You can convert a multi-family dwelling to a single-family dwelling in Minneapolis.
Property owners who want to convert their dwelling must:
- Create a floor plan
- Complete a building permit application
- Get zoning and plan review approval
Step 1: Create a floor plan
Required information
Create a floor plan for your project drawn to scale. (You will submit the floor plan in digital (PDF) format shortly after you apply for the permit.)
Your floor plan must:
- Show the layout of the dwelling along with any proposed changes
- Include each level of the home, such as the:
- Basement
- Main floor
- Second floor
- Attic
- Show all the following:
- An outline of the foundation walls
- An outline of the interior and exterior walls
- The location of windows, doors and stairways
- Identify the rooms by name, such as:
- Living room
- Dining room
- Kitchen (include arrangement of cabinets, stoves, sink, refrigerator)
- Bedroom
- Laundry
- Mechanical
- Storage
- List room dimensions (you can use a simple description, such as 12 X 10 feet)
Your floor plans must also show any planned construction work, such as the location where:
- New walls will be built
- Old walls will be removed
- You will make changes to doors, windows or floor openings
- Extra kitchens will be removed
In general, the floor plans for a single-family dwelling will:
- Have one kitchen
- Allow access throughout the dwelling without leaving the building and re-entering through another exterior door
If the home was converted to a single-family dwelling before you bought it, the floor plans can show the current layout.
Suggested information
We recommend but do not require you to:
- Use a scale of 1/4” per foot
- Draw a before and after set of floor plans
We don’t require that you use an architect to draw floor plans. If you have trouble creating accurate plans, however, you may want to get help from one of the following:
- An architect
- A contractor
- A drafting service
Step 2: Complete a building permit application
After you have finished your floor plan, the next step is to complete a building permit application. The person doing the work is the permit applicant:
- If you, as the owner-occupant, will be doing the work, you would be the permit applicant.
- If you hire a contractor, the licensed contractor would be the permit applicant.
Download and complete a building permit application
Submit your completed building permit application by email
A licensed contractor must apply for permits for any plumbing, electrical or mechanical work that will be done as part of the conversion process.
After you or the contractor submit the building permit:
- You will receive an email from a City development coordinator.
- The development coordinator will explain the process to submit your floor plans using the City’s ProjectDox electronic plan system. (Note: Due to COVID-19, you must submit plans online. We may accept paper plans in the future.)
- After you submit the floor plans, City staff will do a zoning and plan review.
See the City’s ProjectDox electronic plan system
Step 3: Get zoning and plan review approval
When a property owner wants to change the use of a building, the City must do a zoning and plan review to approve the floor plan.
Staff people from two divisions in the City’s Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) department will review your plan:
- CPED Zoning will verify that converting from a duplex to a single-family dwelling complies with the City Zoning Ordinance.
- CPED Construction Code Services will review for state building code requirements.
During the review, CPED might send you comments for correction. If this happens, you will need to correct the floor plan and resubmit it.
Once CPED approves your plans
- We will issue a building permit to officially convert the building to a single-family dwelling.
- You will be notified by our electronic system to pay for the permit.
After you finish the building project
After you finish the project, the City will inspect the new dwelling. Once CPED approves your work, we will:
- Update the certificate of occupancy to a single-family dwelling.
- Change the unit count record to 1 in department permit records.
- Notify the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling and Utility Billing (water department) that the conversion is complete. City services will then be billed for a single-family dwelling.