Rental application & screening fee law in Minnesota
Limited to actual screening cost
Minnesota restricts applicant screening fees to the actual cost of the screening and requires any unused amount to be refunded.
What the law says
Minnesota Statutes § 504B.173 limits the applicant screening fee to what the screening actually costs the landlord. If the landlord does not use the full amount collected — for example, because the application is never screened — the unused portion must be refunded to the applicant.
Beyond the fee limit
The price rule is only part of the law. Minnesota also imposes these obligations:
- Any unused portion of the fee must be refunded.
Read the law
What's the actual limit in Minnesota?
Fee limits change with inflation adjustments, local ordinances, and new legislation. Use our free calculator to look up the current limit for your rental's ZIP code.
Calculate your fee limitsThis page is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Fee rules change — caps re-index to inflation, new legislation takes effect, and cities adopt their own ordinances — so always confirm against the official statutory text linked above before relying on it. The federal Fair Housing Act applies everywhere, regardless of state or local fee rules.