Minnesota rent late fee law
What your landlord is allowed to charge when rent is late, how soon they can charge it, and what to do about a fee the law doesn't allow.
Maximum late fee
8% of overdue rent
Grace period
None
The cap
Under Minn. Stat. § 504B.177(a); § 504B.120, Minnesota caps late fees at 8% of the overdue rent payment. A lease cannot dodge the rule by offering an 'on-time discount' from an inflated rent, and for subsidized tenancies the fee may be calculated only on the tenant's share of the rent.
When the fee can start
Minnesota law sets no mandatory grace period — when a late fee kicks in is governed by the lease. No late fee may be charged unless the landlord and tenant agreed to it in writing, and the agreement must specify when the fee will be imposed.
If you've been charged an illegal fee
An over-cap or non-written fee is simply not chargeable, and amounts collected can be demanded back. Separately, Minnesota's fee-disclosure law requires all mandatory fees to be disclosed in the lease with a first-page total — violations of that disclosure rule carry treble damages and attorney's fees.
Charged a fee the law doesn't allow?
Answer a few questions and get a formal demand letter citing Minn. Stat. § 504B.177(a); § 504B.120 and exactly which rule your landlord broke — free to generate and download. We can also send it by USPS Certified Mail for you, with the delivery record that holds up in court.
Dispute my late feeDid your landlord also keep your security deposit?
Minnesota landlords have 21 days to return your deposit after you move out — and real penalties apply when they don't. Generate a formal demand letter citing Minn. Stat. § 504B.178, and we can send it certified mail for you.
Demand my deposit backCommon questions
- Is there a limit on late fees for rent in Minnesota?
- Yes. Under Minn. Stat. § 504B.177(a); § 504B.120, Minnesota caps late fees at 8% of the overdue rent payment. A lease cannot dodge the rule by offering an 'on-time discount' from an inflated rent, and for subsidized tenancies the fee may be calculated only on the tenant's share of the rent.
- Can my landlord charge a late fee the day rent is due in Minnesota?
- Minnesota law imposes no mandatory grace period, so the lease controls when a late fee may be charged. No late fee may be charged unless the landlord and tenant agreed to it in writing, and the agreement must specify when the fee will be imposed.
- What can I do if my landlord charged an illegal late fee in Minnesota?
- An over-cap or non-written fee is simply not chargeable, and amounts collected can be demanded back. Separately, Minnesota's fee-disclosure law requires all mandatory fees to be disclosed in the lease with a first-page total — violations of that disclosure rule carry treble damages and attorney's fees.
Other Minnesota tenant rights
Landlords who get one of these wrong often get another wrong too.
Late fee laws in other states
These rules change at the state line. Every page is checked against that state's own published statute.
How this page was checked
- Read from the source. Every deadline, cap and penalty here was taken from the legislature's published text — the statute, session law or administrative code itself.
- No legal-information websites. Commercial summaries were used only to find a provision, never as authority for it. An automated check fails our build if any state we serve cites a secondary source.
- Locked against drift. The verified figures are pinned by regression tests, so a later edit cannot quietly change a deadline or a penalty.
- Last verified August 14, 2026. Laws change — confirm the current text before relying on it.
General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.
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