and they update the director in writing within 14 days whenever required application information changes.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 244.1840 establishes that every rental dwelling in the city must be licensed, and that a specific, named, reachable person is legally responsible for the property's maintenance and management. If a tenant cannot identify a responsive contact or suspects a property is operating without a required license, they can raise this as a concern with the city's Department of Regulatory Services, which has authority to take adverse license action under § 244.1910. Tenant-rights organizations in Minneapolis can help residents understand how the licensing framework connects to habitability and other tenant protections.

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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Related Rules

§ 8.60.130
Severability
§ 15.12.010
Definitions
§ 15.12.240
Temporary housing

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