Selling to us doesn't require you to do any of this. We buy as is, and a title company handles the closing paperwork. This guide is only here if you want to understand the rules.
How the Duluth license works
- No owner may let a tenant occupy a rental unit that isn't licensed.
- Licenses run for three years.
- A unit that isn't newly built gets inspected before a license is issued.
- A license can't move to a different unit.
- The application names a managing agent or contact person within 25 miles.
Those points come from the copy of Chapter 29A we could read, which stops at Article IV and may be out of date. Confirm anything you're relying on with the Life Safety Division. A rental license isn't the same as a clean bill of health on the building. If yours has lapsed, or there's an open inspection item, tell the buyer. We couldn't confirm how the city treats a transfer on a lapsed license, so ask the Life Safety Division.
Who files the transfer
The new owner, not you. The city's 2026 form confirms the $100 fee, with page one of the closing statement or the contract for deed as proof. The 30-day deadline to apply is from the code copy we read, so confirm it with Life Safety.
On a contract for deed, the purchaser applies and provides a recorded copy of the contract. That matters if you plan to sell on terms.
Life Safety Division
City of Duluth Fire Department, 615 West First Street, Duluth, 218-730-4380. Rental licensing questions go here.
St. Louis County Recorder
Records real estate documents and keeps a searchable index. County main line: (218) 726-2000.
Newer Duluth rules to check
Since January 2026 the city has required a Tenant Rights Notice with every lease, written or oral. So if your leases predate it, look at what you've handed out, and pass copies to your buyer.
Duluth voters also passed City Question 1 in November 2025, with 12,549 yes to 5,666 no. That was the tenant repair-and-withhold ordinance. We haven't confirmed its start date or final wording, so check the current city code. Rent held back for repairs may not be simple nonpayment, so ask an attorney before sending a notice to a tenant who is withholding.
What differs in Superior
Don't copy the Duluth steps onto a Superior building. State law says a Wisconsin city may require registration only of owner or contact details, and can't otherwise require a license. We couldn't read Superior's own code, so ask the city what it asks for today.
Handoff list
For either side of the bridge, whoever buys it. Print it, then tick things off as you find them. Not every item applies to every building.
The tenants
- Every current lease and amendment, including anything said only by text or email
- A rent roll: unit, tenant, rent, due date, paid through date
- Anyone behind on rent, with any notices already sent
- Tenant contact details
- Any open complaint, dispute, or eviction filing
The money
- Deposit ledger: who, how much, when paid (deposit rules)
- Interest calculated through closing, for Minnesota deposits
- Prepaid rent and how the closing month will be split
- Utility accounts in your name, and which the tenants pay
- Last year's real income and expenses
The building
- Keys, mailbox keys, garage openers, labeled by unit
- Duluth rental license and the last inspection report
- Copies of any outstanding health-and-safety or condemnation orders, before the buyer takes ownership
- Service records: furnace, water heater, roof, and who you call
- Warranties, appliance manuals, and any shared-driveway or snow arrangements
The disclosures
- Pre-1978 building: known lead-based paint and hazards disclosed before the buyer signs, and the EPA pamphlet and lead warning statement handed over
- Signed lead disclosures kept for three years
- A buyer of most pre-1978 housing gets a 10-day testing period, which can be changed in writing or waived
- Minnesota: written seller disclosure where it applies, and what you know about radon
- Wisconsin: the condition report where it applies
After closing
- Tenants told the new owner's name, address, and where rent goes (Wisconsin has a 10-business-day rule)
- Minnesota: tenant told who holds the deposit
- Buyer reminded of the Duluth license transfer (30 days in the code copy we read; confirm with the city)
- Your insurance and utilities updated or cancelled
- Your records kept, for the tax return and any later questions
Sources for this page
Pages we read on 2026-11-05. Laws change, so check the current version or ask an attorney.
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-28
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-31
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-29(b)
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-32(a)
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-29(e)
- City of Duluth, Rental License Transfer Application (2026)
- Duluth Legislative Code, Ch. 29A, Sec. 29A-32(c)
- St. Louis County, Recorder and Registrar of Titles
- City of Duluth, Tenant Rights Notice (Ch. 29A, Art. V)
- Minnesota Secretary of State, 2025 city question results
- Minnesota Secretary of State, 2025 ballot questions file (City Question 1, Duluth)
- Wis. Stat. 66.0104(2)(e)4.
- Minn. Stat. 504B.195, subd. 1
- EPA, Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards
- Minn. Stat. 513.55, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. 144.496, subd. 3
- Wis. Stat. 709.02(1)
- Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.04(1)
- Minn. Stat. 504B.178, subd. 5