City guide
Selling a home in St. Paul
What St. Paul asks of a seller before a sale closes — and what it doesn’t. Every line below cites the city, county or state page it came from, so you can check it yourself.
All sources last checked between 2026-08-18 and 2026-10-21. St. Paul is in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
This is a reference document, not legal advice, and city rules change. Confirm anything you are relying on with St. Paul before you act on it.
What applies
Point-of-sale inspection (Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing)
Required · St. Paul
St. Paul's point-of-sale requirement is its Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing (TISH) program. A TISH evaluation by a city-licensed evaluator is required for all single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums and townhomes, completed prior to marketing the property for sale. The report must be available for viewing by any potential buyer within three calendar days of the listing, and is good for one year (365 consecutive days) from issuance. It is disclosure only — the sale is not contingent on the deficiencies listed, and the only mandated item in a single-family dwelling is an operational hard-wired smoke detector/alarm. Buildings of three or more units, commercial and mixed-use are exempt.
Source: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/rent-buy-sell-property/selling-or-buying-properties/truth-sale-housing · checked 2026-08-18
Certificate of occupancy
Required in some cases · St. Paul
No certificate of occupancy required for an owner-occupied sale. St. Paul requires a Fire Certificate of Occupancy for all non-owner-occupied residential buildings and all buildings with 3+ units, so it applies if the dwelling is/becomes a rental.
Source: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/rent-buy-sell-property/renting-property · checked 2026-08-18
Rental licensing disclosure
Required in some cases · St. Paul
St. Paul requires a Fire Certificate of Occupancy for all buildings except owner-occupied single-family and duplex structures. A landlord of a single-family rental or duplex who does not live on the premises must register the property with the city. Not applicable to an owner-occupied sale.
Source: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/rent-buy-sell-property/renting-property · checked 2026-08-18
Special assessments disclosure
Required in some cases · St. Paul
St. Paul levies special assessments for public improvements, nuisance abatement and unpaid city charges. Levied and pending assessments against a specific property appear in the city's Assessment Lookup and should be searched and disclosed before closing. The city does not publish guidance on how an outstanding assessment is handled at sale — confirm the payoff position with the Office of Financial Services.
Source: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/financial-services/fees-and-assessments/pending-assessments · checked 2026-08-18
Transfer tax / deed fees
Required · Minnesota
Minnesota imposes a state deed tax on the deed that conveys the property. The rate is 0.0033 of the net consideration under Minn. Stat. 287.21, and the person who conveys the property is liable for it under Minn. Stat. 287.24. It is due when the deed is presented for recording. Ramsey County adds an Environmental Response Fund tax of 0.0001, for a combined 0.0034. A $5 county conservation fee is also due when a deed that is subject to the deed tax is recorded, under Minn. Stat. 40A.152, which requires the fee of every metropolitan county.
Source: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/deed-tax-rate · checked 2026-10-21
Radon disclosure
Required · Minnesota
Statewide requirement applicable in St. Paul. Under the MN Radon Awareness Act, before signing a purchase agreement the seller must give a written radon disclosure (known concentrations, prior tests/reports, mitigation, radon warning statement) plus the MDH 'Radon in Real Estate Transactions' publication. Applies to most residential transfers.
Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/144.496 · checked 2026-08-18
Well disclosure
Required · Minnesota
Well disclosure required statewide under Minn. Stat. 103I.235. Before signing an agreement to sell or transfer real property, the seller must disclose in writing the status and location of all known wells. At recording, the deed must either carry a statement that there are no wells or be accompanied by a well disclosure certificate — a county recorder may not record the deed without one.
Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/103I.235 · checked 2026-08-18
Underground storage tank
Required in some cases · Minnesota
Statewide requirement under Minn. Stat. 116.48, applicable in St. Paul; no city-specific rule beyond state law. A seller who knows the property contains an underground or aboveground storage tank must inform the buyer in writing of the owner's notification requirements (subd. 5). Before transferring ownership the owner must record an affidavit describing the tank and any known releases with the county recorder or registrar of titles, and deliver a copy to the buyer (subd. 6).
Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/116.48 · checked 2026-08-18
Mailing city can differ from the municipal jurisdiction — confirm the property is actually within these city limits (check the county parcel record) before relying on this checklist.
Before you list
What every Minnesota seller has to sort out, wherever the home is: what to sort out before you list, the seller’s inspection checklist and all selling guides.
← Michael Affeldt, Realtor