Short-Term Rentals and Cabin Rules in Stearns County, Minnesota

Two approvals, not one: Lodging License plus a land-use permit

Renting a Stearns County property for 30 days or less -- through Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, or directly -- requires two separate approvals under the county's Land Use and Zoning Ordinance #439. First, an annual Lodging License, priced at a $360 base fee plus $10 per sleeping room. Second, a land-use permit that authorizes short-term rental as a use on that specific parcel: either a Provisional Use Registration ($800 for the initial application) for properties that qualify for the more streamlined track, or a full Interim Use Permit ($2,000 for the initial application) for properties that don't. The Interim Use Permit route requires a public hearing before the county Planning Commission, with final approval or denial by the County Board -- and, as with any conditional approval process, paying the application fee does not guarantee the permit is granted.

Occupancy is also capped by ordinance, not left to the host's judgment: daytime occupancy of a licensed vacation/short-term rental is limited to one and a half times its overnight sleeping capacity, or a parking-based cap of three occupants per allowed vehicle, whichever is more restrictive. Buying a cabin with an existing, currently-licensed STR does not automatically transfer that status to a new owner in every case -- confirm with Land Use & Development Services whether the specific license and permit carry forward with a sale or need to be reapplied for.

Township moratoriums: the part a listing won't tell you

On top of the county-level licensing and permitting process, individual townships within Stearns County have the separate authority to pause new short-term rental approvals outright, and several have used it. As of this writing, Eden Lake, Maine Prairie, Munson, and Wakefield Townships have barred new short-term rental lodging licenses while their moratoriums remain in effect, and Sauk Centre Township restricts short-term rentals in certain zoning districts. Two more lake townships have moratoriums running specifically into mid-2026: Laketown Township voted on November 12, 2025 to extend its moratorium on new free-standing short-term rental applications through June 30, 2026, and Ganges Township's moratorium runs until June 30, 2026 or until it adopts its own short-term rental ordinance, whichever comes first.

This list is a moving target -- moratoriums get extended, lifted, or replaced by permanent township ordinances, and new townships can adopt their own restrictions. A property's current zoning classification and its lake frontage tell you nothing about whether that specific township currently allows new STR applications. Before assuming a cabin purchase can be turned into a short-term rental, check both the county's current STR page and directly with the township where the parcel sits -- township government offices, not the county, are where an active moratorium would be confirmed.

What this means if short-term rental income is part of your plan

If a Stearns County cabin's rental potential is part of your purchase decision, verify three things before you're under contract: whether the property already holds a current Lodging License and Provisional Use Registration or Interim Use Permit (and whether that status transfers to a new owner), whether the specific township has an active moratorium or its own separate STR ordinance that could block a new application, and what your realistic total cost and timeline look like if you'd need to go through the full Interim Use Permit hearing process from scratch. Land Use & Development Services can confirm the first and third; the township itself is the only reliable source for the second.