Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 244.800
Ceiling height (Minneapolis Housing Code)
Operative Text
At least one-half (½) of the floor area of every habitable room shall have a ceiling height of seven (7) feet. However, in dwellings one (1) story and attic in height, attic type bedrooms may be located above the first floor of each dwelling unit if such attic type bedrooms have a minimum ceiling height of not less than seven (7) feet over fifty (50) percent of its floor area and shall be provided with a stairway in full compliance with the building code. The floor area of that part of any room where the ceiling height is less than five (5) feet shall not be considered as part of the floor area in computing the total floor area of the room for the purpose of determining the maximum permissible occupancy thereof. (Code 1960, As Amend., § 73.020; 2009-Or-093, § 2, 9-18-09)
Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 244.800 establishes minimum ceiling height standards for habitable rooms in residential dwellings. At least half of any habitable room's floor area must reach a ceiling height of seven feet, with a special allowance for attic-style bedrooms in one-story-plus-attic buildings that meet the same 50 percent threshold. Areas where the ceiling drops below five feet are excluded entirely from floor area calculations used to determine how many occupants a room may legally hold.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 244.800, compliant operators ensure that every habitable room in a rental unit meets the seven-foot ceiling height requirement over at least half of its floor area before the unit is offered for occupancy. For properties with attic-type bedrooms, operators verify that the attic space meets the 50 percent coverage threshold and that a code-compliant stairway provides access. When calculating maximum permissible occupancy for any room, property managers exclude from their floor area measurements any portion of the room where the ceiling falls below five feet.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Minneapolis Code § 244.800 gives tenants the right to occupy habitable rooms that meet minimum ceiling height standards, which can affect whether a space is legally classified as a bedroom or counted toward occupancy limits. If a rented room appears to fall short of these standards — for example, if a landlord is counting a low-ceiling attic space as a full bedroom — tenants may raise this as a potential code violation. General enforcement paths include filing a complaint with Minneapolis's housing inspection services or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options.
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.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.