Effective December 2, 2017, Short Term Rentals (STRs) will be allowed throughout the City of Saint Paul.

By ordinance, a Short Term Rental:

  • Consists of a dwelling, or portion of a dwelling unit, rented for a period of less than thirty days.
  • Cannot be used for commercial or social events.
  • Cannot be advertised unless they are compliant with the city, state, and federal law. This includes listing on any online website or platform. 
  • Hosts and platforms are required to obtain a City License and renew it annually

Short Term Rental Requirements 

To learn more about the Short Term Rental Requirements for each property type, please use the following table and the other resources provided below.

Property Type
# of STR Dwelling Units Allowed *
Occupancy per Dwelling Unit **
License RequiredFire Certificate of Occupancy Required (Fire C of O)License Application Requirements (All required at Submission of license application)
Single Family Building
(Owner Occupied)
1Zoning and Building CodeYesNo- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
Single Family Building
(Non-Owner
Occupied)
1Zoning and Building CodeYesYes
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Duplex Building
(Either Unit
Owner Occupied)
2Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitNo- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
Duplex Building
(No Unit
Owner Occupied)
1Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitYes- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Triplex Building
(Any Unit Owner
Occupied)
3Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitFor all
non-owner
occupied units
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Triplex Building
(No Unit Owner
Occupied)
1Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitFor all
non-owner
occupied units
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Four-Plex Building
(Any Unit Owner
Occupied)
4Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitFor all
non-owner
occupied units
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Four-Plex Building
(No Unit Owner
Occupied)

1 (RL-RT1 Zoning Districts)

2 (All other Zoning Districts)

Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitFor all
non-owner
occupied units
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***
Building with more than Four Units50% of dwelling units up to 4Zoning and Building CodeYes - one per STR dwelling unitFor all
non-owner
occupied units
- Application and fee
- Proof of Insurance
- Fire C Of O paperwork ***

             *     The number of short term rental dwelling units may exceed 4 if a building owner obtains a conditional use permit for a larger number of units.

             **   The zoning occupancy limit of any short term rental dwelling unit may be exceeded with a conditional use permit, on a case by case basis,

                       for large one and two family-dwellings on large lots. 

             *** Fire C of O paperwork means either:

                            A) Application and Fee    OR    B) Documentation of Active Fire C of O

Short Term Rental Licensing

To learn more about licensing requirements for Short Term Rental Hosts and Platforms, please click the following: 

Link to other resources for STR Requirements: 

Short Term Rental Basics

Short Term Rental Licensing Ordinance 

Short Term Rental Zoning Ordinance

Short Term Rental Lodging and Sales Tax

Graphic for Number of Short Term Dwelling Units Permitted 

Fire Certificate of Occupancy (Fire C of O)

Last Edited: October 3, 2023