Twin Cities Rental License Requirements: What Each City Requires

Most Twin Cities owners are surprised to learn how different the rental rules are from one city to the next. One suburb licenses every rental and inspects it every year, the next only asks you to register, and a few don't license long-term rentals at all. Before you rent out a home, you need to know what your city requires.

We researched the official rules for all 45 cities Fuze serves, using each city's own website and code. Of those, 29 require a rental license, 4 require registration, 11 don't license long-term rentals (some only regulate short-term rentals), and in Rogers the city code and fee schedule disagree, so it's best to check with the city. Each city page has the full details, sources and a last-verified date.

What most Twin Cities rental licenses involve

• An application and fee, renewed every 1 to 4 years depending on the city.
• Inspections, from every year (for example Eden Prairie and Richfield) to every few years, or only when there's a complaint.
• Local contact rules: several cities require a manager or agent located nearby if the owner lives outside the metro (Maple Grove, Bloomington, Cottage Grove, Lakeville and Corcoran, among others).
• Extra requirements in some cities, such as crime-free lease addendums, owner training (Plymouth, Eagan, St. Louis Park), occupancy limits, or caps on how many single-family homes can be rentals (Anoka, Corcoran).
• Penalties for renting without a license, which can include doubled fees, fines or reinstatement charges.

Minneapolis and St. Paul

Minneapolis requires a rental license for every rental dwelling, including single-family homes, with fees based on a tier system tied to the property's condition and management history. St. Paul requires a Fire Certificate of Occupancy for non-owner-occupied homes, and its Rent Stabilization Ordinance limits most rent increases to 3% in a 12-month period, with an exception process. See our Minneapolis and St. Paul pages for details.

City-by-city summary

Rules change, so always confirm with the city before renting. Click any city for its full requirements, fees and official sources.

How Fuze handles licensing

Fuze handles the rental license application, renewals and inspection prep for the homes we manage: $150 for license paperwork and $150 for the license inspection, plus the city's own fee. We track renewal dates and inspection cycles so licenses don't lapse, and in cities that require a local manager, Fuze fills that role. See every city we serve on our areas we serve page.