Minneapolis, Minnesota: Rent Stabilization (none in force)

Guides that list Minneapolis alongside St. Paul as a rent-stabilized city are wrong as of August 2026: the 2021 vote changed the city charter to permit rent regulation, not to impose it. Minnesota law bars local rent control unless voters approve the measure at a general election, so any future Minneapolis ordinance would still need a ballot vote; state law, which sets no rent cap, governs rent increases in the city today.

What is in force

No rent stabilization or rent control ordinance is in force in Minneapolis. On November 2, 2021, voters approved City Question 3 (75,598 yes to 66,468 no, 53.21%), a charter amendment now codified as Charter section 4.1(g) that lets the City Council adopt a rent control or rent stabilization ordinance or put one to voters. The Council has never enacted one: after a 2022 work group and a 2023 staff analysis, a June 28, 2023 motion to introduce a 3% cap ordinance for the November 2023 ballot failed 4 to 6, and the Council returned the proposal to its author 5 to 4. No rent stabilization proposal has appeared in the Council's legislative files since, and the city's Code of Ordinances contains no rent stabilization or rent control chapter.

What housing is covered

Minneapolis rentals are governed by Minnesota state landlord-tenant law, which sets no rent cap. No city ordinance limits rent increases.

Eviction and termination rules

State law governs, plus the city's own 30-day pre-eviction notice for nonpayment (Code section 244.2060); the city adds no rent-regulation-related eviction rules.

Other requirements

Minneapolis does regulate other parts of the tenancy: every rental dwelling needs a city rental license (Code section 244.1810); security deposits are capped at one month's rent (Code section 244.2040); landlords must publish screening criteria and follow inclusive screening or individualized-assessment rules (section 244.2030); nonpayment evictions require 30 days' written notice (section 244.2060); and since March 2025 owners may not use algorithmic devices to set rents (section 244.2070).

Notes and caveats

• Why this page exists — the November 2, 2021 vote is often reported as Minneapolis 'passing rent control.' It passed an authorization — Charter section 4.1(g) — that lets the Council write an ordinance or send one to voters. St. Paul's voters approved an actual ordinance the same night; Minneapolis voters did not.
• What happened in 2023 — the Council directed a draft ordinance on May 25, 2023 (3% annual cap, no inflation adjustment, vacancy control, no exemptions) for the November 7, 2023 ballot; on June 28, 2023 the motion to introduce it failed 4 to 6 with three members absent, and a motion returning it to its author passed 5 to 4 with one abstention. The Council's files show no rent stabilization proposal since.
• Two approvals would be needed — the charter lets the Council adopt an ordinance directly, but Minnesota Statutes section 471.9996 allows local rent control only when the measure is approved in a general election, and the city's program page says a passed ordinance would go to voters. Read the 2021 charter change as step one of two.
• Watch status — the authorization has no expiration and the question remains live in city politics; a future Council could send an ordinance to a general-election ballot.

Citations

• Minneapolis City Charter § 4.1(g) (rent stabilization authorization; added by Ord. No. 2021-057, Charter Amendment No. 185, approved November 2, 2021) (g)(1)-(2) (verified 2026) Official source
• Ordinance No. 2021-057 as filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State (ballot text and vote: Yes 75,598 / No 66,468) (verified 2026) Official source
• Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services — 2021 Ballot Questions (City Question 3 results) (verified 2026) Official source
• Minneapolis City Council, Legislative File 2023-00572 — Rent stabilization policy (introduction failed June 28, 2023; returned to author) (verified 2026) Official source
• Minneapolis City Council Proceedings, June 28, 2023 (roll calls on the rent stabilization ordinance) pp. 911-912 (verified 2026) Official source
• Minn. Stat. § 471.9996 (rent control prohibited; general-election exception) subds. 1-2 (verified 2026) Official source
• City of Minneapolis — Rent stabilization (CPED program page) (verified 2026) Official source
• Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Ch. 244, Art. XVI (rental licenses; § 244.2040 security deposits; § 244.2030 screening; § 244.2060 eviction notice; § 244.2070 rent-setting algorithms) (verified 2026) Official source

This page records local law. Statewide rules — deposits, notice periods, late fees, entry, evictions — live on the Minnesota hub, and the state-level position on local rent regulation appears there with its own citations and verification date.