It is unlawful for any person to keep, maintain, or possess any game of skill, coin amusement device or music machine, as defined herein, for use by the public without having first obtained a license for such game of skill, coin amusement device or music machine from the city (see Section 5.10 of the Mankato City Code).

No peddlers, solicitor or transient merchant shall sell or offer for sale any goods, wares, merchandise, subscriptions or services within the city without first having obtained a license for such sale or offer from the city (see section 5.36 of the Mankato City Code).

It is unlawful for any person to, by the use of any vehicle, collect and remove, haul or transport any garbage, refuse or debris from any premises without first having obtained a refuse hauler license from the city (see section 5.40 of the Mankato City Code).

Rental Licensing is outlined in section 5.42 and Chapter 10 of the Mankato City Code.

If you are building new property to rent or converting existing housing into rental property you will need to apply for a rental license.It is unlawful for any person, as the owner, manager, or other person having control of any dwelling unit, to lease, rent or lease, or permit to be leased, rented or offered for rent or lease, or permit the occupancy of any dwelling unit within the City without first having obtained a rental license for such dwelling unit as hereafter provided.

If address of property is known, planning and zoning will check the density and the zoning of the property to see if a license is allowed, and if the occupancy would be limited. If allowed, a new rental license application would need to be completed and submitted with a scaled site plan, and floor plan, as well as the $33/per unit. Click here for online application.

Once a rental application (and required floor/site plan and fee) is submitted, it is forwarded to the Community Development Department to review the property for parking/zoning requirements. If approved, the application is then assigned to a rental inspector for an inspection of the property. The applicant has sixty days from the date of the initial inspection to complete the work and have the property reinspected; otherwise, the application is considered withdrawn.

Once the property is in compliance and all fees are paid (all licenses are issued based on a three year period), the license is issued. No property shall be rented until a license has been issued.

The responsibilities that go along with being a landlord are governed not only by the State, but by local ordinances as well. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office publishes a handbook called Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities, which outlines the requirements of State Statutes. The handbook is free and can be obtained at:
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Brochures/pubLandlordTenants.pdf, or by calling 1-800-657-3787.

Your lease with your tenant is a legally binding contract in which the City has no part. Except for the provisions outlined in the City Code, the City will not get involved in breaches of your lease in any way, including evictions and non-payment of rent.

If rental property is bought with the intent to continue renting, the license needs to be transferred. A transfer application must be completed and submitted with a $15 fee within 30 days of the purchase of the property. An inspection may or may not be necessary (a property that has had an inspection and is fully compliant within a year of application does not need to be inspected). Outstanding fees and violations need to be cleared before a license is issued.

License holders that do not reside within a 30-mile radius of Mankato need to enlist an agent to act on their behalf. If the license holder or agent lives outside the local calling area, tenants and city officials must be provided with a toll-free telephone number where the license holder can be reached.

It is unlawful for any person to keep for sale or sell, upon any premises within the city, any soft drink, unless the owner, lessee or other person having control of such premises has first obtained for such premises a soft drink license for such sale form the city (see Section 5.41 of the Mankato City Code).

It is unlawful for any person to, for hire, fell, cut or trim any tree or tree limb or branch, having a diameter of two (2) inches at the point of cutting or severance, within the City without first having obtained a tree trimmer license therefore from the City. (See Section 5.46 of the Mankato City Code).