Northfield, Minn., Code of Ordinances ch. 14, art. III § 14-94
Temporary rental license
Operative Text
The building official may issue a temporary rental license under the following conditions: (1) The property owner seeking a temporary rental license must submit a written application on the form provided by the city. (2) In the written application filed with the building official, the property owner must state that one or more of the following circumstances does currently or will within the next 30 days apply to the property owner: a. The property owner is currently taking, or will be taking, an extended leave of absence from the property owner's place of employment for a duration of six months or more where the property owner or the property owner's family do not reside at the property; or b. The property owner is involved in a bankruptcy or foreclosure proceeding directly involving the property and property owner; or c. The property owner (i) is currently or will become unemployed, or (ii) has or will have a change in employment status resulting in a loss of income or in the relocation of the property owner more than 20 miles away from the city; or d. The property is being or will be actively listed or offered for sale to the public by the property owner. (3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, the temporary rental license may be issued for a period not to exceed 12 months, provided however, that upon written request/application of the property owner to the building official a one-time extension of the temporary rental license may be issued by the building official for a period not to exceed an additional 12 months. The extension shall not be issued by the building official if the rental property has been the subject of five or more police calls or has had three or more nuisance or property maintenance violations issued against the property in the first 12-month temporary rental period. The temporary rental license period extension is subject to issuance of a new temporary rental license by the building official, following the property's passage of city rental inspection and payment of the required license fee. (4) Subject to subsection (3) above, the temporary rental license shall terminate immediately upon closing of a sale of the property to a bona fide purchaser or at the end of a bona fide lease agreement, but the rental occupancy may not exceed the temporary rental license expiration date. (5) A property may be issued a temporary rental license and extension as provide for in this section only one time within a five-year period. (6) The property shall at all times comply with applicable city and state rental housing requirements, property maintenance requirements, and all other laws and ordinances applicable to the property. (7) The fees for the 12-month temporary rental license and any extension thereof as provided in this section shall be the same as the regular rental license with no prorating for the difference in any rental duration.
Northfield Code of Ordinances ch. 14, art. III § 14-94 establishes a pathway for property owners to obtain a temporary rental license when specific life circumstances — such as an extended leave of absence, bankruptcy or foreclosure, job loss or relocation, or an active property listing for sale — make renting out an otherwise owner-occupied or non-rental property necessary. The license is valid for up to 12 months and may be extended once for an additional 12 months, provided the property has not accumulated five or more police calls or three or more nuisance or maintenance violations during the initial period. A given property may only receive this temporary license and its extension once within any five-year window, and the license ends automatically when the property is sold or a lease concludes, whichever comes first.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators seeking a temporary rental license under § 14-94 generally submit a written application to the building official on the city-provided form, clearly documenting which qualifying circumstance — leave of absence, bankruptcy or foreclosure, employment change, or active sale listing — applies or will apply within 30 days. Compliant operators keep the property in conformance with all applicable city and state rental housing and property maintenance requirements throughout the license period, since violations can disqualify the property from receiving the one-time 12-month extension. When pursuing an extension, operators typically submit a written request to the building official, ensure the property passes a city rental inspection, and pay the required license fee — which mirrors the regular rental license fee with no prorating.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Tenants residing in a property under a temporary rental license issued pursuant to § 14-94 should be aware that their occupancy cannot lawfully extend beyond the license's expiration date, and that the license terminates automatically upon a bona fide sale of the property or at the end of a bona fide lease agreement. Because the property must comply with all applicable city and state rental housing and property maintenance requirements at all times under § 14-94, tenants who observe maintenance or habitability concerns may have grounds to raise those issues with the city's building official or relevant local code enforcement office. Tenant-rights organizations in Minnesota can help residents understand how a temporary license status may interact with their lease rights and what options are generally available when a property changes hands or a license expires.
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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