Crosslake, MN short-term rental license
Complaints about a Crosslake rental go to a 24/7 hotline, and the online form accepts photo evidence of a violation. No listing may go live until the license is in hand.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Crosslake?
Get a license first
What you apply for: Short-term rental (STR) license
- Seasonal homes
- 1,789
- Housing units
- 3,125
- Residents
- 2,521
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City ruleLicense required
- City fee$750
- Tax on each stay8.375%
- Seasonal homes573 per 1,000
Crosslake short-term rental license
A home, cabin or condo rented in Crosslake for stays under 30 days needs an approved short-term rental license under Ordinance 410. Approval must come before you advertise or operate. The online application asks for parcel, bedroom and guest details, as well as parking. Site and floor plans are part of the file. A notarized compliance affidavit and proof of septic compliance complete it. Your local representative must show a driver's license with an address within 30 miles. The license costs $750, and the property must pass a fire inspection. The city then orders and installs the license signs.[4]
What Crosslake asks of you
Ordinance 410 covers a home, cabin, condominium, townhome or similar building. It applies when the property is offered nightly, weekly or for under 30 days. Hotels, motels and resorts fall outside it. Bed and breakfasts do too.[4]
The license must be approved before you advertise the property, not only before the first guest arrives.[4]
The annual license fee is $750, with no prorating.[5]
Operating without a license costs a $3,000 penalty, for the first, second and third offense alike.[5]
Other ordinance violations cost $1,000, then $3,000. A third violation brings $3,000 and revocation of the license.[5]
Unpaid fines are certified to property taxes each November.[5]
The application comes with a notarized self compliance affidavit and proof of septic compliance. The health and life safety guidance goes with it too.[4]
Once the file is complete, the host schedules the fire and life safety inspection with the fire chief.[4]
A staff decision on an application or a violation can be appealed within 10 days of the notice.[4]
Each short-term rental needs its own license and pays its own annual fee. Licenses renew every January.[6]
The city page adds that a vacation rental may also need a state lodging license from the Department of Health.[4]
What Minnesota asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
On top of whatever the city requires, the Minnesota Department of Health files a vacation home rental under the hotel or motel license. The address decides whether MDH or a local health agency issues it.[1]
Rent for a residential short-term rental is taxable lodging in Minnesota. Whoever facilitates the booking collects the tax: the owner, the platform, or each on its own share.[2]
Section 297A.66 makes an accommodations intermediary collect the sales tax on lodging located in Minnesota and remit it to the Department of Revenue.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Crosslake
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota state sales tax[7] | 6.875% | The state revenue department |
| Crow Wing County sales tax[7] | 0.5% | The state revenue department |
| Whitefish Area lodging tax[4] | 1% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 8.375% |
The 1% lodging tax applies in the City of Crosslake and in Ideal Township, which administers it for both. Airbnb and Vrbo do not remit it. You pay Ideal Township each quarter, on the 25th of the month after the quarter closes.[6]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Crosslake is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 1,789 of Crosslake's 3,125 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 573 out of every 1,000. It ranks Crosslake 2nd of the 5 Minnesota cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 2nd of 5
- Share of housing
- 573 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $473,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Crosslake sits among its neighbors
Emily, MN
License required
667 seasonal homes, 658 per 1,000 housing units.
Emily short-term rental rulesBreezy Point, MN
Capped
716 seasonal homes, 391 per 1,000 housing units.
Breezy Point short-term rental rulesMinneapolis, MN
License required
1,502 seasonal homes, 7 per 1,000 housing units.
Minneapolis short-term rental rulesFAQ
Crosslake short-term rental questions
What does a Crosslake short-term rental license cost?
Who collects the lodging tax on a Crosslake short-term rental?
Does one Crosslake license cover several rentals?
Sources
- Lodging in Minnesota, definitions and licenses required per type of lodging, Minnesota Department of Health, read on October 1, 2026
- Sales, residential short-term rentals, Minnesota Department of Revenue, read on October 1, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes section 297A.66, subdivision 6, lodging services, Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-term rentals, City of Crosslake, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-term rental fees and penalties, effective January 1, 2025, City of Crosslake, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-term rental FAQ, City of Crosslake, read on October 2, 2026
- Local Sales and Use Tax Rate Guide, effective October 1, 2026, Minnesota Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.