Rental Housing License

Little Canada requires that all residential rental properties be licensed with the City. The purpose of the rental housing license program is:
- to ensure that housing units are operated and maintained in a decent, safe, and sanitary manor.
- to require adequate tenant screening/management procedures to minimize problem tenant issues.
- to provide the City with up to date contact information for property owners in case of emergency or noncompliance with City regulations.

The following types of rented properties need to be licensed:
condominiums / single family homes / townhomes / duplexes / triplexes / fourplexes and apartment buildings.  
Please note: some associations do not allow rentals. You need to verify if your property has an association and if the by-laws, rules, or regulations allow for rental properties.

Obtain a License

• Complete the Rental Housing License Application. New rental applications can be submitted at any time during the license period, fees are not prorated.
• This is an annual license that is valid October 1st - September 30th.
• Fees are as follows:
  $ 60 Single Family Home / Townhome (this includes shared living space/boarder)
  $ 60 Condominium
  $ 60 per building + $10 per rental unit Duplex / Triplex
  $ 105 per building + $10 per rental unit Fourplex / Apartment Complex
• Mail the completed application and appropriate fee to:
  City of Little Canada, 515 Little Canada Road East, Little Canada, MN, 55117
• OR submit the completed application via email to Lisa.Krieger@littlecanadamn.org and pay your fee online here.
• Any questions please contact us at 651-766-4029.

Inspections

A property inspection is required.  The inspection will be coordinated and conducted by our Code Enforcement/Rental Housing Coordinator, Brian Kaden. 

Once we receive and process your rental housing license application, you will be contacted with a date and time to meet the inspector at the rental property.  It is the responsibility of the owner/manager to inform tenants of the scheduled inspection.  

The license fee includes the initial inspection and one reinspection.  
Each additional inspection is $45.

After the initial inspection is completed and approved, inspections will be done as noted below, unless the City is alerted to a concern:

• Every three years:  single family, townhome, condominium, duplex, and triplex.
• Fourplexes and apartment buildings: At a minimum, 25% of their units inspected each year so that every unit is inspected every four years.

Family Exemption

There is a family exemption for those owners that do not occupy their property but wish to have their immediate family members live there, either paying rent or rent free.  

Completing the Property Owner Affidavit of Family Exemption form exempts the property owner from the rental housing license requirements: no license fee, no inspection needed.  

All renters residing at the property must be immediate family members to the property owner(s):  parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, step-child, step-grandparent, step-grandchild.  This does not include branching relationships such as aunts, uncles, or cousins.

The Family Exemption is an annual exemption and is valid through September 31st each year at which time it must be renewed.

Mail the completed affidavit to:
City of Little Canada, 515 Little Canada Road East, Little Canada, MN, 55117  
OR via email to: Lisa.Krieger@littlecanadamn.org
Any questions, please contact us at 651-766-4029.

If family members move out and the property owner wishes to use as a rental property, a Rental Housing License is required.

Renewals

The City of Little Canada will send out renewal information in late August-early September for the upcoming license period.