Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Minnesota?
What Minnesota lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.
refundable balance — There's no dollar cap, but a landlord must return your application screening fee if they did not run a background/credit check, or if they rented the unit to someone who applied earlier. Disclosures about the screening criteria are required.
A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup, and in Minnesota that overage is refundable or unlawful.
| Cap type | Refundable over a threshold |
|---|---|
| The legal line | refundable balance |
| Refund rights | Refund required if no screening was performed or a prior applicant was selected. |
| Receipt required | Not specified |
| Reusable screening report | Not specified |
| Statute | Minn. Stat. § 504B.173 |
Check your Minnesota application fee
We'll compare it to the law and the real cost of screening.
How Minnesota compares
See every state's cap, the real cost of screening, and the markup landlords add — the full picture in one place.
Informational only, not legal advice — verify Minn. Stat. § 504B.173 and current screening costs before acting.