Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 249.25

Securing vacant buildings (Minneapolis Housing Code)

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

Operative Text

Minneapolis, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 12 § 249.25
(a) In general, if any building becomes vacant or unoccupied and is deemed hazardous due to the fact that the building is open to trespass and has not been secured and the building could be made safe by securing the building, the director of regulatory services may order the building secured and shall cause notice of the order to be served upon the owner of the premises. Such notice may be served personally or by mail. Service by mail is complete upon mailing a copy of the order to the owner at the last known address. If the owner fails to comply with the order within six (6) days after the order is served, the director of regulatory services shall cause the building to be boarded up or otherwise properly secured. Whenever a building is boarded up pursuant to the authority of this chapter, the director of regulatory services may cause all openings to the building to be boarded and secured.
(b) Emergency. When it is determined by the director of regulatory services or the chief of police, or the fire chief that an emergency exists with respect to the health or safety of persons in the community, and immediate boarding and securing of a building is required, and where danger will exist to children, transients or others in the absence of an immediate boarding or securing of the building, the director of regulatory services or the chief of police, or the fire chief may waive all requirements herein and immediately board or otherwise secure the building, provided that:
(1) The conditions showing the existence of an exigency are documented in writing by the director of regulatory services or the chief of police or the fire chief or their designees.
(2) Notice be mailed immediately by the department invoking this section to the address of the owner and taxpayer, and, if recorded on the assessors rolls, the address of the mortgage holder, of the date of boarding or otherwise securing and the reasons therefor.
(c) After a vacant or unoccupied building has been boarded or otherwise secured under this section, should the owner fail to maintain the building in a secured condition until such time as it has been repaired and reoccupied, the director of regulatory services shall resecure any openings into the building whenever it again becomes open to trespass, without further notice to the owner. An administrative fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and all other costs incurred by the city for boarding or otherwise securing a building under this chapter, including, but not limited to the actual costs for boarding, inspecting, posting and monitoring the building, shall be assessed as provided in section 227.100 . "Owner," for the purposes of this section, shall mean the person who is listed as the contact person on the current rental licensing application on file with the city, if any; or, if none, the person listed as owner by the city assessor on the homestead record; or, if none, the taxpayer as shown by the records of the city assessor. "Owner" shall not include a community development agency organized pursuant to the Laws of Minnesota 1980 Chapter 595 .
(d) After a vacant or unoccupied building has been boarded or otherwise secured under this section for a period of sixty (60) days, the owner of the building shall have the gas to the building turned off and the building winterized. If the owner fails to have the gas to the building turned off the director of regulatory services may order the utilities company to shut off the gas to the building. The director of regulatory services shall then require the building to be winterized to prevent the water pipes from freezing and damaging the building. The costs incurred by the city for winterizing the building shall be assessed as provided in section 227.100 . ( 94-Or-123 , § 1, 9-16-94; 2001-Or-054 , § 1, 4-20-01; 2006-Or-065 , § 1, 6-16-06; 2008-Or-008 , § 1, 2-1-08; 2008-Or-073 , § 2, 9-12-08; 2013-Or-165 , § 1, 12-6-13)
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 249.25 establishes a process for addressing vacant or unoccupied buildings that are open to trespass and deemed hazardous. The city's director of regulatory services can order a building secured, and if the owner does not comply within six days of notice, the city may board it up at the owner's expense, including a $100 administrative fee plus all related costs. In emergency situations, the director, police chief, or fire chief may bypass the standard notice period and immediately secure a building, provided the emergency conditions are documented in writing and notice is mailed promptly. After 60 days of being boarded, the owner is also required to have gas service shut off and the building winterized.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners with vacant or unoccupied buildings in Minneapolis should be aware that § 249.25 places direct financial and maintenance obligations on them when a building is open to trespass. A compliant operator generally ensures vacant properties are kept secured at all times, responds promptly to any city orders within the six-day compliance window, and maintains secured conditions continuously to avoid repeated city intervention and escalating cost assessments. Owners of buildings boarded for 60 or more days also typically arrange for gas shutoff and winterization proactively, since city-performed winterization costs are assessed back to the owner under § 227.100.

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

For Tenants

While § 249.25 primarily governs vacant and unoccupied buildings, tenants and community members should know that this provision gives Minneapolis officials the authority to act when an unsecured vacant building poses a safety hazard in the neighborhood. If a nearby vacant property appears open to trespass and is creating unsafe conditions, residents can contact the city's regulatory services department to report the concern and prompt a review under this section. Tenant-rights organizations and housing advocacy groups in Minneapolis can also provide guidance on how this provision intersects with broader housing safety and neighborhood standards.

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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