Property Owners & Landlords

1. Once the property is in your legal possession, submit a Rental Property Certificate Application.
2. Pay the fees.
3. Schedule an initial inspection.
4. Complete the Rental Owner and Manager Public Safety requirement with one of the two options (see below for more information):
   1. Landlord Public Safety Seminar
   2. Phase 1 of a Crime Free Multi-Housing Program
5. Become a registered Rental Owner or Manager on Citizen Access. This will help you track your properties and allow you to pay your next biennial fees online.

Please note that only the owner or manager of record may escort the Housing Inspector through the rental property.

A Rental Property Certificate is a license required for anyone renting a dwelling unit (per R.C.O. Chapter 7-5-1).  As part of the initial application process, Rochester City Ordinance 38.045, Subdivision 21, requires all landlords or their property managers to complete either a Landlord Public Safety Seminar offered by the City of Rochester or Phase I of the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program.  

Once one of these options is completed and submitted to the Community Development Department and has been approved, the certification is valid for life (requiring renewal fees and inspections to remain active) and covers all present and future rentals.

Option 1: Landlord Public Safety Seminar

The Landlord Public Safety Seminar video class is available in six parts online (see below). Once you have watched the six parts of the video class, please download the exam.

Submit the completed exam to our office along with the $50.00 exam fee. Cash or credit card payments are accepted only at the office. Checks may be mailed in with the completed exam and must be made payable to the City of Rochester.

A passing grade of 70% is required. The fee covers two attempts to pass the exam. Should further attempts be necessary, another $50.00 fee will be due.

Our office will notify you of the test results, usually within 1-2 business days of submission. Your completion certificate will be mailed to you.

Option 2: A Certificate from a Crime Free Multi-Housing Program from Olmsted County or another Jurisdiction

Certificates will be examined for validity and comparability to our standards. Send submittals to the Community Development department, to the attention of the Housing Inspection Services Manager, for review.

A Rental Property Certificate is a license required for anyone renting a dwelling unit (per R.C.O. Chapter 7-5-1). 

Rochester City Ordinance Chapter 7-5-1, requires a license known as a "Rental Housing Certificate" for anyone renting a dwelling to another person. A dwelling is considered rental when someone other than the owner, or their relatives, occupies the dwelling whether money is exchanged or not. This includes single family homes when the owner does not occupy the home, but does not include hotels, motels, rooming houses, nursing homes, and hospitals which are licensed by other agencies. Renting without a certificate is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.

As a part of the initial application process, Rochester City Ordinance 38.045, Subdivision 21, requires all landlords or their property managers to complete either a Landlord Public Safety Seminar or Phase I of the Crime Free Multi-Housing Programs.  Once one of these options is completed and submitted to the Community Development Department, the certification is valid for life and covers all present and future rentals.

A rental certificate must be renewed annually, with the renewal fee set based on the number of units to be rented. After an inspection, a property will be scored depending on the violations found, resulting in a one, two, three, or four-year inspection cycle. Thus, each rental certificate will detail both the expiration date and the next inspection due date. A compliant inspection will be required on the year an inspection is due.  Rental certificates must be transferred within 30 days of a property sale.

If your property is not currently licensed, please come into our office at 4001 W. River Parkway NW, Suite 100, to complete an application and schedule the required inspection to ensure the property is safe for your tenants to occupy and meets legal requirements.

A Short-Term Rental (STR), also known as a vacation rental or Airbnb rental, is a living space offered for rent to visiting guests for a short period. Short-term rental properties are usually furnished, and the dwelling can be a single room, multiple rooms, or an entire home. The rent period ranges from days to weeks, with a maximum of 30 days.

1. A property owner has a second home in Rochester that they have decided to list on a Short-Term Rental platform.
   1. This non-owner-occupied property requires a Short Term Rental license and a compliant inspection.  The application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance.
2. A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and has decided to list rooms for rent on a Short-Term Rental platform.
   1. This owner-occupied property requires registration.  The application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance.
3. A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and has decided to list rooms for rent WITHOUT using a short-term rental platform.
   1. This property would not be regulated under this Short-Term Rental policy because it is still considered a single-family home.
4. A property owner lives alone in their 5-bedroom home and has decided to list rooms for rent on a short-term rental platform; however, the property has only 2 legal off-street parking spaces.
   1. Parking spaces are not covered under this Short-Term Rental policy.
5. Visitors have rented a property in Rochester for a few days; upon arrival, they notice that the property isn't ADA accessible and hasn't been cleaned since the last guests. 
   1. This issue will not be addressed under this Short-Term Rental policy.
6. A property owner has historically been operating a Short-Term Rental property before these changes to the Rental Housing Code were made.
   1. This property will be required to either register their owner-occupied short-term rental or obtain a license for their non-owner-occupied short-term rental.
7. A previously approved Hotel would like to add short-term rental units and advertise the units on a short-term rental platform.
   1. This would require no action from the City, as the project was previously approved as a transient use (hotel).
8. A previously approved 70-unit apartment building in a commercial zoning district would like to add 15 short-term rental units.
   
   1. This would require a change in the building code reclassification for the short-term rental units.  Additionally, this would require obtaining a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health.  Community Development would consider this change an accessory use (because the modification is less than 25% of the units).
9. An approved 70-unit apartment building in a commercial zoning district seeks to add 40 short-term rental units.
   1. This would require a building code classification for the short-term rental units.  Additionally, this would require a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health.  Community Development would consider this a change of use (due to modifications to more than 25% of the units) and would require the project to go through the applicable change-of-use review process.
10. An approved 70-unit apartment building in a residential zoning district would like to add 15 short-term rental units.
    1. This would require a change in building code classification for the short-term rental units.  Additionally, this would require obtaining a lodging license through Olmsted County Public Health. Community Development would consider this change an accessory use (because the modification is less than 25% of the units).
11. A proposed 70-unit apartment in a residential zoning district seeks to use 35 units as short-term rentals.
    1. This would be considered a transient use, as more than 25% of the units are proposed for stays that are less than 30 days. Thus, the property would only be approved in zones that allow transient use.
12. A proposed 70-unit apartment in a residential zoning district seeks to use 18 units as short-term rentals.
    1. This would be permitted as an accessory use, as fewer than 25% of the units are proposed for stays of less than 30 days. Thus, the property would be approved in zones that allow multi-family residential uses.
13. A property owner lives alone in their 2-bedroom condominium unit and has decided to list the unit's rooms for rent through a Short-Term Rental platform rather than continue occupying the unit.
    1. This property would be required to obtain a Short-Term Rental license and pass an inspection for non-owner-occupied property. This application would be reviewed by Community Development for conformance to the Rental Housing Code and Zoning Ordinance. Two condominium units per building are permitted to operate as short-term rentals without requiring reclassification under the building code. Any additional units per building used for short-term rental are required to complete a building reclassification through Community Development. Many condominium associations regulate short-term rentals, and their presence in condominium units is very low in Rochester.

Owner Occupied

A dwelling unit, or a portion of a dwelling unit, rented for less than 30 days, in which at least one of the owners is occupying the site during the rental period, and is registered as an owner-occupied Short Term Rental with the City of Rochester.

Non-Owner Occupied

A dwelling unit, or a portion of a dwelling unit, rented for less than 30 days, in which the owner is not present during the rental period, and holds a Short Term Rental certificate with the City of Rochester.

*If a request is made for more than two STR units, reclassification of units would be required through a change of occupancy review process, which includes the application of State Accessibility regulations. In addition, if a request is made to use more than 25% of the units as STRs, Community Development would consider this a change of use and would require the project to go through a change-of-use review process. Each of these processes requires payment of a processing fee.

Submit an Extension Request Form to request an extension of an approved modification. This form must be completed by the Property Owner or Authorized Manager.

Submit a Modification Request Form to request a modification/exception of egress window ordinances or other policies. This form must be completed by the Property Owner or Authorized Manager.

Submit a Rental Certificate Termination Request once the property has been sold. This form should be submitted by the property owner or an authorized manager.

Rental Change of Use Application - Submit this form if the use of a current rental is changing term length (i.e. short term vs. long term rental), if additional units are added (duplex to a triplex) or to change occupant status (was owner occupied and now will be rented to a tenant).

• Rental Housing Photo or Video Submission

Submit the Rental Property Certificate Application to request to register your property as a rental property or transfer a current rental property into your ownership. This form must be completed by the property owner or an authorized manager.  Submissions require a valid government-issued ID number for the owner (e.g., driver's license, passport).

Rental Property Owner Update - Submit this form to update contact information.  Submitting this request ensures that future correspondence is sent to the proper party and that your rental housing certificate reflects the correct information.  This form must be completed by the property owner or an authorized manager. For all properties being transferred to new ownership, please complete the Rental Property Certificate Application above.

Request an Inspection for a rental property. This form must be completed by the property owner or an authorized manager.

Submit a Request for a Change of Management Company. Submitting this request ensures that future correspondence is sent to the proper addresses and that your rental housing certificate reflects the correct information. This form must be completed by the property owner or an authorized manager.

Rochester Code of Ordinances 7-4-5 states that a building that becomes vacant must be registered by the owner no later than 30 days after it becomes vacant. A vacant building fee shall be paid annually, with the amount determined by the size of the building and the length of vacancy (Ordinance 7-4-5(h)). Fees may be waived if the owner follows through with a written restoration agreement, or in the case of fire damage if the owner submits a request for an exemption.

• Vacant Property Registration Application
• Vacant Property Restoration Application/Agreement

Sample Rental Lease Application

Crime Free Lease Addendum

Pre-Inspection Checklist

Complete Pre-Inspection Rundown

Non-Habitable Area Agreement

Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities

Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Guide

Smoke Alarms Guide

Non-Rechargeable Fire Extinguisher Self-Verification Tags