What a Landlord Cannot Do in Minnesota
The main limits Minnesota law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Minnesota landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Self-help eviction is illegal. A landlord who unlawfully and in bad faith locks out or excludes a residential tenant is liable for triple damages or $500, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees. A landlord may not interrupt electricity, heat, gas, or water. Penalty: triple damages or $500, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees. The tenant can file a verified petition in district court for an order restoring possession, which the sheriff enforces (§ 504B.375, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.375). For utility interruptions (§ 504B.221, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.221), only actual damages are recoverable if the tenant did not notify the landlord, or if the landlord restored service within a reasonable time, or if the interruption was for repairs or safety. Intentionally and unlawfully removing or excluding a tenant, or intentionally cutting off electricity, heat, gas or water to force the tenant out, is also a misdemeanor; an intentional utility cutoff is presumed to be meant to force the tenant out (§ 504B.225, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.225). Lease waivers of these protections are void. |
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| Landlord entry notice | Entry only for a reasonable business purpose, after a good-faith effort to give at least 24 hours' advance notice with a specific time or window. Entry is allowed only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. unless the landlord and tenant agree otherwise. No notice is needed if the landlord reasonably suspects that immediate entry is needed to prevent injury to people or property, to check on the tenant's safety, or to comply with local ordinances on unlawful activity. The 24-hour notice and 8 a.m.–8 p.m. limits came from the 2023 amendment (2023 c 52 art 19, subd. 2). A tenant may allow entry on shorter notice, but notice can't be waived as a lease condition. Remedies: rent reduction up to full rescission of the lease, recovery of the damage deposit (less lawful deductions), and up to a $500 civil penalty per violation plus reasonable attorney fees. Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.211 |
| Landlord retaliation | It is a defense to eviction if the landlord's notice or action is, in whole or part, a penalty for the tenant's good-faith attempt to enforce lease or legal rights or a good-faith report of code violations to a government authority. Rent increases or service cuts as penalties are also barred. If the notice to quit was served within 90 days after the protected act, the landlord must prove it was not retaliatory. After 90 days, the burden is on the tenant. § 504B.441 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.441) adds the same 90-day burden shift for complaints by a tenant or housing-related neighborhood organization. New in 2024, § 504B.212 (2024 c 118, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.212) protects tenant organizing and tenant associations. It also bars retaliation for reporting code violations, seeking help from community groups or media, requesting repairs, joining a tenant association, or testifying. Barred retaliation includes threats to contact law enforcement about immigration status. The 90-day presumption applies, with up to $1,000 per occurrence plus attorney fees for bad-faith violations. |
| Security deposit limit | No statewide cap on the amount of a security deposit. The Minnesota AG handbook (rev. July 2025) states 'Minnesota law does not set a limit for the amount a landlord may require for a security deposit,' but notes some cities (e.g., Minneapolis, Code of Ord. § 244.2040) limit deposit amounts and allow installment payments. § 504B.178 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.178) regulates deposits but sets no maximum. Per the AG, a landlord may raise the deposit in a periodic tenancy only with proper advance written notice (generally one rental period plus a day). Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 |
| Penalty for withholding | If the landlord fails to provide the written statement on time (or fails to do the required inspections when requested), the landlord owes the amount withheld plus interest as a penalty, in addition to returning the wrongfully withheld amount with interest (effectively double). Bad-faith retention adds punitive damages of up to $500 per deposit. Bad faith is presumed if the landlord did not comply with subd. 3 or 5, unless the deposit is returned within two weeks after the tenant starts a court action. A tenant who withholds the last rent payment claiming the deposit covers it can owe a penalty too (subd. 8). Any waiver of § 504B.178 is void. |
| Late fees | Allowed only if the landlord and tenant agreed in writing. The agreement must say when the fee will be charged. The fee may not exceed 8% of the overdue rent payment. There is no statutory grace period. A federal subsidy rule permitting a different late fee schedule controls if it conflicts. For tenancies with a government housing assistance payments contract, the fee is calculated only on the tenant's share of the rent. Most recently amended 2024 c 118. Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.177 |
| Rent control / increase limits | No statewide rent cap. State law preempts local rent control unless the measure is approved by voters in a general election. Saint Paul has a rent stabilization ordinance (originally adopted 'Ord of 11-2-2021', the 2021 general election date, per the ordinance's history notes): a 3% cap on increases within any 12-month period, with exceptions. Saint Paul ch. 193A (June 13, 2025 version, https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/Rent%20Stabilization%20Ordinance%20--%2006-13-25.pdf) has these exceptions. Increases above 3% need a reasonable-return (RROI) determination before taking effect. After a 'just cause' vacancy, the landlord may raise rent up to 8% plus CPI. The cap does not apply to properties first issued a certificate of occupancy after December 31, 2004 (May 2025 amendment), to deed- or agreement-restricted affordable housing, or to Housing Support Act reimbursements. Landlords must tell prospective tenants when a unit is exempt. The ordinance took effect January 1, 2023. In a periodic tenancy, a rent increase requires written notice of one rental period plus one day (AG handbook). |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | Yes. It is an unfair discriminatory practice to refuse to rent to, or discriminate in terms against, a person because of 'status with regard to public assistance.' That status includes being a tenant receiving federal, state or local subsidies, including rental assistance or rent supplements, such as Housing Choice vouchers. Voucher coverage follows from the statutory definition. |
| 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). |
| Other rental fees | All non-optional fees must be disclosed in the lease. Rent plus all non-optional fees must be shown as the 'Total Monthly Payment' on the first page of the lease. Advertisements must include non-optional fees in the advertised total and say whether utilities are included. Penalty: treble damages plus attorney fees. Starting Aug. 1, 2026: a landlord that uses a digital payment platform must offer a free alternative when the platform is down, may not take adverse action such as eviction or late fees when both methods fail, and a violation is an affirmative defense to a nonpayment eviction. Final submetered or apportioned utility bills may not include extra fees beyond the authorized administrative and late charges. 2026 session law: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/81/. |
Can I sue my landlord in Minnesota? · All Minnesota tenant rights
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.