Just Deeds

You can remove racial covenants from your property's legal title. The City offers free services to help property owners.

I want to

What to know

Minneapolis Just Deeds helps homeowners discharge racial covenants from their properties.

Racial covenants banned property owners from selling, renting or allowing their homes to be used by people of certain races.

We process applications in the order we receive them.  We are now processing applications received in September 2024.

In this section

 

Minneapolis house at 34th and York

 

Eligibility

Requirements

To qualify, you must meet both requirements:

  • Your property must be marked in red on the Just Deeds map.
    See the Just Deeds map
  • All owners of the property must participate.

We process applications in the order received, depending on staff availability.

If approved, you'll receive resources to understand racial covenants, their impact, and the City's efforts to address them.

How the City helps

The City will help you:

  • Get your covenant
  • Create a discharge form
  • File for form on your property's title 

Participation is free for eligible property owners in Minneapolis. 

Background

Covenants began in the 1910s

In the 1910s, racial covenants banned property owners from dealing with people of certain races. Property owners could not:

  • Sell to,
  • Rent to, or
  • Allow their homes to be used by people of certain races

Most covenants targeted Black people:

  • They forced Black community members to live in racially segregated areas of the City.
  • They prevented them from getting mortgages, buying property or building wealth.

Outlawed in 1968, but the effects are lasting

Racial covenants were outlawed by 1968 but still have lasting effects. For example, our neighborhoods are still racially segregated as they were when racial covenants were in effect.

Racially segregated neighborhoods have:

  • Fewer parks and trees
  • More environmental hazards
  • Poor access to supermarkets and medical care
  • Underfunded schools

In 2019, only 25% of Black residents owned homes.

  • This was the lowest black homeownership rate of any metro area in the nation at the time.
  • White homeownership stood at 77%.

Response to racial covenants

2016 to 2020

  • The Mapping Prejudice team at the University of Minnesota reviewed thousands of documents.
  • The team found more than 8,000 racial covenants in Minneapolis.

2019

  • Minnesota legislators passed a law to help homeowners remove racially restrictive covenants on their homes.

2020

  • The City of Golden Valley organized the Just Deeds Project and Coalition.
  • As part of the coalition, community stakeholders address systemic racism in housing.

Related resources

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Contact us

Just Deeds

Minneapolis City Attorney's Office

Email Just Deeds

Address

City Hall, Room 210
350 S. 5th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415