Excelsior, Minn., Code of Ordinances ch. 8, art. IV § 8-126
Door locks
Operative Text
No owner shall occupy or let to another for occupancy any rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit unless all exterior doors of the rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit are equipped with safe, functioning locking devices. Multiple-tenant dwellings shall be furnished with door locks as follows: (1) For the purpose of providing a reasonable amount of safety and general welfare for persons occupying multiple-tenant dwellings, and except as otherwise permitted or required by state law, an approved security system shall be maintained for each multiple-tenant dwelling to control access. The security system shall consist of locked building entrance or foyer doors, and locked doors leading from hallways into individual dwelling units. Dead-latch type door locks shall be provided with lever knobs (or doorknobs) on the inside of building entrance doors and with key cylinders on the outside of building entrance doors. Building entrance door latches shall be of a type that are permanently locked from the outside and permanently unlocked from the inside. (2) Every door that is designed to provide ingress for a rental dwelling unit within a multiple-tenant dwelling shall be equipped with an approved lock that has a deadbolt that cannot be retracted by end pressure; provided however, that such door shall be operable from the inside without the use of a key or any special knowledge or effort.
Excelsior Code of Ordinances ch. 8, art. IV § 8-126 establishes that no rental dwelling or dwelling unit may be occupied or rented unless all exterior doors have safe, working locking devices. In buildings with multiple tenants, this requirement goes further: the building must maintain an approved security system that includes locked entrance and foyer doors, locked hallway doors leading to individual units, and specific hardware configurations such as dead-latch locks with lever knobs on the inside and key cylinders on the outside of building entrances. Additionally, every entry door to an individual unit must be fitted with a deadbolt that cannot be pushed back by end pressure, yet must always be openable from the inside without a key or special knowledge.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Excelsior Code of Ordinances ch. 8, art. IV § 8-126, compliant property owners ensure that every exterior door of a rental dwelling is equipped with a safe, functioning locking device before any occupancy begins or continues. For multiple-tenant buildings, operators typically install and maintain the full approved security system described in the ordinance — including dead-latch entrance locks with the correct lever-knob and key-cylinder hardware — and equip each individual unit's entry door with a qualifying deadbolt that resists end pressure. Routine inspections of all locking hardware help operators confirm that devices remain in working order and meet the ordinance's specifications on an ongoing basis.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Excelsior Code of Ordinances ch. 8, art. IV § 8-126 gives tenants the right to occupy a rental unit whose exterior doors and, in multi-tenant buildings, whose building entrance and unit entry doors are all fitted with the specific locking hardware the ordinance requires. If a tenant finds that locks are missing, broken, or do not meet the ordinance's standards — such as a unit deadbolt that can be retracted by end pressure — that condition may constitute a violation that can be reported to the appropriate local code-enforcement or housing authority. Tenants may also wish to consult a local tenant-rights organization to understand how a lock-related violation under this provision could be raised in a housing complaint or used as a defense in a related legal proceeding.
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.
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