Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 244.695

(1) Findings. The City Council of Minneapolis finds as follows:
(a) That the storage of large amounts of materials in residences and the disorganized storage of materials in residences has become an important problem in the City of Minneapolis.
(b) That the storage in residences of newspapers, clothing, and many other kinds of materials in large quantities upon the floor or in large piles can serve as habitat and a refuge area for rats and other rodents.
(c) That the storage of large amounts of material in a residence and the storage of material on the floor can provide a harborage for cockroaches and many other kinds of arthropods and other pests.
(d) That the disorganized storage of large amounts of material in residences can increase the risk of injury to firefighters, increase the risk of fires or increase the magnitude of fires and increase the difficulty of rescue in the City of Minneapolis.
(e) That residences that have large amounts of materials stacked within them prevent firefighters from adequately finding their way when the building is involved in a fire and prohibit the firefighters from reasonable access to doors, windows, walls, and heating appliances within the dwellings and make it difficult to easily move firefighting and rescue equipment through the residence.
(f) That it is beneficial to the public safety to regulate the manner and quantity of storage within residences in the City of Minneapolis for the purpose of protecting the public health from infestations of rodents, arthropods and other pests and also to protect the public health from the increased danger of fire, the increased magnitude of fire, or the increased risk of harm to firefighters attempting to make sure a residence is unoccupied.
(g) That the risk of spreading disease is increased by the storage of large amounts of materials in dwellings without providing adequate means of self inspection for pests.
(h) That storage of large amounts of materials in residences and the disorganized storage of materials in residences poses a danger to residents therein as a result of infestation by pests, increased fire hazard, and blockage of rescue equipment.
(2) Purpose. (a)
The purpose of this ordinance is to regulate the storage of materials within residences for the purpose of protecting the public health and the public safety.
(b) A more specific purpose is to prevent the infestation or spread of rodents, arthropods, and other pests by providing storage standards that allow for thorough inspection of rooms within residences by those who reside therein or others and by providing storage standards which limit the amount of materials that can be stored on floors or in piles and thereby make themselves a more likely harborage for rodents, arthropods, and other pests.
(c) It is also the purpose of this ordinance to regulate storage so as to protect firefighters and minimize the risk of fire and the magnitude of fire as a result of materials that are stored within residences. It is the purpose of these regulations to so restrict the storage of material in residences so firefighters can be assured of access to doors, windows and walls and access throughout the residence when they enter the residence in a fire situation and it is the purpose [of these regulations] to minimize the large stacks of materials kept together within a residence that can be a source of intense heat and also the source of a fire.
(d) It is recognized in enacting this ordinance that lots in the City of Minneapolis are sometimes narrow and neighbors are sometimes separated by only a few feet. Therefore, it is also the purpose of this ordinance to regulate storage standards within a residence for the benefit of the health and welfare of adjoining neighbors and other members of the community who would suffer as a result of infestation or fire within a residence.
(3) Application. This section applies to any dwelling as well as appurtenant porches, decks, and stairways whether or not enclosed and to garages which are an accessory use to the dwelling.
(4) Storage standards. With the exceptions noted herein; other than furniture, all wood products, paper and paper products, clothing, bedding, towels, linens, tablecloths, drapes, area rugs, maintenance supplies, and additionally, all materials of any kind which are flammable or which may be subject to infestation by rodents or arthropods or other pests, shall when not in actual use, at a minimum and in addition to all other requirements imposed by law, meet each of the following storage standards: (a)
All materials must be stored off the floor in shelves, cabinets, or other sturdy storage device not made of paper or paper products.
(b) Storage of materials shall not impede free access to all walls, windows, doors, and heating and other fixtures.
(c) Each shelf, cabinet, or other sturdy storage device other than built-in storage devices shall have such free space around it so access without moving the material can be obtained and a visual inspection made for combustibility, rodents, arthropods and other pests, and other health and safety hazards.
(d) No area being used for storage of such materials shall have a row of shelves, cabinets, or other sturdy storage devices with such materials stored thereon that is more than three (3) feet across at any point along the narrowest horizontal dimension. Each such row shall be at least three (3) feet from any other such row. Free access by foot shall be available to all materials.
(5) Exceptions. The storage standards imposed by this section shall not apply to: (a)
The period thirty (30) days before and thirty (30) days after an actual change of principal residence by the owner of the subject materials;
(b) The first four (4) cubic feet of subject materials in each room, porch or deck. In order to be counted as a separate room, for the purposes of this section, the enclosed area involved must be able to be closed off completely from other rooms of the dwelling.
(c) The first one hundred and sixty (160) cubic feet of subject materials in any garage.
(d) The first two hundred and fifty (250) cubic feet of subject materials in any attic or basement room not ordinarily used or designed for human activity other than storage. In order to be counted as a separate room, for the purposes of this section, the enclosed area involved must be able to be closed off completely from other rooms of the dwelling.
(6) Misdemeanor - burden of production. Violation of any provision of these storage standards is a misdemeanor. The defendant in a criminal case shall have the initial burden of production of evidence as to exception (a). ( 91-Or-240 , § 2, 12-6-91)