Minneapolis committee approves ordinance to require council review of highest-risk rental license renewals

The Business, Housing and Zoning Committee on Sept. 30 advanced an ordinance that would require the City Council to review renewal applications for rental licenses the city designates as high-risk (Tier 3), a category staff and council members said reflects repeated or serious housing-code violations. Chair Jamaal Osman and co-authors described the measure as adding oversight and new enforcement pathways while preserving appeals and options short of immediate eviction.

The ordinance matters because Minneapolis is a renter-majority city and committee members and dozens of public commenters said current enforcement has not stopped substandard housing in some properties. Committee members said the change creates a process similar to other license reviews — including options for conditional renewals, provisional licenses and appeals — and gives residents, council members and staff a public forum when persistent violations…