Gaylord, Minn., Mun. Code Ch. 151 (2026) § 151.16
RESPONSIBILITIES
Operative Text
(A) Owner. An owner shall be responsible for maintaining his building in a sound, sanitary and safe condition, including the shared or public areas. An owner shall comply with the provisions of this chapter. An owner shall furnish and maintain the approved sanitary facilities as are required, and shall furnish and maintain approved devices, equipment or facilities for the prevention of insect and rodent infestation, and where infestation has taken place shall be responsible for extermination. An owner shall provide adequate refuse containers and be responsible for refuse removal from the premises; the owner may by contract delegate this responsibility to the tenant, but the owner shall remain ultimately responsible. (B) Occupant. An occupant of a dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit shall be responsible for keeping it safe and sanitary and an occupant shall properly dispose of all refuse. (Ord. 253, passed 10-5-2005)
Gaylord Ch. 151 Housing Code § 151.16 establishes a dual-responsibility framework for the upkeep of residential properties. Owners bear the primary duty to keep buildings — including shared and public areas — structurally sound, sanitary, and safe; to maintain approved sanitary facilities; to prevent and address insect and rodent infestations; and to ensure refuse is removed from the premises. Occupants, in turn, are responsible for keeping their individual dwelling or rooming unit safe and sanitary and for properly disposing of their own refuse. While an owner may contractually shift refuse-removal duties to a tenant, the owner's ultimate legal responsibility for that obligation remains intact under this provision.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Gaylord Ch. 151 Housing Code § 151.16, compliant property owners generally maintain all building systems, shared spaces, and sanitary facilities in approved condition, and they implement ongoing pest-prevention measures — addressing any active infestations through extermination. Operators also ensure adequate refuse containers are provided and that waste removal from the property occurs, even when a lease agreement delegates day-to-day refuse duties to tenants, since the owner retains ultimate responsibility. Keeping documentation of maintenance schedules, pest-control services, and refuse arrangements is a practice commonly associated with demonstrating compliance with this section.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Gaylord Ch. 151 Housing Code § 151.16 gives occupants a clear right to a dwelling that is maintained in a sound, sanitary, and safe condition — a duty that falls squarely on the owner, including for shared and common areas. If an owner fails to address pest infestations, broken sanitary facilities, or unsafe conditions, tenants may have grounds to raise those failures as a violation of this provision, whether through a complaint to the relevant local housing or code-enforcement authority or as a defense in a housing proceeding. Consulting a tenant-rights organization familiar with Gaylord's housing code can help occupants understand which enforcement paths are available to them under § 151.16.
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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