Minneapolis sets hearing on renter-screening rule tied to immigration status
Minneapolis MN – City leaders set an April 15 hearing on a proposal to bar immigration-status questions in renter screening and add tenant retaliation protections.
Minneapolis moved a housing proposal one step closer to a vote on Tuesday, April 7, when the City Council’s Committee of the Whole set an April 15 public hearing on an ordinance tied to immigration status and rental applications.
At this stage, the measure is not law. But the next step matters for renters, landlords, and property managers because the proposal would add a specific new rule to Minneapolis housing code: it would prohibit asking about immigration status during the rental-screening process and create protections against retaliation based on immigration status.
The ordinance has been moving through City Hall since March 5, when it was introduced and referred to the Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee.
What the proposal would change
Minneapolis already has renter-screening rules that limit how landlords can evaluate applicants. Under current city guidance, rental property owners must either use the city’s inclusive screening criteria or use an individualized assessment. Those rules already restrict how some criminal history, eviction history, and credit information can be used in screening.
The proposal now headed to public hearing would add another limit on top of that framework. Instead of changing the city’s broader immigration policy, it would target a narrower point in the housing process: what landlords and property managers can ask when screening prospective tenants.
That distinction matters. The April 7 agenda language describes this as a change to Title 12, Chapter 244 of the housing maintenance code. It does not show a final enforcement system, exemptions, penalties, or start date yet. Those details may become clearer in hearing materials or later amendments.
How it fits with existing city policy
Minneapolis has already taken a public position that city employees do not enforce federal civil immigration laws and cannot ask about immigration status or documentation in city-service settings under the city’s separation ordinance framework. The renter-screening proposal would not change federal enforcement authority. Instead, it would apply that broader local posture to a practical housing issue that comes up before a lease is signed.
For renters, that means the debate is about application-stage protections. For landlords, it means the city is considering whether immigration-status questions should become off-limits in private rental screening alongside the screening limits already on the books.
Why the issue is surfacing now
The timing is tied to a broader city response to housing instability linked to recent federal immigration enforcement activity. In February, Minneapolis advanced rental-assistance funding after city documents said residents were struggling to work and pay rent because of Operation Metro Surge. The Minnesota Star Tribune also reported that Minneapolis had already earmarked $1 million for rental aid as part of that response.
That does not prove how the renter-screening ordinance will turn out. But it does show why city leaders are treating housing risk, eviction pressure, and tenant protections as active policy questions right now.
What to watch on April 15
The April 15 Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee hearing is the next checkpoint for the proposal. Residents should watch for testimony from renters, housing advocates, landlords, and property managers, along with any amendments that clarify how the rule would be enforced and when it would take effect if approved.
After the hearing, the ordinance would still need further committee and full council action before becoming law. Until then, renters should view this as a proposed protection, not a final rule. Landlords should view it as a potentially important new screening limit that could soon join Minneapolis’ existing renter-screening requirements.
Sources
- Minneapolis Committee of the Whole marked agenda
- Minneapolis City Council agenda for March 5, 2026
- Minneapolis renter screening rules
- City of Minneapolis policy on immigration enforcement
- Minneapolis Rental Assistance Program RCA-2026-00090
- Minnesota Star Tribune rental-aid coverage
- City federal response page
- Minnesota Star Tribune eviction-delay coverage
- Startribune
- Mprnews
- Minneapolismn
- Www2
