Fergus Falls, Minn., Mun. Code Ch. 117 (2026) § 117.04

(A) Generally. No person shall rent any unit upon real property for residential purposes any place in the city without first obtaining a registration issued by the City Administrator and paying a registration fee. Registrations are required for each building with shared common area and for each unit. All dwelling units in a rental residential building must be registered regardless of occupancy. In a manufactured home park, individual manufactured homes that are rented and not owner occupied shall require a rental registration. No person may rent, lease or occupy a rental residential building, rental dwelling unit or portion thereof that does not have a valid and current city registration. Each rental dwelling unit must have an owner, or local property manager designated by the owner, who resides within 30 miles of the city.


(B) Application. An application for a registration to rent real property shall be made on a form provided by the city. An application shall not be submitted and shall be denied unless the rental dwelling has been inspected pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. The application shall include, but is not limited to, requiring the full name of the applicant, property owner, and property manager; the applicant, owner, and property manager business address, e-mail address, and telephone numbers including a 24- hour contact phone number; and the name of the proposed registration holder and the address for which the registration is sought. The completed application along with the application fee shall be submitted to the City Administrator or designee for review. If the City Administrator or designee determines that an application is incomplete, he or she shall return the application to the applicant with notice of the deficiencies. Should any application information change during the registration period, the applicant shall notify the city within seven business days. Failure to do so may be considered a registration violation.


(C) Action. The City Administrator or its designee may either approve or deny the registration or may delay action for up to 60 days to permit the city to complete any investigation of the application or the applicant as deemed necessary. If the City Administrator approves the registration, a registration shall be issued to the applicant. If the City Administrator denies the application, a notice of denial shall be sent to the applicant at the business address provided on the application along with the reasons for the denial. The notice shall also inform the applicant of their right to appeal the decision to the City Council pursuant to the process set forth in § 117.12 of this chapter. If a registration is mistakenly issued or renewed to an applicant or registration holder, it shall be revoked by the City Administrator or designee upon the discovery that the person, applicant or registration holder was ineligible for the registration under this chapter.


(D) Term. All registrations are issued for a period of one year. The registration period shall be as determined by the City Administrator. Refunds of registration fees will not be given.


(E) Adverse registration action. Any registration issued under this chapter may be denied, suspended, revoked or not renewed as provided in § 117.10 of this chapter.


(F) Transfers. All registrations issued under this chapter shall be valid only on the premises for which the registration was issued and only for the person to whom the registration was issued. No transfer of any registration to another location or person shall be valid without the prior approval of the city administrator or designee.


(G) Renewals. The renewal of a registration under this chapter shall be handled in the same manner as the original application and shall be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the registration expiration. Renewal applications received after the due date but before the registration expiration date shall be subject to late fees as determined by City Council resolution. The issuance of a registration under this chapter shall be considered a privilege and not an absolute right of the applicant and shall not entitle the holder to an automatic renewal of the registration.


(H) Denials. The following shall be grounds for denying the issuance or renewal of a registration under this chapter. The following list is not exhaustive or exclusive:


(1) The applicant has had more than one registration to lease rental property revoked within the preceding 12 months of the date of application;


(2) The applicant fails to provide any information required on the city registration application or fails to pay the required registration fee or provides false or misleading information;


(3) The applicant or rental dwelling unit has outstanding Building, Fire or Property Maintenance Code violations, fines, penalties or delinquent property taxes, assessments, utility or other charges owed to the city; or


(4) The dwelling is on real estate that is subject to a development contract or land use covenants that restricts rental units.


(I) Consideration of suspension or revocation. At any time during a registration period, if a rental property does not meet or exceed the criteria established for the current registration, the registration may be brought forth to the City Council for consideration of registration suspension or revocation.


(J) Registration required; penalties. No person may rent, lease or occupy a rental residential building, dwelling unit or portion thereof that does not have a valid and current city registration. The owner of rented buildings, dwelling units or portion thereof, shall be given 30 days to apply for such registration. A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor, punishable in accordance with state law. In addition to criminal sanctions, the city may impose civil penalties in the amount of $1,000 for renting, leasing, or occupying a rental residential building or rental dwelling unit or part thereof without a registration.


(Ord. 86, Seventh Series, passed 10-7-2019)