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Committee adopts amendment and lays over bill easing hot‑tub rules for short‑term rentals
Summary
House File 2147, a bipartisan bill to adjust Minnesota rules governing hot tubs at short‑term rentals and to generalize a houseboat exemption, had an author amendment adopted and was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill after mixed testimony from industry and the Minnesota Department of Health.
The Health Finance and Policy Committee on March 21 adopted an A‑1 author amendment and laid over House File 2147, a bill that would change how hot tubs at short‑term rentals are regulated and extend an existing houseboat hot‑tub exception more broadly to short‑term rental properties.
Representatives Pat Schultz and Representative Grama (co‑authors) said current public‑pool rules make it effectively impossible for many above‑ground residential hot tubs at rentals to meet licensing standards set by the Minnesota Department of Health, constraining small operators. “Treating a single‑occupancy hot tub the same way as a public pool that may have hundreds of people a day just doesn't make sense from a regulatory perspective,” Representative Grama said.
David Deebel, president of the Minnesota Short Term Rental Association, told the committee that enforcement is inconsistent across counties and that modern hot‑tub equipment (UV/ozone systems) and routine professional maintenance reduce many risks. “Across the state, there's thousands of current short term rentals that are safely operating hot tubs for guest use,” Deebel said, urging passage and standardized rules.
The Minnesota Department of Health raised concerns about safety risks the department associates with unregulated hot tubs, including drowning, Legionnaires’ disease, “hot tub rash,” chemical burns and entrapment from inadequate safety features. Myra Kunis, assistant commissioner at MDH, said residential hot tubs may lack required safety features and that the department would like to work with authors on safeguards.
Other testimony from a northern Minnesota resort operator emphasized economic and competitive benefits of permitting residential hot tubs at rentals. Committee members asked about insurance requirements; testimony indicated Minnesota does not mandate a specific state insurance threshold for short‑term rentals, though some municipalities condition licensing on commercial insurance levels.
The committee adopted the A‑1 author amendment to shape the bill and laid HF 2147 over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. The authors said they are open to working with MDH on technical edits and safety language.
