Duluth, MN Short-Term Rental Checklist (Free, Printable)

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Only in some areas
Do I need a permit?: Yes. A city permit; whole-home rentals need a capped Interim Use Permit.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 11.875%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Pick your permit type (home share, limited, or whole unit).
Get the MN Health lodging license and fire operational permit.
Register for Duluth tourism tax and MN sales tax.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Whole-home permits are capped and may not be available.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

This is the general rule for Duluth. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

Check my address: $49

🔔 Stay notified: $4.99/month

Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Duluth. Cancel anytime.

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Need guest waivers and booking tools too? Click here for more info

Permit / license / registration

Permit types: Accessory Home Share (owner present, 4 guests, 2 bedrooms); Accessory VDU Limited (owner resides, 2-7 nights, max 21 nights/yr); Vacation Dwelling Unit (whole unit, 2-29 nights, max 9 guests, 4 bedrooms).
Cap: Vacation Dwelling Unit interim use permits are capped citywide (except Form districts); new permits posted when available. Ordinance revised Oct 15, 2026: verify.
Other: MN Dept of Health lodging license, Life Safety operational permit, Duluth tourism tax permit.

Zoning, where allowed & definitions

Not listed on our page: Verify with the city/county before renting.

Night limits, minimum stays & occupancy

Not listed on our page: Verify with the city/county before renting.

Fees, penalties & pending changes

Not listed on our page: Verify with the city/county before renting.

Taxes & who collects them

Register / account for MN state sales tax (6.875%)
Register / account for St. Louis County transit tax (0.5%)
Register / account for Duluth general sales tax (1.5%)
Register / account for Duluth lodging excise tax (3%)
What Airbnb collects: Duluth tourism taxes are filed with the city by paper return: verify what Airbnb remits.
Vrbo and direct bookings: check which taxes Vrbo collects in your area; for direct bookings you collect and remit all of them yourself.

Total rate: 11.875%. 11.875% for under 30 units (properties with 30+ units add 2.5%). Per City of Duluth Tourism Taxes page. Calculate.

HOA / condo check

Read your declaration, bylaws and rules for rental bans, minimum terms, caps and approval requirements.
Get any association sign-off or approval letter your city or association requires.
See our HOA & condo guide.

Insurance

Confirm your homeowner/condo policy covers short-term rental use, or add a short-term rental policy. Platform host protection is not a substitute for insurance.
Ask your association whether it requires specific liability coverage.

Deadlines

Renew city/county permits or registrations on their schedule (often annually): confirm the date with the office that issued it.
File state and local lodging tax returns on the schedule your tax office assigns.

Official sources

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Is my Duluth rental legal? Checklist