Minnesota’s process, in short
Minnesota supplies the court steps: a 14-day nonpayment notice with required statements under Minn. Stat. 504B.321, a first appearance 7 to 14 days after the summons issues, a writ that can be stayed up to seven days and a 24-hour demand from the sheriff before removal. The tenant can redeem by paying the arrears and costs until possession is delivered. Our Minnesota eviction process guide walks through those steps.
State law lets a longer city notice control, and St. Paul’s is now the longest in the Twin Cities.
Section 193.04: the pre-eviction notice
Before filing for nonpayment of rent or any other unpaid financial obligation under the lease, you must give the tenant written notice of the basis for the eviction. You deliver it personally or by first-class mail to the unit, and you can file under 504B.321 only if the tenant hasn’t caught up or moved out by the end of the notice period.
The period is 30 days under the ordinance, but Ordinance 26-18, passed March 25, 2026, temporarily raised it to 60 days from May 14 through December 31, 2026. A notice issued on December 31, 2026, still gets the full 60 days. The notice must include each of these items:
- The total amount due.
- An itemized accounting of unpaid rent, late fees and other charges under the lease.
- The name and address, or the online location, of whoever is authorized to receive payment.
- The required statement on the right to seek legal help, pointing to Legal Aid and LawHelpMN.org.
- The required statement on financial help through the county or Tribal social services office, MNBenefits.mn.gov or United Way 2-1-1.
- A statement that you can file if the tenant doesn’t pay the total due or move out within the notice period, currently 60 days.
What else Chapter 193 changed on May 14, 2026
The pre-eviction notice is one of four protections in Chapter 193. Two apply to every rental, and two apply only to affordable housing buildings, defined as buildings where at least 20% of units rent for no more than one-third of 60% of area median income.
- Enforcement runs through the city. Tenants file complaints through the Service Request Access portal under the Rental-Tenant Protections category, and the city reviews them, so a defective notice can draw a city complaint as well as a dismissal.
- The deposit cap has one exception: if an applicant could be denied under your criteria, you may require one more month of deposit or prepaid rent as a condition of approval. Pet deposits and application fees fall outside the cap.
| Provision | Applies to | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-eviction notice, 193.04 | All rentals | 60 days through 2026, then 30 days |
| Deposits and prepaid rent, 193.02 | All rentals | Each capped at one month’s rent, with one extra month allowed for a conditional approval |
| Screening, 193.03 | All rentals | Uniform written criteria, fee limited to actual screening cost, look-back limits |
| Notice of sale, 193.05 | Affordable buildings | New owner gives notice; three-month protection period |
| Relocation, 193.06 | Affordable buildings | Three months’ rent in listed cases, paid within 30 days |
Screening the next tenant
Refilling a unit after an eviction now runs through 193.03. You must use uniform screening criteria and give them to applicants before you take an application, fee or deposit, and the application fee can’t exceed the actual cost of screening. Under the uniform guidelines, you can deny for evictions in the last three years, relevant credit information but not a credit score alone, misdemeanor sentences in the last three years, felony sentences in the last seven years and a few federal disqualifiers.
Stricter criteria require an individualized assessment that weighs supplemental evidence, and a denial under the uniform criteria has to be sent in writing within 14 days, naming the criteria the applicant didn’t meet.
Is there a just cause rule in St. Paul?
Not for evictions. St. Paul doesn’t currently require a stated cause to end a tenancy, and a month-to-month tenancy ends on the notice state law requires. Where “just cause” matters is rent stabilization: it decides whether you can reset rent on a vacant unit.
Under Chapter 193A and the city’s 2025 rules, a vacancy counts as just cause only if you can prove a listed reason. The tenant-driven causes are nonpayment, repeated late payment, material noncompliance, substantial damage and refusal to renew, and the rules also list landlord-driven causes. For nonpayment, the rules require proof that you gave notice, the tenant still didn’t pay and you are not pursuing an eviction action for that rent. Keep copies of every notice; the city reviews them.
Rent stabilization after the unit turns over
Chapter 193A limits rent increases to 3% in any 12 months. A landlord can self-certify an increase between 3% and 8%, a cap the city reviews each year, can raise rent by up to CPI plus 8% after a documented just cause vacancy, and can apply for a staff determination with no set limit if the numbers justify it. The city notifies tenants of applications and decisions, and either side has 45 days to appeal.
Since the May 2025 amendment took effect June 13, 2025, buildings that received their first certificate of occupancy after December 31, 2004, are exempt, as are buildings converted to residential use after that date. Certain regulated affordable housing is also exempt. The city keeps the certificate of occupancy records and will send a letter confirming the date on request.
Ramsey County Housing Court
St. Paul evictions are filed in Ramsey County District Court, where the Housing Court office is at the courthouse at 15 West Kellogg Boulevard, Room 170. The court assigns housing claims to a single trained referee so decisions stay consistent and compliance with Minnesota housing law is prompt.
That consistency cuts both ways. A referee who sees St. Paul notices every day will check your 193.04 notice against the six required items and the 60-day clock, and will check the state statements too. Attach the notice and proof of delivery to the complaint.
Worked example: a $1,350 one-bedroom in Midway
Assume a 12-unit building in the Midway area where a one-bedroom rents for $1,350 a month, about $44.38 a day. Rent is due on day 0 and you hand-deliver a compliant notice on day 1. Under the temporary 60-day rule, you file on day 62, the earliest appearance is day 69, a full seven-day stay runs to day 76 and the sheriff’s 24-hour demand returns the unit on day 77.
That is 77 days without rent, $3,417.53, or $4,617.53 with an assumed $1,200 for counsel. Serve the same notice in 2027 under the 30-day rule and possession comes on day 47: $2,086.03 in lost rent and $3,286.03 in total. On the state’s 14-day notice alone it would be day 31 and $1,375.89, which shows what the city rule costs at each stage.
Then the rent cap. Re-leasing at the standard 3% puts the unit at $1,390.50. If you can document a just cause vacancy, and assuming CPI of 3% for illustration, CPI plus 8% would allow up to $1,498.50. Remember the nonpayment rule above: a vacancy that ends in an eviction judgment for that rent may not qualify.
| Notice rule | Day filed | Day of possession | Lost rent | With assumed counsel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul 60-day (2026) | 62 | 77 | $3,417.53 | $4,617.53 |
| St. Paul 30-day (2027) | 32 | 47 | $2,086.03 | $3,286.03 |
| State 14-day only | 16 | 31 | $1,375.89 | $2,575.89 |
Using the 60 days well
The council said the extension exists to give renters time to reach emergency rental assistance after Operation Metro Surge, and the city put more than $3.8 million into its Emergency Rental Assistance Program in early 2026. A notice served early, with a direct invitation to apply, can bring in rent before you ever file.
If you want the unit back, a cash for keys agreement during the notice period avoids a filing and the eviction record, and it may preserve a just cause vacancy under the rent stabilization rules if the tenant leaves without an eviction action. Pay at key handover.
If the tenant offers part of the rent during the notice period or after you file, a written agreement that the payment doesn’t waive your claim keeps the case alive under Minn. Stat. 504B.291(c). Without it, accepting money can undercut the eviction.
Selling a St. Paul building with tenants in place
If your building qualifies as affordable under Chapter 193, the buyer inherits the notice of sale duty and the three-month protection period, and must pay three months’ rent in relocation if it ends a lease without cause, rescreens and denies a tenant, or raises the rent and the tenant leaves. Market-rate buildings skip those two rules. Either way, a buyer will look closely at rent stabilization status, so gather your certificate of occupancy date, any exception approvals and the rent history for each unit.
Skyline Capital Investments buys apartment buildings with five or more units in St. Paul and across Minnesota, occupied and in any condition, including rent-stabilized buildings and ones with nonpaying tenants. Send the address and unit count through the form on this page or call (469) 660-2977. We typically respond within 48 hours.
