Minnesota Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
Minnesota rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: No landlord-specific statute. It is a gross misdemeanor to enter another's property and secretly install or use a device to observe, photograph or record through the window or other opening of someone's home, with intent to intrude on a household member's privacy. Minn. Stat. § 609.746, subd. 1; § 626A.02, subd. 2(d)
The rules in Minnesota
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. It is a gross misdemeanor to enter another's property and secretly install or use a device to observe, photograph or record through the window or other opening of someone's home, with intent to intrude on a household member's privacy. It is also a gross misdemeanor to secretly use such a device in places like hotel sleeping rooms and other places where people reasonably expect privacy while exposed. Recording conversations is legal if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). § 626A.02: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/626A.02. Landlord entry requires a reasonable business purpose and good-faith advance notice (§ 504B.211). |
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| Guests & occupants | No statute on guests versus tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. By statute, a landlord generally cannot evict or end a lease because of a tenant's, household member's or guest's conduct OFF the premises and curtilage, unless it is a crime of violence against another tenant, a guest, the landlord or staff, or results in a conviction for such a crime. Occupancy limits come from local housing and rental-licensing codes. |
| Service & support animals (state law) | A landlord may require documentation from a licensed professional (doctor, PA, nurse, psychologist, mental health professional, social worker or counselor, including out-of-state licensees with an existing treatment relationship) confirming the disability and the need for a service or support animal. This is not allowed when the need is obvious or already known. Online certification businesses don't qualify. Landlords can't demand medical records. No extra fee, charge or deposit may be charged for a service or support animal, though the tenant is liable for damage. A landlord with a pet fee policy must disclose this ban in the lease. Tenants may not knowingly misrepresent a disability or provide fraudulent documentation; if they do, the landlord may deny the application or animal request. Enacted 2021 and amended in 2024 (Laws 2024, c. 118). Tenants can recover pet fees if the landlord failed to include the disclosure and the tenant would likely have received an accommodation (subd. 3(c)). Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.113 |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
Minnesota vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | No landlord-specific statute. It is a gross misdemeanor to enter another's property and secretly install or use a device to observe, photograph or record through the window or other opening of someone's home, with intent to intrude on a household member's privacy. It is also a gross misdemeanor to secretly use such a device in places like hotel sleeping rooms and other places where people reasonably expect privacy while exposed. Recording conversations is legal if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). Minn. Stat. § 609.746, subd. 1; § 626A.02, subd. 2(d) | No statute on guests versus tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. By statute, a landlord generally cannot evict or end a lease because of a tenant's, household member's or guest's conduct OFF the premises and curtilage, unless it is a crime of violence against another tenant, a guest, the landlord or staff, or results in a conviction for such a crime. Minn. Stat. § 504B.171, subd. 2a; ch. 504B (checked) | A landlord may require documentation from a licensed professional (doctor, PA, nurse, psychologist, mental health professional, social worker or counselor, including out-of-state licensees with an existing treatment relationship) confirming the disability and the need for a service or support animal. This is not allowed when the need is obvious or already known. Online certification businesses don't qualify. Landlords can't demand medical records. No extra fee, charge or deposit may be charged for a service or support animal, though the tenant is liable for damage. A landlord with a pet fee policy must disclose this ban in the lease. Tenants may not knowingly misrepresent a disability or provide fraudulent documentation; if they do, the landlord may deny the application or animal request. Minn. Stat. § 504B.113 |
| Iowa | No landlord-specific statute. Knowingly viewing, photographing, or filming another person in full or partial nudity, without consent, where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, for sexual gratification, is invasion of privacy (an aggravated misdemeanor). Intercepting oral communications is unlawful unless the person is a party or one party consents. The landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice before entry (except emergencies or impracticability), enter at reasonable times, and not use access to harass. Iowa Code §§ 709.21; 808B.2; 562A.19 | No statute — the lease and reasonable landlord rules govern guests, occupancy, and roommates. Tenants may not knowingly permit anyone to damage the premises and must not disturb neighbors' peaceful enjoyment. Iowa Code § 562A.17(6), (7) | Iowa law lets a person with a disability request to keep an assistance or service animal as a reasonable accommodation; the landlord must respond within a reasonable time and in writing. If the disability or need is not readily apparent, the landlord may request supporting information, which may be a licensed provider's written finding stating, among other things, whether a provider-patient relationship (in person or telehealth) has existed for at least 30 days, the expiration date, license number, and whether a separate fee was paid for the finding. Online registrations, ID cards, patches, or certificates are not sufficient. Landlords may not request diagnosis, severity, or medical records; may require proof of licensure and vaccination; and may deny for undue hardship, fundamental alteration, direct threat, or substantial property damage. Tenants are liable for damage caused by the animal. Intentionally misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is a simple misdemeanor. Iowa Code §§ 216.8B; 216.8C; 216C.11(3) |
| North Dakota | No landlord-specific statute. Criminal laws apply: surreptitiously installing or using a device to observe, photograph or record events from another's dwelling, or from a place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy and may be undressed, with sexual intent, is surreptitious intrusion (class A misdemeanor; felony for repeat offenses or minor victims). Intercepting oral or wire communications without a party's consent is a class C felony (one-party consent). N.D.C.C. §§ 12.1-20-12.2, 12.1-15-02 | No statute on guests vs. tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. Tenants must make persons on the premises with their consent behave so as not to disturb neighbors, and are liable for guest-caused damage. A landlord may not rent the same room as a dwelling to more than one family (double letting). N.D.C.C. §§ 47-16-13.2(6)-(7), 47-16-07.1(3)(a), 47-16-26 | If a rental has a no-pets policy and a tenant asks for a service or assistance animal as a disability accommodation, the landlord may require reliable supporting documentation confirming the disability and the disability-related need, from a physician or medical professional who does not operate in North Dakota solely to certify assistance animals. No documentation may be required if the disability or need is readily apparent or already known. Knowingly making a false disability claim or providing fraudulent documentation is an infraction; after a guilty plea or conviction the landlord may evict and collect a damage fee of up to $1,000. Pet deposits (capped at the greater of $2,500 or two months' rent) may not be charged for a service or companion animal needed as a reasonable accommodation. N.D.C.C. §§ 47-16-07.5, 47-16-07.6, 47-16-07.1(2) |
| South Dakota | No landlord-specific statute, but installing in any private place, without the consent of the persons entitled to privacy there, any device for observing, photographing, recording, amplifying or broadcasting sounds or events — or using such an installation — is a Class 1 misdemeanor; so is trespassing to subject anyone to surveillance in a private place. Photographing or recording a person without clothing without consent, with intent to self-gratify, harass or invade privacy, is also a crime. Recording a conversation with an eavesdropping device without the consent of a party is a Class 5 felony (one-party consent). SDCL 22-21-1, 22-21-3, 22-21-4, 23A-35A-20 | No statute on guests vs. tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights for residential rentals — the lease governs. The landlord's repair duty does not cover disrepair caused by the negligent, willful or malicious conduct of the tenant or a person under the tenant's direction or control. SDCL 43-32-8; ch. 43-32 checked | South Dakota's landlord-tenant statute defines 'service animal' broadly to include emotional support, therapy and assistance animals. When a tenant asserts a disability requiring such an animal as an accommodation, the landlord may require reliable supporting documentation confirming the disability and its relationship to the need, from a licensed health care provider who does not operate in South Dakota solely to certify service or assistance animals. No documentation may be required if the disability or need is readily apparent or already known. If a tenant knowingly makes a false claim or provides fraudulent documentation, the landlord may evict and collect a damage fee of up to $1,000. SDCL 43-32-33 to 43-32-36 |
| Wisconsin | No landlord-specific statute. It is a crime (Class A misdemeanor; felony if the victim is a minor) to knowingly install a surveillance device in a private place, or use one to observe there, with intent to observe a nude or partially nude person without consent; a 'private place' is anywhere a person may reasonably expect to be safe from being observed without knowledge and consent, and 'surveillance device' includes a peephole. It is also a crime to enter a common area of a multiunit dwelling and look into a unit for sexual gratification. Wisconsin is a one-party consent state for audio interception. Wis. Stat. 942.08; 968.31(2)(c) | No statute — ch. 704 and ATCP 134 set no statewide occupancy limit and do not define when a guest becomes a tenant; the rental agreement governs, subject to local occupancy codes and fair-housing law (family status is protected under Wis. Stat. 106.50). Wis. Stat. ch. 704; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 134 (checked) | State fair housing law covers both trained assistance animals and emotional support animals (ESAs: animals that provide emotional support, comfort or companionship but are not trained to perform tasks). A landlord may not refuse to rent, evict, charge extra compensation, or harass because of a disability-related animal. For an ESA, the landlord may request reliable documentation of the disability and the disability-related need for the animal from a licensed health professional; for a trained animal it may request documentation as provided by statute. The tenant is liable for sanitation and damage caused by the animal. The animal may be refused if documentation is not provided, if it would impose an undue burden, or if the specific animal poses a direct threat or would cause substantial damage that cannot be reduced by another accommodation. Misrepresenting a disability or the need for an ESA to obtain housing carries a forfeiture of at least $500 (also for a health professional who misrepresents a patient's need). Wis. Stat. 106.50(1m)(im), (2r)(bg), (2r)(br) |
City rules that may add to state law
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Compare privacy, guests & animals in all 50 states and DC →
Minnesota Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in Minnesota?
No landlord-specific statute. It is a gross misdemeanor to enter another's property and secretly install or use a device to observe, photograph or record through the window or other opening of someone's home, with intent to intrude on a household member's privacy. It is also a gross misdemeanor to secretly use such a device in places like hotel sleeping rooms and other places where people reasonably expect privacy while exposed. Recording conversations is legal if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). (Minn. Stat. § 609.746, subd. 1; § 626A.02, subd. 2(d))
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in Minnesota?
No statute on guests versus tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. By statute, a landlord generally cannot evict or end a lease because of a tenant's, household member's or guest's conduct OFF the premises and curtilage, unless it is a crime of violence against another tenant, a guest, the landlord or staff, or results in a conviction for such a crime. (Minn. Stat. § 504B.171, subd. 2a; ch. 504B (checked))
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in Minnesota?
A landlord may require documentation from a licensed professional (doctor, PA, nurse, psychologist, mental health professional, social worker or counselor, including out-of-state licensees with an existing treatment relationship) confirming the disability and the need for a service or support animal. This is not allowed when the need is obvious or already known. Online certification businesses don't qualify. Landlords can't demand medical records. No extra fee, charge or deposit may be charged for a service or support animal, though the tenant is liable for damage. A landlord with a pet fee policy must disclose this ban in the lease. Tenants may not knowingly misrepresent a disability or provide fraudulent documentation; if they do, the landlord may deny the application or animal request. (Minn. Stat. § 504B.113)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.