Stearns County Landlord-Tenant Law

Minnesota landlord guide — St. Cloud, Waite Park, Sauk Centre, St. Cloud State University, Central Minnesota hub, German Catholic heritage & Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B

Landlord-Tenant Law in Stearns County, Minnesota

Stearns County is the economic, educational, and cultural hub of central Minnesota, anchored by St. Cloud — Minnesota’s fourth-largest city with a population of roughly 68,000 — and its surrounding communities of Waite Park, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and St. Joseph. The county’s approximately 165,000 residents make it one of Minnesota’s more populous non-metro counties, and the St. Cloud metropolitan statistical area extends across Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties to form a genuine regional city of approximately 230,000 people. St. Cloud State University (~10,000 students) is a significant driver of rental demand, particularly in neighborhoods near the campus along the Mississippi River. The county’s economy is diversified across healthcare (CentraCare Health, the dominant regional health system), manufacturing (Electrolux, Cold Spring Granite, and numerous smaller manufacturers), distribution and logistics, retail, and education. Stearns County has a deep German Catholic heritage — the county was settled heavily by German immigrants in the mid-19th century and remains one of the most strongly Catholic counties in the United States, with dozens of churches and a strong parochial school tradition. The Cold Spring Granite quarrying operations are world-significant, producing granite used in monuments, memorials, and construction nationwide. The rental market is active and well-rounded, serving university students, healthcare workers, manufacturing employees, and a growing immigrant workforce that has reshaped St. Cloud’s demographics over the past two decades.

All residential landlord-tenant matters in Stearns County are governed by Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B. Eviction actions are filed at the Stearns County District Court in St. Cloud. Minnesota has no statewide rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement. No Stearns County municipality has enacted a local rent stabilization ordinance. There are no tribal trust land jurisdictional complications in Stearns County.

Stearns 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 Stearns County

A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Stearns County, Minnesota

Stearns County is central Minnesota’s dominant market — a regional hub that draws workers, students, patients, and shoppers from a broad surrounding area and generates one of the state’s more active non-metro rental markets. St. Cloud’s combination of a major university, a large regional health system, significant manufacturing, and a diverse and growing population creates layered rental demand across multiple price points and tenant profiles.

St. Cloud State University and the Student Market

St. Cloud State University, situated on the Mississippi River in the heart of St. Cloud, enrolls approximately 10,000 students and is the county’s most significant driver of rental demand in specific neighborhoods. The south and southeast areas of St. Cloud — within walking or biking distance of campus — have the highest concentration of student-oriented rentals, ranging from older single-family homes divided into multi-bedroom student housing to purpose-built apartment complexes. The College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph and St. John’s University in Collegeville (just outside St. Cloud in neighboring Stearns County townships) add to the college-community rental character of the broader area. Student tenants require careful screening — income verification, guarantor requirements, and clear lease terms on occupancy and noise — but also provide consistent annual turnover that keeps rents market-current.

CentraCare and the Healthcare Anchor

CentraCare Health is Stearns County’s largest employer, operating St. Cloud Hospital — a major regional medical center — and a network of clinics throughout the St. Cloud area and greater central Minnesota. Healthcare workers — physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians, and administrative staff — are among the most desirable rental tenants in any market: stable income, professional backgrounds, and a preference for well-maintained housing. The St. Cloud VA Medical Center adds federal healthcare employment to the mix. For landlords targeting the professional rental market, proximity to the hospital district and major clinic locations is a meaningful amenity.

Manufacturing and the Immigrant Workforce

Stearns County has a substantial manufacturing base led by Electrolux’s St. Cloud plant and supported by Cold Spring Granite, numerous food processing operations, and a range of smaller manufacturers. The county’s Somali and East African immigrant communities — which began settling in St. Cloud in the late 1990s and have grown substantially since — have become a significant component of the manufacturing and service workforce and of the rental market. St. Cloud has navigated the demographic and cultural changes of immigration with both tension and adaptation, and today the city’s diversity is a recognized feature of its workforce and community life. Landlords in St. Cloud operate in a Fair Housing environment where understanding anti-discrimination obligations is particularly important.

Sauk Centre and the Literary Legacy

Sauk Centre, at the western edge of Stearns County on I-94, is the birthplace of Sinclair Lewis — America’s first Nobel Prize winner in literature — whose novels “Main Street” and “Babbitt” drew on his small-town Minnesota upbringing. The Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center and his boyhood home draw literary visitors, and the town takes pride in its connection to one of American literature’s most important voices. For landlords, Sauk Centre is a modest small-town market with stable but limited demand.

State Law: Complete and Uncomplicated

Stearns County has no local landlord-tenant ordinances beyond standard municipal property maintenance codes. 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; no rent control; no just-cause eviction; self-help eviction illegal up to $500 per day (§504B.375). All evictions go to Stearns County District Court in St. Cloud.

Stearns 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 Stearns County District Court, St. Cloud. Self-help eviction: illegal, up to $500/day civil penalty + misdemeanor (§504B.375). Fair Housing Act applies. No tribal trust land complications. Minneapolis just-cause ordinance does not apply. Last updated: April 2026.

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