On November 4, 2025, voters in Duluth, Minnesota approved a Right to Repair ballot initiative, granting tenants a right to repair certain defects in residential rental units when applicable requirements are met.[1]  This ordinance affects landlords of property in the city of Duluth and went into effect on November 10, 2025.

What is a Right to Repair?

The ordinance grants residential tenants a right to repair certain defects in their unit upon giving proper notice to their landlord and waiting fourteen (14) days. It states that in order to provide notice, the tenant must: (1) send written notice to the landlord to the address where the tenant pays rent, (2) either call, text, email, or send a message through the rental portal communicating the needed repair to the landlord, and (3) notify the landlord of the repair that is needed and the tenant’s intent to deduct the cost of the repair from the tenant’s rent. Once the tenant has given proper notice, the landlord has fourteen (14) days to either complete the repair or provide a scheduled repair date to the tenant. If landlord does not do so within the 14-day period, the tenant may contract to complete the repair and withhold up to half of a month’s rent, or $500, whichever is greater, to pay for repairs.[2]

Following proper notice and repair in accordance with the above requirements, the tenant may then deduct the cost of repairs (up to the maximum threshold)[3] from their future rent or pay for the repair and then receive reimbursement from the landlord.[4] If the lease terminates before the tenant is able to deduct repair costs from future rent, the landlord must reimburse the tenant.[5]

Repairs are subject to this ordinance only to the extent necessary to comply with the municipal code.[6]

Eligible required repairs include but are not limited to the following:[7]

  • Holes in walls and ceilings and floors
  • Leaks in pipes or faucets
  • Electrical fixtures
  • Appliances the landlord supplies or is required to supply
  • Heating facilities and gas-fire appliances
  • Smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, and fire alarm systems
  • Hall and stairway lighting and other safety measures
  • Reasonable energy efficient measures like weatherstripping, caulking, and storm windows
  • Small window repairs
  • Bathroom fans
  • Doors and cabinets
  • Insect and pest extermination

The ordinance also includes a catch-all provision that states an eligible repair is anything necessary to address a circumstance in which the landlord fails to maintain the dwelling unit and common areas in a fit and habitable condition.[8]

Who Must Comply with the Ordinance?

The ordinance defines “landlord” as any person directly or indirectly in control of a rental property.[9] If the residential rental unit has a tenant, that tenant may invoke the right to repair if the landlord does not respond in accordance with the ordinance within fourteen (14) days.[10]

Can a Landlord Dispute the Need for a Repair?

The landlord may dispute that the repair is needed if they send a written notice disputing the repair to the tenant within fourteen (14) days of the tenant’s notice.[11] The landlord must then arrange for a building official to inspect the property within thirty (30) days of the landlord’s notice of the dispute.[12] If the inspection does not happen within thirty (30) days or if the inspection confirms that a repair is needed, the tenant retains the right to initiate the repair.[13]

What are the Limitations of the Right of Repair?

The tenant cannot exercise their right to repair at the landlord’s expense if the condition was caused by the tenant’s deliberate or negligent act, or the tenant’s omission.[14] This limitation extends to damage caused by the tenant’s family, friend or guest who was on the premises with the tenant’s consent.[15]

A tenant exercising their right of repair must ensure that if applicable, the repair is completed by a person licensed to perform the required work.[16]

A tenant must provide a receipt to the landlord before subtracting the amount paid for repairs from the future rent.[17]

What are Potential Consequences for Violations of the Ordinance?

The ordinance provides a private right of action for tenants.[18] If a landlord is found in violation of the ordinance, the tenant is entitled to penalties which may include rent reduction, rescission of the lease, up to a $500 civil penalty per violation, and reasonable attorney fees.[19]

Key Takeaways:

  • If a tenant provides written notice and either calls, texts, emails, or sends a message through the rental portal requesting a repair, it is critical that landlords respond in accordance with the ordinance within fourteen (14) days. Otherwise, the landlord waives their right to dispute the repair. The landlord’s response can be to:
    • Complete the repair; or
    • Contract for the repair and send a scheduled repair date to the tenant; or
    • Dispute the repair in writing and arrange for the building official to conduct an inspection within thirty (30) days of the written dispute.
  • The tenant may not contract to fix the repair at the landlord’s expense if the poor condition was caused by the tenant’s deliberate or negligent action, or an omission by tenant.
  • A landlord may not take negative action against a tenant for exercising the tenant’s right to repair.[20]
  • The ordinance does not apply to short-term rental units such as an Accessory Home Share, [21] or a Vacation Dwelling Unit.[22]

[1] Marisa Ornat, Duluth residents vote “yes” to Right to Repair Ordinance, Northern News Now (Nov 4, 2025, at 11:17 CST), https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/11/05/duluth-residents-vote-yes-right-repair-ordinance/

[2] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Right to Repair (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[3] Up to half of a month’s rent, or $500, whichever is greater, to pay for repairs.

[4] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Right to Repair (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[5] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Deduction; reimbursement, (c) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[6] See Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Tenant contracting repairs; notice; eligible repairs, (d) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Definitions, (b) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[10] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Right to Repair (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[11] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Tenant contracting repairs; notice; eligible repairs, (c) (2025).

[12] Id.

[13] Id.

[14] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Right to Repair, (c) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[15] Id.

[16] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Tenant contracting repairs; notice; eligible repairs, (b) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[17] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Deduction; reimbursement, (a) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[18] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Enforcement; Penalty, (a) (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[19] Id.

[20] Duluth, Minn., Ordinance No. 25-015-0, Eviction or Retaliation Prohibited (2025) (to be codified at Duluth City Code Ch. 29A).

[21] Accessory Home Share is a habitable bedroom or bedrooms in an owner-occupied dwelling offered for trade or sale for a period of 29 nights or less. (Duluth, Minn. Code, art. 6, § 50-41.1)

[22]Vacation Dwelling Unit is a residential unit offered for trade or sale for a period of 2 to 29 nights. (Duluth, Minn. Code, art. 6, § 50-41.22).

December 3, 2025