Requirements taken from official city sources, quoted and dated.
| Program | Rental Dwelling License (city page title: "Rental licenses") |
|---|---|
| Issuing department | City of Minneapolis, Regulatory Services (director of regulatory services); Public Service Building, 505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 510; 311 / 612-673-3000 |
Every rental dwelling unit, whether long-term or short-term. City page: "Every rental property in Minneapolis must have a license." Code § 244.1820(a): the article applies "to all rental dwellings and dwelling units, including rented single-family dwellings and rented dwelling units in owner-occupied dwellings, as well as to rented condominiums, rented townhouses and leasehold cooperative dwelling units." § 244.1820(c) exempts: licensed hotels (Ch. 297), lodging houses (Ch. 298), jails, convents, monasteries, licensed nursing homes, licensed board and care homes, parsonages, parish houses, manses, rectories, hospitals, and owner-occupied dwelling units in a cooperative, condominium or townhouse building. § 244.1830(a): one license per building, covering only units under single ownership. Pre-leasing of new rental construction is exempt from § 244.1810.
Annual fee = building fee + per-unit fee, set by condition tier and building size; a supplemental fee applies at worse property-management fee levels. 1 to 3 units: Tier 1 — building $98, per unit $41; Tier 2 — $105 and $75; Tier 3 — $121 and $190. 4 or more units: Tier 1 — building $167, per unit $12; Tier 2 — $197 and $29; Tier 3 — $231 and $98. Supplemental fee: Fee Level 1 — $0 (1–3 units) and $0 (4+); Fee Level 2 — $121 and $347; Fee Level 3 — $243 and $578. One-time inspection fees: conversion inspection — "Any unit that becomes a rental must be inspected. The fee for this inspection is $1,000."; change of ownership inspection — "If the owner changes, we must inspect the rental property. The fee for this inspection is $450." Administrative fee: "When you buy a rental property, you must apply for a rental license within 60 days of closing. If you do not, the City charges an administrative fee. This fee is $250 for the first unit, plus $20 for each additional unit." Late fee: "Renewals received after March 15 are subject to a 25% late fee." Proration: "If you apply for your rental license between Sept. 1 and Feb. 28, we prorate the license fee by 50%." Discount: $250 back on the conversion fee for attending the city's rental property management workshop. Code § 244.1880(b) sets the ordinance-level late structure: fee increased 25 percent when more than 15 calendar days late, and increased an additional 25 percent when more than 45 days late.
Annual. City fee page: "All licenses expire on March 1 of each year" and "All rental license renewals are due on March 1 each year." Code § 244.1860: "All licenses and provisional licenses issued under this article shall expire annually, subject to renewal year to year in the manner provided in this article. … No license or provisional license shall be granted without payment of the required annual license fee. An individual who is operating a rental dwelling after the license has expired is operating an unlicensed rental dwelling."
Yes — routine inspections on a condition-tier cycle, plus one-time inspections on conversion or change of ownership. City tiers page: Tier 1 ("Presumed to be well-maintained; meets housing code") — "Every eight years"; Tier 1D (default tier for properties without a routine inspection in over five years) — "Every eight years"; Tier 2 ("Presumed to be well-maintained; one or more documented issues may have an urgent impact on renter safety and habitability") — "Every five years"; Tier 3 ("Presumed to not be well-maintained; several documented issues may have an urgent impact on renter health and safety") — "Every year." Separately, § 244.1870 requires a point-of-conversion or change-of-ownership inspection (fees $1,000 / $450, with listed exemptions such as a Certificate of Occupancy issued in the last three years).
§ 244.2000(a): the licensee shall "Post his or her license certificate, along with any other required informational posting as approved by the director of regulatory services … In multiple dwelling buildings, the certificate and required informational posting shall be conspicuously posted in a frame or frames with transparent cover in the common area immediately adjoining the front or principal entrance of the building. If there exists no such qualifying common area in the multiple dwelling building, the certificate and required informational posting shall be prominently posted within each dwelling unit, at or near the front or principal entrance. For other than multiple dwellings, the certificate and required informational posting shall be prominently posted at or near the front or principal entrance of the building." The city implements the informational posting as the "Who to Call" poster — city page: "You must put up a who to call poster in the building's common area near the main entrance" (provided in English, Somali and Spanish). § 244.2000(b) also requires a current register of all tenants, kept current at all times and available for review by the director.
§ 244.1980 (Operation of rental dwelling without license a misdemeanor): "A person who allows to be occupied, lets or offers to let to another, any dwelling unit, without a license as required by this article, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as provided in section 1.30 of this Code. The practice of pre-leasing new rental construction shall be exempt from the provisions of this section." Related exposure: § 244.1950 requires relocation assistance equal to three months of current total monthly contract rent (or actual rent if demonstrably higher) when tenants must vacate an unlicensed unit under § 244.1970 because the owner failed to obtain or qualify for a valid license. § 244.1985 makes removing or defacing a posted notice a separate misdemeanor. § 244.1840(1)a. allows a $500.00 fine for failing to supply requested ownership information.
§ 244.1810(a): "No person shall allow any dwelling unit to be occupied, or let or offer to let to another any dwelling unit for occupancy, or charge, accept or retain rent for any dwelling unit unless the owner has a valid license, administrative registration, short term rental registration or provisional license under the terms of this article. The practice of pre-leasing new rental construction shall be exempt from the provisions of this section." — Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 12 — Housing, Chapter 244 — Maintenance Code, Article XVI — Rental Dwelling Licenses (§§ 244.1800–244.2040). Key sections: 244.1810 (license required), 244.1820 (applicability and exceptions), 244.1830 (what the license covers), 244.1860 (expiration; renewal), 244.1870 (point-of-conversion or change of ownership inspection), 244.1880 (license fees; Appendix J tiered fee schedule), 244.1980 (operation without license a misdemeanor), 244.2000 (duties of licensee).
Source: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/business-services/licenses-permits-inspections/rental-licenses/ · checked 2026-08-14
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Was $95 per unit, per year
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| City | Licence | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | Required | 2026-08-14 |
| San Diego, CA | Required | 2026-08-14 |
| Chicago, IL | Not required | 2026-08-14 |
| Louisville, KY | Required | 2026-08-14 |
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