Late Rent Fees · Minnesota
Late rent fees in Minnesota
The cap is 8% of the overdue rent payment. There is no mandatory grace period.
Maximum fee
8% of the overdue rent payment
No fee at all unless landlord and tenant agreed in writing and the agreement specifies when it applies. The fee is neither interest nor liquidated damages. Federally subsidised tenancies may follow the federal schedule instead. No statutory grace period.
“In no case may the late fee exceed eight percent of the overdue rent payment”
Mandatory grace period
None required
“In no case may the late fee exceed eight percent of the overdue rent payment”
What the percentage applies to
No fee at all unless landlord and tenant agreed in writing and the agreement specifies when it applies. The fee is neither interest nor liquidated damages. Federally subsidised tenancies may follow the federal schedule instead. No statutory grace period.
This matters more than it sounds. Where a cap is a percentage of the past-due or unpaid amount rather than full monthly rent, a tenant who pays most of the rent shrinks the lawful fee at the same time. Colorado and Maryland are both written that way, and a landlord applying the percentage to full rent after a partial payment is overcharging.
A fee above the cap is void, not reduced
Statutory caps are mandatory, and a tenant’s signature does not cure an unlawful clause. Several states go further and attach a penalty to charging one: Colorado imposes $50 per violation, and Maryland makes the clause unenforceable and exposes the landlord to the tenant’s actual damages and legal fees. This is not a “worst case, they just don’t pay it” situation.
Watch out for the wrong statute
If you search for your state’s late fee limit you will very likely be told it is “$20 or 20% of monthly rent, whichever is greater”. In nine states that rule is real, but it sits in the self-service storagestatute, not residential landlord–tenant law. It does not govern a house or an apartment. Two other widely-quoted figures — Arizona’s “$50 or 5%” and North Dakota’s 8% — come from bills that never passed. The comparison page explains which is which.
Other states with a null-day grace period
Common questions
- How much can a landlord charge for a late fee in Minnesota?
- 8% of the overdue rent payment, under Minn. Stat. 504B.177. A fee above the cap is void and unenforceable even if the tenant signed the lease. No fee at all unless landlord and tenant agreed in writing and the agreement specifies when it applies. The fee is neither interest nor liquidated damages. Federally subsidised tenancies may follow the federal schedule instead. No statutory grace period.
- Does Minnesota require a grace period before charging a late fee?
- No. Minnesota imposes no statutory grace period, so a fee may be charged as soon as rent is late if the lease provides for it. Many landlords still allow 3–5 days as a matter of practice.
- Can I charge a late fee if it is not in the Minnesota lease?
- No. In virtually every state a late fee is only enforceable if the signed lease states it — the amount, when it applies, and any grace period. If the lease is silent you cannot impose one mid-tenancy without an amendment both parties agree to.
Check your fee against the law automatically
Pacific Rentals Pro warns you when a lease’s late fee exceeds the state cap or its grace period falls below the statutory minimum — using exactly the Minnesota rule on this page.
Start free →Read against the cited sources on November 6, 2026. Authority: Minn. Stat. 504B.177. General information about Minnesotalaw, not legal advice — statutes change and local ordinances can add caps the state does not.