August 1, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

The State Legislature in St. Paul was busily enacting a bunch of new laws in the last session, so much so that they didn’t get to pass their much-beloved HOA Reform Bill when the session finally ran out of gas. But never fear, it’ll be back for debate again in January.

Until then there are host of new laws that affect HOAs, not the least of which being the new HOA Ombudsperson Complaint Department that is currently being filled. We blogged on it HERE.

And of course, what’s a legislative session without some protection for our furry friends? Effective today:

A new law effective Aug. 1, 2025, will ensure people who have a service dog in training are entitled to “full and equal access to all housing accommodations,” that apply to people who have a service dog with them permanently.

The state reports that approximately 1,000 volunteers help train and socialize assistance dogs, who are typically ready to go to permanent homes at age 3. The state indicates that “Some who want to train dogs have been unable to because of homeowner association restrictions on any pets or those of a certain breed or weight.”

So the new law prohibits any extra fees or charges on trainers to have the dog, but they can be held liable for any damage it might cause.

The dogs must be actively trained under the guidance of an accredited organization. Landlords or homeowners may require written notice of that fact, ensuring pets aren’t kept under the guise of being a service dog-in-training. Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope) and Sen. Bonnie Westlin (DFL-Plymouth) sponsor the law.

For your reference, this law is HF688*/SF1317/CH16

Read about all the law changes on this first day of August HERE.