St. Louis County Landlord-Tenant Law

Minnesota landlord guide — Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia, Iron Range mining, Lake Superior, largest Minnesota county by area & Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B

Landlord-Tenant Law in St. Louis County, Minnesota

St. Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by land area — at over 6,800 square miles, it is larger than several U.S. states — and one of its most economically and geographically diverse. Its approximately 200,000 residents span two very different worlds: Duluth, the county seat and Minnesota’s third-largest city (population roughly 92,000), anchoring the southern end of the county on the western tip of Lake Superior; and the Iron Range, a string of mining communities stretching across the county’s interior including Hibbing (~15,000), Virginia (~8,500), Eveleth, Chisholm, and Mountain Iron. Duluth is a significant regional city with a diversified economy of healthcare (Essentia Health, St. Luke’s), education (University of Minnesota Duluth, College of St. Scholastica), shipping and port operations on the Great Lakes, tourism, and a growing technology and entrepreneurship sector. The Iron Range communities are defined by iron ore mining — the taconite pellet operations of Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel that have extracted iron ore from the Mesabi Range for over a century — and by the DFL political culture, labor union history, and tight-knit community character that mining shaped. The county also encompasses vast stretches of Superior National Forest, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), and dozens of lakes and rivers that support a significant outdoor recreation and tourism economy in communities like Ely and Cook.

All residential landlord-tenant matters in St. Louis County are governed by Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B. Eviction actions are filed at the St. Louis County District Court, with courthouses in Duluth, Virginia, and Hibbing serving different parts of this large county. Minnesota has no statewide rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement. No St. Louis County municipality has enacted a local rent stabilization ordinance. There are no tribal trust land jurisdictional complications within St. Louis County proper, though tribal lands of the Bois Forte Band are in the broader northeastern Minnesota region.

St. Louis County Local Ordinances

County and municipal rules that apply alongside Minnesota state law

Last verified: April 2026 · Source: Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B

Minnesota Eviction Laws

Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B statutes, notice requirements, and landlord rights that apply in St. Louis County

A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in St. Louis County, Minnesota

St. Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by land area and one of its most economically complex — a single county that contains a mid-size Lake Superior port city, an Iron Range mining district stretching across hundreds of miles of boreal forest, and vast stretches of wilderness that draw outdoor recreation visitors from across North America. For landlords, the county presents two fundamentally different markets that require different strategies, different tenant profiles, and different risk assessments.

Duluth: The Lake Superior City

Duluth occupies one of the most dramatic settings of any American city — built on a hillside above the western tip of Lake Superior, with the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge spanning the ship canal that connects the harbor to the lake. The city has transitioned from its historical role as a pure industrial and shipping hub into a diversified regional economy anchored by healthcare, education, and tourism. Essentia Health and St. Luke’s Hospital are the two dominant employers, collectively employing thousands of physicians, nurses, therapists, and support staff and making healthcare the city’s largest employment sector. The University of Minnesota Duluth (~11,000 students) and the College of St. Scholastica generate significant student and faculty rental demand, particularly in neighborhoods near the UMD campus. Canal Park and the Lake Superior waterfront draw millions of visitors annually and support a robust hospitality, restaurant, and retail economy. Great Lakes shipping — iron ore, grain, coal, and limestone moving through the Duluth-Superior port — continues to provide maritime employment. A growing technology and entrepreneurship sector has taken root in Duluth’s revitalized downtown.

The Iron Range: Mining’s Heartland

The Mesabi Iron Range is one of the world’s great mineral deposits — a band of iron-bearing rock stretching roughly 110 miles across northern Minnesota that has produced more iron ore than any other region on Earth. The open-pit taconite mines operated by Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel process low-grade iron ore into taconite pellets that travel by rail to Duluth and Two Harbors for shipment to Great Lakes steel mills. Mining employment on the Range is well-compensated — union production workers earn wages that support middle-class lifestyles in communities with low housing costs — but the industry is cyclical. Steel demand fluctuations, trade policy, and global commodity prices can trigger mine curtailments or layoffs that ripple immediately through Iron Range rental markets. Hibbing, the Range’s largest city and birthplace of Bob Dylan, serves as the western Range hub. Virginia anchors the central Range. The Iron Range is also home to the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), a state agency that funds economic development and diversification across the region.

The Wilderness Frontier: Ely and the BWCAW

Ely, at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, is one of Minnesota’s premier outdoor recreation communities — a gateway city for millions of canoe country visitors who travel through or stay before and after BWCAW trips. Ely’s rental market is small but has a distinctive seasonal character, with demand for both permanent housing for local workers and service employees, and seasonal workforce housing for outfitter, resort, and tourism industry workers during the spring-through-fall paddling season.

State Law: Complete and Uncomplicated

St. Louis County has no local landlord-tenant ordinances beyond Duluth’s rental registration program. Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B governs entirely. Key provisions: 14-Day Pay or Vacate for nonpayment (§504B.285); security deposit return within 21 days with annual interest and itemized deductions, 2x damages for wrongful retention (§504B.178); 24-hour advance notice for non-emergency entry (§504B.195); 68°F minimum heat October 1 through April 30 — critical in a county where winter temperatures regularly reach −20°F or colder; no rent control; no just-cause eviction; self-help eviction illegal up to $500 per day (§504B.375). Evictions in Duluth and surrounding communities go to the Duluth courthouse; Iron Range evictions go to the Virginia or Hibbing courthouses depending on location.

St. Louis County landlord-tenant matters are governed by Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B. Nonpayment notice: 14-Day Pay or Vacate (§504B.285). Lease violation: reasonable time to cure. No-cause termination: one full rental period written notice (§504B.135). Security deposit return: 21 days; up to 2× damages for wrongful retention plus attorney’s fees (§504B.178). Security deposit interest required annually at MN Dept. of Commerce rate. Landlord entry: 24 hours’ advance notice required (§504B.195). Minimum heat: 68°F, Oct. 1–Apr. 30. No rent control. No just-cause eviction requirement. Eviction actions filed at St. Louis County District Court (Duluth, Virginia, or Hibbing courthouse depending on property location). Duluth landlords should verify current rental registration requirements with the City of Duluth. Self-help eviction: illegal, up to $500/day civil penalty + misdemeanor (§504B.375). Fair Housing Act applies. Minneapolis just-cause ordinance does not apply. Last updated: April 2026.

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