Todd County is a mid-size rural county in central Minnesota, occupying a transitional landscape between the agricultural prairie to the south and west and the lakes and timber country of the north. Its approximately 24,000 residents are split between two distinct communities — Long Prairie (the county seat, population roughly 3,600) and Staples (roughly 2,900, served by Staples-Motley School District) — along with Browerville and a number of smaller townships. The county is bisected by US-71, connecting it north to Bemidji and south to Willmar, and by US-10, which runs through Staples connecting the county east to Brainerd and west to Wadena. This crossroads position gives Todd County reasonable regional connectivity for a rural county of its size. The economy is a blend of agriculture (dairy, hogs, row crops), timber and wood products, manufacturing, healthcare (CentraCare Long Prairie Hospital), county government, and school district employment. Long Prairie has a notable Hispanic and Latino population — one of the larger in greater Minnesota — reflecting decades of meatpacking and food processing workforce migration, which has diversified the county’s community and rental market demographics. The rental market serves county seat employees, healthcare workers, manufacturing workers, school staff, and the diverse workforce of Long Prairie’s food processing sector.
All residential landlord-tenant matters in Todd County are governed by Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B. Eviction actions are filed at the Todd County District Court in Long Prairie. Minnesota has no statewide rent control and no just-cause eviction requirement. No Todd County municipality has enacted a local rent stabilization ordinance. There are no tribal trust land jurisdictional complications in Todd County.
Long Prairie (~3,600), Staples (~2,900), Browerville (~800)
Median Rent
~$550–$800
Major Economy
Dairy & row crop agriculture, CentraCare Long Prairie Hospital, food processing, timber & wood products, county government, school districts
Rent Control
None (no statewide or local ordinance)
Landlord Rating
4/10 — small rural market split between two county hubs; diverse workforce; stable but limited demand; patient buy-and-hold investment
⚖️ Eviction At-a-Glance
Nonpayment Notice
14-Day Pay or Vacate
Lease Violation
Reasonable time to cure
No-Cause (Month-to-Month)
One full rental period written notice (≥30 days)
Court
Todd County District Court, Long Prairie
Process Name
Eviction (Unlawful Detainer)
Post-Judgment Move-Out
As ordered by court; writ issued after judgment
Avg Timeline
3–6 weeks (uncontested)
Todd County Local Ordinances
County and municipal rules that apply alongside Minnesota state law
Category
Details
Rental Registration
No county-wide rental registration or landlord licensing in Todd County. No municipality has enacted a formal rental inspection program. Pre-1978 properties require federal lead paint disclosure under 42 U.S.C. §4852d; older housing stock in Long Prairie and Staples makes this routine compliance for many rentals.
Rent Control
None. No Todd County municipality has enacted rent stabilization. Minnesota has no statewide rent control statute.
Security Deposit
No statutory cap in Minnesota. Minn. Stat. §504B.178 requires return within 21 days after tenancy ends and landlord receives forwarding address. Itemized deductions required. Annual interest at MN Dept. of Commerce rate. Wrongful withholding: up to 2× damages plus attorney’s fees.
Landlord Entry
Minimum 24 hours’ advance notice for non-emergency entry under Minn. Stat. §504B.195. Emergency entry permitted without notice.
Long Prairie, Staples & County Economy
Todd County straddles two distinct economic and geographic zones. Long Prairie, the county seat, sits in the southern agricultural tier — dairy farms, row crops, and the food processing workforce that has made Long Prairie home to one of greater Minnesota’s most established Hispanic and Latino communities. CentraCare Long Prairie Hospital serves regional healthcare needs and is a significant professional employer. County government and the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle school district provide stable public employment. Staples, in the county’s north along US-10, has a more timber-and-lakes economy and serves as the commercial hub for the county’s northern half. The Staples-Motley School District is the primary public employer in that area. Between and around both cities, Todd County’s landscape transitions through dairy farmland, second-growth timber, and the lakes country that begins to predominate as you move north toward the Brainerd Lakes region. This varied landscape attracts a modest recreational and seasonal population that contributes to the county’s broader economy without driving significant rental demand.
Just-Cause Eviction
No just-cause requirement in Todd County or any of its municipalities. Month-to-month tenancies may be terminated with one full rental period’s written notice (§504B.135). Minneapolis’ just-cause ordinance does not apply.
Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B statutes, notice requirements, and landlord rights that apply in Todd County
⚡ Quick Overview
14
Days Notice (Nonpayment)
Varies - reasonable cure period; immediate for illegal activity
Days Notice (Violation)
21-90
Avg Total Days
$$285-320
Filing Fee (Approx)
💰 Nonpayment of Rent
Notice Type14-Day Notice to Pay or Quit
Notice Period14 days
Tenant Can Cure?Yes - tenant can pay all rent within 14 days to stop eviction
Days to Hearing7-14 days
Days to WritImmediate after judgment (24 hours to vacate) days
Total Estimated Timeline21-90 days
Total Estimated Cost$400-800
⚠️ Watch Out
CRITICAL (2024): 14-day notice must include specific accounting of total due (rent; late fees; other charges); landlord contact info; statement that tenant has right to seek legal help and emergency rental assistance; information about financial/legal resources. Court MUST dismiss and expunge case if notice is deficient. Tenant can 'redeem tenancy' by paying all rent owed plus court costs before sheriff executes writ. Eviction records sealed from public until final judgment entered. For leases over 20 years: 30-day notice required. 2025 change: landlord must also send court papers electronically if regularly communicates with tenant electronically.
Serve the required notice based on the eviction reason (nonpayment or lease violation).
Wait for the notice period to expire. If tenant cures the issue (where allowed), the process stops.
File an eviction case with the District Court or Housing Court (Hennepin/Ramsey Counties). Pay the filing fee (~$$285-320).
Tenant is served with a summons and has the opportunity to respond.
Attend the court hearing and present your case.
If you prevail, obtain a writ of possession from the court.
Law enforcement executes the writ and removes the tenant if necessary.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Minnesota eviction laws and does not constitute legal advice.
Eviction procedures can vary by county and may change over time. Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements or tenant protections.
For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified Minnesota attorney or local legal aid organization.
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⚠️ Disclaimer: These calculations are estimates based on state statutes and typical court timelines. Actual results vary by county, court backlog, and case specifics. Always verify current requirements with your local courthouse. This is not legal advice.
Long Prairie (county seat, CentraCare Hospital, Hispanic community, food processing), Staples (US-10, timber/lakes), Browerville, Eagle Bend. Central MN. US-71 & US-10 crossroads. No rent control, 14-day pay or vacate.
Todd County
Screen Before You Sign
Healthcare workers, school district staff, and county employees are your most stable profiles in both Long Prairie and Staples. Long Prairie’s food processing workforce is large — screen income documentation carefully and understand that shift-based employment can affect payment timing.
A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Todd County, Minnesota
Todd County is a county of two personalities, shaped by its geography and its two principal communities. Long Prairie in the south is a working agricultural and food processing city with a deeply rooted Hispanic and Latino community and a CentraCare hospital serving regional healthcare needs. Staples in the north sits at a US highway crossroads in a landscape that blends timber country with the first lakes of the central Minnesota recreational zone. For landlords, these are meaningfully different markets occupying the same county.
Long Prairie: Diversity and the Food Processing Economy
Long Prairie’s Hispanic and Latino community — one of the larger in greater Minnesota outside the Twin Cities — developed over decades as workers from Mexico and Central America came to Todd County for food processing and meatpacking employment and put down permanent roots. Today, Long Prairie is a genuinely bilingual community with Spanish-language churches, businesses, and social networks woven into the city’s fabric alongside its established Norwegian and German heritage communities. For landlords, this demographic reality shapes the rental market in practical ways: a significant share of the renter population works shift jobs at food processing facilities with income structures that differ from salaried employment — biweekly or weekly pay cycles, overtime-dependent income, and sometimes multiple wage earners in a single household. Screening for this population requires income verification approaches calibrated to hourly and shift-based employment rather than salary letters.
CentraCare Long Prairie Hospital anchors the professional side of the rental market — physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals who relocate to Long Prairie for healthcare positions and represent the most straightforward long-term rental profile in the city. County government, the school district, and local retail and agricultural services complete the employment picture.
Staples: The Northern Hub
Staples operates as the county’s northern commercial and educational center, anchored by the Staples-Motley School District and local retail serving the surrounding rural and recreational community. US-10 connects Staples east to Brainerd’s lakes country and west to Wadena, giving the city reasonable regional highway access. The Brainerd Lakes area, roughly 30 miles east, draws significant tourism and recreational activity that benefits communities along the US-10 corridor including Staples. Timber, wood products, and agriculture form the rural economic base surrounding the city. The rental market in Staples is small and primarily serves school district employees, local business workers, and households priced out of or preferring the smaller-town character of Staples over the county seat.
State Law Governs Completely
Todd County has no local landlord-tenant ordinances. Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B applies in full: 14-Day Pay or Vacate for nonpayment (§504B.285); security deposit return within 21 days with itemized deductions and annual interest, 2x damages for wrongful retention (§504B.178); 24-hour entry notice (§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/day penalty (§504B.375). All evictions go to Todd County District Court in Long Prairie. Fair Housing Act protections apply fully, including protections based on national origin and familial status that are particularly relevant in Long Prairie’s diverse community.
Todd 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 Todd County District Court, Long Prairie. Self-help eviction: illegal, up to $500/day civil penalty + misdemeanor (§504B.375). Fair Housing Act applies including national origin and familial status protections. No tribal trust land complications. Minneapolis just-cause ordinance does not apply. Last updated: April 2026.
Disclaimer: This page provides general information about landlord-tenant law in Todd County, Minnesota and is not legal advice. Laws change frequently. Always verify current requirements with a licensed Minnesota attorney before taking legal action. Last updated: April 2026.
