1. Once the property is in your legal possession, submit a Rental Property Certificate Application.

2. Pay the fees.

3. Schedule an initial inspection.

*4. Complete the Rental Owner and Manager Public Safety requirement with one of the two options (see below for more information):

Option 1: Landlord Public Safety Seminar

Option 2: Phase 1 of a Crime Free Multi-Housing Program

5. Become a registered Rental Owner or Manager on Citizen Access. This will help you track your properties, and provides the option to pay your next biennial fees on line.

Please note that only the owner or manager of record may escort the Housing Inspector through the rental property.

A Rental Property Certificate is a license required for anyone renting a dwelling unit (per R.C.O. Chapter 7-5-1).  As a part of the initial application process, Rochester City Ordinance 38.045, Subdivision 21, requires all landlords or their property managers to complete either a Landlord Public Safety Seminar through the City of Rochester, or Phase I of the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program.  

Once one of these options is completed and submitted to the Community Development Department and has been approved, the certification is valid for life (requiring renewal fees and inspections to remain active) and covers all present and future rentals.

The Landlord Public Safety Seminar video class is available in six parts online (see below). Once you have watched the six parts of the video class, please download the exam.

Submit the completed exam to our office along with the $50.00 exam fee. Cash or credit card payments are accepted in the office only. Checks may be mailed in with the completed exam and must be made payable to the City of Rochester.

A passing grade of 70% is required. The fee covers two attempts to pass the exam. Should further attempts be necessary, another $50.00 fee will be due.

Our office will notify you with the test results, usually within 1-2 business days of submission. Your completion certificate will be mailed to you.

Option 2: A Certificate from a Crime Free Multi-Housing Program from Olmsted County or another Jurisdiction

Certificates will be examined for validity and comparability to our standards. Send submittals to the Community Development department, to the attention of the Housing Inspection Services Manager, for review.

A Rental Property Certificate is a license required for anyone renting a dwelling unit (per R.C.O. Chapter 7-5-1). 

Rochester City Ordinance Chapter 7-5-1, requires a license known as a "Rental Housing Certificate" for anyone renting a dwelling to another person. A dwelling is considered rental when someone other than the owner, or their relatives, occupies the dwelling whether money is exchanged or not. This includes single family homes when the owner does not occupy the home, but does not include hotels, motels, rooming houses, nursing homes, and hospitals which are licensed by other agencies. Renting without a certificate is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.

As a part of the initial application process, Rochester City Ordinance 38.045, Subdivision 21, requires all landlords or their property managers to complete either a Landlord Public Safety Seminar or Phase I of the Crime Free Multi-Housing Programs.  Once one of these options is completed and submitted to the Community Development Department, the certification is valid for life and covers all present and future rentals.

Once a certificate is obtained, an inspection is completed every two years to check for compliance with the Housing Code. The certificate issued verifies the dwelling is in compliance with the Housing Code and all other applicable codes and is valid for two years. The certificate must be renewed every two years, with the renewal fee based on the number of units to be rented. Rental certificates must be transferred within 30 days after a property is sold.

If your property is not currently licensed, please come into our office at 4001 W. River Parkway NW (Suite 100) to complete an application and schedule the required inspection to ensure the property is safe for your tenants to occupy and meets legal requirements.

A Short Term Rental (STR), also known as vacation rental or Airbnb rental, is a living space that is offered for rent to visiting guests for a short period of time. Short Term Rental Properties are usually furnished, and the dwelling can be a single room, multiple rooms, or an entire home. The rent period ranges from days to weeks, with a maximum of 30 days.

Owner Occupied: A dwelling unit, or a portion of a dwelling unit, rented for less than 30 days, in which at least one of the owners is occupying the site during the rental period, and is registered as an owner-occupied Short Term Rental with the City of Rochester.

Non-Owner Occupied: A dwelling unit, or a portion of a dwelling unit, rented for less than 30 days, in which the owner is not present during the rental period, and holds a Short Term Rental certificate with the City of Rochester.

*If a request is made for more than two STR units,  reclassification of units would be required through a change of occupancy review process, which includes the application of State Accessibility regulations. In addition, if a request is made to use more than 25% of the units as STR units, Community Development would consider this to be a change of use, and would require the project to go through a change of use review process. Each of these processes requires payment of a processing fee.

• Example 1 - A property owner has a second home they own in Rochester that they have decided to list on a Short Term Rental platform.
  • This non-owner occupied property requires a Short Term Rental license and a compliant inspection.  The application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance.
• Example 2 - A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and has decided to list rooms for rent through a Short Term Rental platform.
  • This owner-occupied property requires registration.  The application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance.
• Example 3 - A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and has decided to list rooms for rent WITHOUT using a Short Term Rental platform.
  • This property would not be regulated under this Short Term Rental policy, because the property is still considered a single-family home.
• Example 4 - A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and they have decided to list rooms for rent through a Short Term Rental platform, however, the property only has 2 legal off-street parking spaces.
  • Parking spaces are not reviewed under this Short Term Rental policy.
• Example 5 - Visitors have rented a property in Rochester for a few days; upon arrival to the home, they notice that the property isn't ADA accessible and has not been cleaned up from the last guests.
  • This issue will not be regulated under this Short Term Rental policy.
• Example 6 - A property owner has historically been operating a Short Term Rental property before these changes were made to the Rental Housing Code.
  • This property will be required to either register their owner-occupied short term rental or obtain a license for their non-owner-occupied short term rental.
• Example 7 - A previously approved Hotel would like to add Short Term Rental units and advertise the units on a Short Term Rental platform.
  • This would require no action from the City, as the project was previously approved as a transient use (hotel).
• Example 8 - A previously approved 70 units apartment building in a commercial zoning district would like to add 15 short term rental units.
  • This would require a building code reclassification change for the short term rental units.  Additionally, this would require obtaining a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health.  Community Development would consider this change to be an accessory use (due to the modification being less than 25% of the units).
• Example 9 - An approved 70-unit apartment in a commercial zoning district would like to add 40 Short Term Rental units.
  • This would require a building code classification for the short term rental units.  Additionally, this would require a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health.  Community Development would consider this to be a change of use (due to modifying more than 25% of the units), and would require the project to go through the applicable change of use review process.
• Example 10 - An approved 70-unit apartment building in a residential zoning district would like to add 15 Short Term Rental Units.
  • This would require a building code classification change for the short term rental units.  Additionally, this would require obtaining a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health.  Community Development would consider this change to be an accessory use (due to the modification being less than 25% of the units).
• Example 11 - A proposed 70 unit apartment in a residential zoning district would like to use 35 of its units as Short Term Rental units.
  • This would be considered a transient use, as more than 25% of the units are proposed for stays that are less than 30 days.  Thus, the property would only be approved in zones that allow transient use.
• Example 12 - A proposed 70 units apartment in a residential zoning district would like to use 18 of its units as Short Term Rental units.
  • This would be permitted as an accessory use, as less than 25% of the units are proposed for stays that are less than 30 days.  Thus, the property would be approved in zones that allow multi-family residential uses.
• Example 13 - A property owner lives alone in their 2-bedroom condominium unit and they have decided to list the rooms for rent through a Short Term Rental platform, and not continue to occupy the unit.
  • This property would be required to obtain a Short Term Rental license and pass an inspection for their non-owner occupied property.  This application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance.  Two condominium units per building are permitted to operate as short term rentals without triggering the need to be reclassified under the building code. Any additional units per building used for short term rental are required to complete a building reclassification through Community Development.  Many condominium associations regulate the allowance of Short Term Rentals, and the presence of short term rentals in condominium units is very low in Rochester.

Rental Housing Photo or Video Submission

Rochester Code of Ordinances 7-4-5 states that a building that becomes vacant must be registered by the owner no later than 30 days after it becomes vacant. A vacant building fee shall be paid annually, with the amount determined by the size of the building and the length of vacancy (Ordinance 7-4-5(h)). Fees may be waived if the owner follows through with a written restoration agreement, or in the case of fire damage if the owner submits a request for an exemption.

• Vacant Property Registration Application
• Vacant Property Restoration Application/Agreement

Sample Rental Lease Application

Crime Free Lease Addendum

Inspection Checklist

Non-Habitable Area Agreement

Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities

Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Guide

Smoke Alarms Guide

Non-Rechargeable Fire Extinguisher Self-Verification Tags

Guide to Egress Windows/Emergency Escape

Credit Bureaus:

Equifax                 1-800-711-5341

Trans-Union         1-800-888-4213

Experian              1-800-397-3742

Criminal Background Checks

Local Records Checks (Olmsted County and the City of Rochester)

5th Floor of the Government Center-Public Terminals  

ASP Screening

Tenant Reports.com 

7400 Metro Blvd Edina, MN  55439

952-925-9592  

Multi-housing Credit Control

10125 Crosstown Circle, Suite #100

Eden Prairie, MN  55344

1-800-328-6205  

Rental Research Services

7525 Mitchell Rd, Eden Prairie, MN  55344

1-800-328-0333

Free Web Searches:

• Information for landlords from the Minnesota Multi Housing Association (MHA)
• Information for tenants from Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
• Minnesota Judicial Branch website with links to courts, rental issues, applicable laws, and forms
• To upload pictures or video files for the rental inspector
• To file a complaint, please submit a Service Request
• Eviction Moratorium Guidance
• Rights related to service animals for landlords and tenants

Chapter 7-1 In General

Chapter 7-2 Minimum Standards

Chapter 7-3 Dwelling and Apartments

Chapter 7-4 Condemnation and Removal of Unfit Buildings

Chapter 7-5 Rental Unit Registration

Housing Code

Housing Code

Housing Code Update Summary