Minnesota Landlord Entry Notice: The 24-Hour Rule
Last reviewed: July 2026
Minnesota gives landlords a right to enter for legitimate business reasons — but only for a real purpose, with advance notice, and within set hours. Here’s how to stay on the right side of it.
The 24-hour reasonable-notice rule
A Minnesota landlord may enter only for a reasonable business purpose, and must make a good-faith effort to give the tenant reasonable notice — not less than 24 hours — before entering.
The notice should tell the tenant when you’re coming: a specific time or an anticipated window. Twenty-four hours is the floor, so give more when you can, and put it in writing.
Entry hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Unless you and the tenant agree otherwise, entry must happen between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. A tenant is free to allow a visit on shorter notice or outside those hours if they choose — but that’s their call to offer, not yours to assume.
Reasons you may enter
Entry has to serve a reasonable business purpose tied to managing the property — inspecting the unit, making or arranging repairs, or showing the unit to prospective tenants or buyers are typical examples.
The right of entry isn’t a license to check up on the tenant. Keep visits purpose-driven and professional.
The emergency exception
A Minnesota landlord may enter without prior notice when immediate entry is needed to prevent injury to persons or property, to check on the tenant’s safety, or in similar urgent circumstances — a burst pipe, a fire, a gas leak. Emergencies are the narrow exception, not a way around routine notice.
Best practice: notice in writing
A text or email stating the date, the time or window, and the reason meets the notice requirement and gives you a record that notice was given. Keeping that in one place makes it easy to show if a tenant ever claims they weren’t told.
How Landlord Command helps
- Tenant messaging — Keep entry notices and every tenant conversation in writing, in one place.
- Move-in / move-out inspections — Document unit condition with photos at check-in and compare at move-out — your record if a deduction is ever questioned.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice must a Minnesota landlord give before entering?
A good-faith effort at reasonable notice of not less than 24 hours, for a reasonable business purpose, with entry between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. unless the tenant agrees otherwise.
Can a Minnesota landlord enter without notice?
Only in urgent situations — to prevent injury to persons or property or to check the tenant’s safety. Routine entry for inspections, repairs, or showings requires the 24-hour notice.
What hours can a Minnesota landlord enter?
Between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., unless the landlord and tenant agree to an earlier or later time.
This guide is general information for Minnesota landlords, not legal advice. Laws change and specific situations vary — confirm the current requirements under Minn. Stat. ch. 504B, or consult an attorney, before acting.