Minneapolis, Minnesota building permits available for historical research, too

On January 14, 2025, I posted about the new online availability of Saint Paul, Minnesota building permits via the Ramsey County Historical Society. Apparently it was a popular subject to blog about. On social media and through this blog, I’ve been asked about those for Minneapolis. Yes, they are available and at NO COST! No, I don’t know about online availability for other cities and haven’t researched for more.

The downtown Minneapolis Center Library is part of the Hennepin County Library system. The Special Collections section has many fabulous research collections, indexes, and other material. The Minneapolis Building Permit Index Cards are just one part of what you’ll find there. They are digitized online and are part of a website area related to “researching the history of homes, buildings and neighborhoods.” The cards cover 1884-1974. Access this collection via https://www.hclib.org/en/programs/genealogy-local-history/researching-homes.

The card below is one example of a home built in 1933 and faced the wrecking ball in January 9f 1973. The address was 6008 45th Ave. So. Based on its location, I probably drove by it many times as I lived not that far away on the Saint Paul side of the Mississippi River. and often visited the nearby popular Minnehaha Park as a child and then with my own children and grandchildren. The grouping of cards that includes the card below covers a section of 45th Ave. South with house numbers beginning with 6000. This card is from https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/PermitCards/id/99833/rec/8