Bloomington, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 15 § 15.181
PERMIT REFUND (Bloomington Buildings and Structures Code)
Operative Text
(a) Whenever a request is made by the owner of a permit or his or her representative, exclusive of a sign permit, for a refund of a fee for a permit issued under the terms of this Article IX , the City Manager shall refund 50% of such permit fee provided that one of the following conditions exists: (1) That a contractor has purchased such permit in anticipation of installing certain work and that subsequently such contract has been awarded to another person; (2) That the owner of the property for which the permit was issued has secured such permit and the contractor who was to perform such work has failed to do the work through no fault of the owner; (3) That duplicate permits have been issued for the same installation; (4) That the property owner has secured such permit and has subsequently moved to a different locale because of a change in his or her place of employment; or (5) That the permit secured is not the proper permit for the installation or work desired to be done. (b) All such applications for refunds must be made within 60 days of the initial issuance of the permit and no application for a refund may be granted after such period of time has elapsed. (1958 Code, § 60.01C) (Added by Ord. 201, passed 9-8-1959; Ord. 2022-40 , passed 8-29-2022)
Bloomington, Minn., Code of Ordinances § 15.181 establishes a partial refund process for certain building and installation permits. When a qualifying circumstance exists — such as a duplicate permit, a contractor failing to perform, or the permit being the wrong type — the City Manager may return 50% of the original permit fee. Any refund request must be submitted within 60 days of the permit's issuance, and requests made after that window are not eligible regardless of the reason.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 15.181, property owners and permit holders who find themselves in one of the five enumerated situations — including receiving a duplicate permit, a contractor's failure to perform through no fault of the owner, or obtaining the wrong permit type — generally act promptly to document the qualifying circumstance and submit a written refund request to the City Manager. Compliant operators keep records of permit issuance dates to ensure any application is filed within the strict 60-day window. Note that sign permits are explicitly excluded from this refund provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Although § 15.181 primarily addresses permit fee refunds for property owners and contractors, tenants who have paid permit fees on behalf of a property — or who are otherwise named permit holders — may have standing to request a 50% refund under one of the five qualifying conditions. The 60-day deadline from the date of permit issuance is a firm cutoff, so anyone who believes a refund may apply should be aware of that timeline. Tenant-rights organizations or a housing counselor familiar with Bloomington's ordinances can help clarify whether a particular permit situation falls within the scope of this provision.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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