City guide
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 2026-08-18. 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.
Required · St. Paul
St. Paul mandates a point-of-sale evaluation via its Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing (TISH) program 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 valid for 365 days. Disclosure only — the sole required 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
Required · St. Paul
Truth-in-Sale-of-Housing evaluation required by a city-licensed evaluator for single-family, duplex, condominium and townhome sales, completed prior to marketing. 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. Disclosure report; the only mandated item in a single-family dwelling is an operational hard-wired smoke detector/alarm.
Source: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/rent-buy-sell-property/selling-or-buying-properties/truth-sale-housing · checked 2026-08-18
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
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
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
Not required · St. Paul
No separate St. Paul municipal transfer tax appears in the Minnesota Department of Revenue's deed tax schedule. The state deed tax of 0.0033 of net consideration applies, plus Ramsey County's Environmental Response Fund tax of 0.0001, for a combined 0.0034, collected at recording by Ramsey County.
Source: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/deed-tax-rate · checked 2026-08-18
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
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
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.