Privacy Law Library

Minnesota Consumer Reports and Security Freeze Law

MN Consumer Reports and Security Freeze

Credit reporting · Financial · Employees · Children

Gives Minnesota consumers the right to freeze their credit reports for free, with agencies required to place, lift, and remove freezes within three business days, and lets parents or representatives freeze a record for children under 16. It also requires written disclosure before an employer obtains a consumer report for employment purposes, adverse-action notices, and bars selling 'trigger lead' information about mortgage credit inquiries to third parties without an existing mortgage relationship.

Where
Minnesota
Citation
Minn. Stat. ch. 13C (13C.001 to 13C.10)
Status
In force
Enforced by
Minnesota Attorney General or county attorney under 8.31 or 325F.70 (13C.04)
People can sue
Yes
Penalties
Public and private remedies under 8.31 and 325F.70 apply, including Attorney General civil penalties and private damages actions (13C.04).
Applies to
  • Consumer reporting agencies maintaining consumer reports on Minnesota consumers (13C.01, 13C.016, 13C.10)
  • Resellers and check-services or deposit-account information companies are exempt from placing freezes (13C.018, 13C.019)
  • Employers and others obtaining consumer reports for employment purposes (13C.02, 13C.03)
  • Any business entity selling mortgage-application credit-inquiry information (13C.01, subd. 3)

What a privacy notice must say

  • Before obtaining a consumer report for employment purposes, give a clear written disclosure (with a check-off box to receive a copy); the agency must send a requested copy within 24 hours of providing it to the requester.Minn. Stat. 13C.02
  • While a freeze is in place, send written confirmation within 30 days of any change to the consumer's name, date of birth, SSN, or address, to both old and new addresses for address changes.Minn. Stat. 13C.017
  • After adverse employment action based on a consumer report, notify the consumer, identify the reporting agency, and explain the right to a free copy and to dispute errors.Minn. Stat. 13C.03

Rights it gives people

  • Place a security freeze within three business days of a consumer's request, confirm it in writing with a PIN or password within ten business days, and temporarily lift or remove it within three business days of a proper request, at no charge (limited fees for lost PINs).Minn. Stat. 13C.016, subds. 2-4, 8
  • Place a security freeze on the record or report of a protected person under 16 at a representative's request with proof of authority and identification.Minn. Stat. 13C.10
  • Consumers may obtain a copy of their consumer report by mail for no more than $3 once every 12 months (free when federal law requires), with a response within 30 days.Minn. Stat. 13C.01, subd. 1

Practices it requires

  • Do not sell or exchange information about a mortgage-application credit inquiry with a third party unless it holds an existing mortgage loan on the property (with origination, servicing, and securitization exceptions).Minn. Stat. 13C.01, subd. 3

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.

Unverified: Effective dates of the underlying session laws (1992 c 569; 1993 c 292; 2006 c 233; 2007 c 105; 2018 c 158) were not verified, so effective_date and last_amended are null. | Several provisions (for example the $3 report fee and employment disclosure rules) may be partly preempted by the federal FCRA, 15 U.S.C. 1681t; not analyzed.

Research reference, not legal advice.