Discriminatory covenants were created in the early 1900’s to prevent property from being sold, leased or occupied based on race, religion or ethnicity. 

The popularity of these covenants is a function of the government's historical role. The federal government required them to secure FHA mortgage financing. In 1948, the US Supreme Court ruled that courts were prohibited from enforcing them. Minnesota prohibited new covenants in 1953, but existing ones were still legal until 1962.

Though unenforceable, they remain listed on thousands of Minnesota property titles. Their continued existence creates harm and pain for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Their use has also created long-lasting inequities between White persons and Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

Learn more about discriminatory covenants.

Mapping Prejudice was created in 2016 to identify and map these covenants. Their Hennepin County map was the first-ever visualization of discriminatory covenants. In 2020, they started working on Ramsey County and released the first round of results earlier this year. The city has at least 91 properties with discriminatory covenants. The majority of these covenants are around lakes.

See if your property has a covenant. Locate the search icon (magnifying glass) and type in your full address. It will tell you if your property has a covenant or not. Please note that Mapping Prejudice is continuously searching deeds.

If your property does have a covenant or you want to find out if it does:

• Complete the Just Deeds application.

After you’ve submitted the application, Ramsey County will contact you to begin the process of discharging the covenant.