Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Minnesota?
Often, yes. In Minnesota, a landlord may not refuse to rent to anyone, or set different terms, because of status with regard to public assistance. But in Edwards v. Hopkins Plaza Ltd. Partnership (2010), the Minnesota Court of Appeals held that a landlord’s business decision not to take part in the voluntary Section 8 program is not discrimination based on that status. Federal law leaves the voucher program voluntary for most landlords, but a property financed with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits may not refuse a tenant because they hold a voucher. This is Minn. Stat. § 363A.09.
| What | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Renting to a voucher holder | Limited by a 2010 court decision |
| What the state law does | Protects public assistance, with a gap for vouchers |
Source
Minn. Stat. § 363A.09
Read the statute in the Minnesota Statutes (Office of the Revisor of Statutes): revisor.mn.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.
Guides on this rule
- Renting to Section 8 Tenants: A Landlord’s Guide to Vouchers — How the Housing Choice Voucher program works for landlords: the HAP contract, inspections and the 2027 NSPIRE change, rent reasonableness, and who pays what.
- Tenant Screening: What Landlords Need to Know — How to screen rental applicants fairly and legally: credit and background checks, consistent criteria, the FCRA’s adverse action notice and fair housing.
- The Fair Housing Act: A Landlord’s Plain-English Guide — The seven protected classes, what the Fair Housing Act prohibits, the small-landlord exemptions, advertising rules, deadlines and penalties, with citations.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
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