Andover, Minn., City Code title 9 ch. 8 art. A (2026) § 9-8A-7
: DOOR LOCKS: No owner shall let or rent to another for occupancy
Operative Text
9-8A-7: DOOR LOCKS: No owner shall let or rent to another for occupancy
any dwelling or dwelling unit unless all exterior doors of the dwelling or dwelling units
are equipped with safe, functioning locking devices. Rental dwellings shall be
furnished with door locks as follows:
A. Building Access: For the purpose of providing a reasonable amount of
safety and general welfare for persons occupying multiple-family
dwellings with common areas, an approved security system shall be
maintained for each multiple-family building to control access. The
security system shall consist of locking building entrance or foyer
doors, and locked door leading from hallways into individual dwelling
units. Dead-latch type door locks shall be provided with releasable
lever knobs (or doorknobs) on the inside of building entrance doors
and with locking devices on the outside of the building entrance doors.
Building entrance door latches shall be of a type that are permanently
locked.
B. Unit Access: Every door that provides ingress or egress for a dwelling
unit within a multiple-family building shall be equipped with an
approved lock that has a deadlocking bolt that cannot be retracted by
end pressure, provided however, that such door shall be openable
from the inside without the use of a key or any special knowledge or
effort.
C. Existing Buildings: All multiple-family dwellings in existence prior to
April 21, 1992, which were not previously required to have an
approved security system. Shall not be subject to the requirements of
Subsection A of this section.Andover, MN City Code § 9-8A-7 establishes that no rental dwelling or dwelling unit may be occupied unless all exterior doors have safe, working locks. For multi-family buildings, this means both the building entrance and individual unit doors must meet specific locking standards — entrance doors must use permanently locked dead-latch hardware, while unit doors must have deadbolting locks that cannot be pushed open but can always be opened from the inside without a key. Multi-family buildings that existed before April 21, 1992, and were not previously required to have an approved security system, are exempt from the building-wide access control requirements under Subsection A.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 9-8A-7, compliant rental property operators in Andover ensure that every exterior door on a rental dwelling is fitted with a safe, functioning locking device before any tenancy begins. For multi-family properties, this generally means maintaining permanently locked building entrance doors with dead-latch hardware and ensuring each unit door has a deadbolting lock that residents can open freely from the inside without a key or special knowledge. Operators of buildings constructed or required to comply before April 21, 1992, should confirm whether the Subsection A security-system exemption applies to their specific property, and document that all required hardware is regularly inspected and maintained.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 9-8A-7 of the Andover City Code gives occupants of rental dwellings the right to have all exterior doors equipped with safe, functioning locks before they move in — and for multi-family buildings, this extends to both the building entrance and the individual unit door. If a lock is missing, broken, or does not meet the deadbolt standards described in the provision, tenants may have grounds to raise that deficiency with the property owner in writing or report it to the local code enforcement authority in Andover. Tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand whether a violation of § 9-8A-7 may be relevant to habitability claims or other remedies available under Minnesota law.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.