Title Minnesota Statutes, Minnesota Statutes

645.023 SPECIAL LAWS; ENACTMENT WITHOUT LOCAL APPROVAL. § Subdivision 1.Classes of law covered. A special law enacted pursuant to the provisions of the constitution, article XII, section 2, shall become effective without the approval of any affected local government unit or group…

645.024 SPECIAL LAWS; LOCAL APPROVAL AS REQUIREMENT OF ACT. Section 645.023 does not apply to a special law which by its own terms becomes effective upon the approval of one or more affected local government units, expressed through the voters or the governing body and by such ma…

645.071 STANDARD OF TIME. Every mention of, or reference to, any hour or time in any law is to be construed with reference to and in accordance with the standard time or advanced standard time provided by federal law. No department of the state government and no county, city or t…

645.08 CANONS OF CONSTRUCTION. In construing the statutes of this state, the following canons of interpretation are to govern, unless their observance would involve a construction inconsistent with the manifest intent of the legislature, or repugnant to the context of the statute…

645.09 NUMERALS. Roman and Arabic numerals are parts of the English language. History: 1941 c 492 s 9

645.10 BONDS. A law requiring a bond or undertaking with sureties to be given by any person is construed to permit in lieu thereof a bond of indemnity or surety bond for the amount of such bond or undertaking, given by an indemnity or surety company authorized to do business in t…

645.11 PUBLISHED NOTICE. Unless otherwise specifically provided, the words "published notice," when used in reference to the giving of notice in any proceeding or the service of any summons, order, or process in judicial proceedings, mean the publication in full of the notice, or…

645.12 POSTED NOTICE. § Subdivision 1.Definition. The term "posted notice," when used in reference to the giving of notice in any proceeding or the service of any summons, order, or process in judicial proceedings, means the posting, at the beginning of the prescribed period of n…

645.13 TIME; PUBLICATION FOR SUCCESSIVE WEEKS. When the term "successive weeks" is used in any law providing for the publishing of notices, the word "weeks" shall be construed as calendar weeks. The publication upon any day of such weeks shall be sufficient publication for that w…

645.14 TIME; COMPUTATION OF MONTHS. When, in any law, the lapse of a number of months before or after a certain day is required, such number of months shall be computed by counting the months from such day, excluding the calendar month in which such day occurs, and including the …

645.15 COMPUTATION OF TIME. Where the performance or doing of any act, duty, matter, payment, or thing is ordered or directed, and the period of time or duration for the performance or doing thereof is prescribed and fixed by law, the time, except as otherwise provided in section…

645.151 TIMELY DELIVERY OR FILING. When an application, payment, return, claim, statement, or other document is to be delivered to or filed with a department, agency, or instrumentality of this state or of a political subdivision on or before a prescribed date and the prescribed …

645.16 LEGISLATIVE INTENT CONTROLS. The object of all interpretation and construction of laws is to ascertain and effectuate the intention of the legislature. Every law shall be construed, if possible, to give effect to all its provisions. When the words of a law in their applica…

645.17 PRESUMPTIONS IN ASCERTAINING LEGISLATIVE INTENT. In ascertaining the intention of the legislature the courts may be guided by the following presumptions: (1) the legislature does not intend a result that is absurd, impossible of execution, or unreasonable; (2) the legislat…

645.18 GRAMMAR; SYNTAX; ELLIPSIS. Grammatical errors shall not vitiate a law. A transposition of words and clauses may be resorted to when a sentence is without meaning as it stands. Words and phrases which may be necessary to the proper interpretation of a law and which do not c…

645.19 CONSTRUCTION OF PROVISOS AND EXCEPTIONS. Provisos shall be construed to limit rather than to extend the operation of the clauses to which they refer. Exceptions expressed in a law shall be construed to exclude all others. History: 1941 c 492 s 19

645.20 CONSTRUCTION OF SEVERABLE PROVISIONS. Unless there is a provision in the law that the provisions shall not be severable, the provisions of all laws shall be severable. If any provision of a law is found to be unconstitutional and void, the remaining provisions of the law s…

645.21 PRESUMPTION AGAINST RETROACTIVE EFFECT. No law shall be construed to be retroactive unless clearly and manifestly so intended by the legislature. History: 1941 c 492 s 21

645.22 UNIFORM LAWS. Laws uniform with those of other states shall be interpreted and construed to effect their general purpose to make uniform the laws of those states which enact them. History: 1941 c 492 s 22

645.24 PENALTIES FOR EACH OFFENSE. When a penalty or forfeiture is provided for the violation of a law, such penalty or forfeiture shall be construed to be for each such violation. History: 1941 c 492 s 24

645.241 PUNISHMENT FOR PROHIBITED ACTS. When the performance of any act is prohibited by a statute, and no penalty for the violation of the same shall be imposed in any statute, the doing of such act shall be a petty misdemeanor. History: (10047) RL s 4859; 2014 c 312 art 6 s 6; …

645.25 INTENT TO DEFRAUD. When an intent to defraud is required in any law in order to constitute an offense, the law shall be construed to require only an intent to defraud any person or body politic. History: 1941 c 492 s 25

645.26 IRRECONCILABLE PROVISIONS. § Subdivision 1.Particular controls general. When a general provision in a law is in conflict with a special provision in the same or another law, the two shall be construed, if possible, so that effect may be given to both. If the conflict betwe…

645.27 STATE BOUND BY STATUTE; WHEN. The state is not bound by the passage of a law unless named therein, or unless the words of the act are so plain, clear, and unmistakable as to leave no doubt as to the intention of the legislature. History: 1941 c 492 s 27

645.28 EXISTING LAWS; EFFECT OF REVISION OR CODE. Except as provided in section 645.39, laws in force at the time of the adoption of any revision or code are not repealed by the revision or code unless expressly repealed therein. History: 1941 c 492 s 28

645.29 MANNER OF AMENDMENT. Bills introduced at any legislative session purporting to amend or repeal any part of the laws of this state by reference in the title and body of such bills to any of the recognized published statutes of Minnesota shall be taken and construed to mean …

645.30 EFFECT OF SEPARATE AMENDMENTS ON CODE PROVISIONS ENACTED AT SAME SESSION. When any existing law incorporated into and repealed by a code or revision is also amended by other legislation enacted at the same session of the legislature, such separate amendment shall be constr…

645.31 CONSTRUCTION OF AMENDATORY AND REFERENCE LAWS. § Subdivision 1.Amendatory laws. When a section or part of a law is amended, the amendment shall be construed as merging into the original law, becoming a part thereof, and replacing the part amended, and the remainder of the …

645.32 MERGER OF SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS. When a law has been more than once amended, the latest amendment shall be read into the original law as previously amended and not into such law as originally enacted. History: 1941 c 492 s 32

645.33 TWO OR MORE AMENDMENTS TO SAME SECTION; ONE OVERLOOKING THE OTHER. When two or more amendments to the same provision of law are enacted at the same or different sessions, one amendment overlooking and making no reference to the other or others, the amendments shall be cons…

645.34 REPEAL OF AMENDATORY AND ORIGINAL LAWS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED. The repeal of an amendatory law does not revive the corresponding provision or section of the original law or of any prior amendment. Except as otherwise provided in section 645.26, subdivision 3, the repeal of t…

645.35 EFFECT OF REPEAL. The repeal of any law shall not affect any right accrued, any duty imposed, any penalty incurred, or any proceeding commenced, under or by virtue of the law repealed. Any civil suit, action, or proceeding pending to enforce any right under the authority o…

645.36 EFFECT OF REPEAL OF REPEALER. When a law is repealed which repealed a former law, the former law shall not thereby be revived, unless it is so specifically provided. History: 1941 c 492 s 36

645.37 REPEAL AND REENACTMENT. When a law is repealed and its provisions are at the same time reenacted in the same or substantially the same terms by the repealing law, the earlier law shall be construed as continued in active operation. All rights and liabilities incurred under…

645.38 EFFECT OF REENACTMENT ON INTERVENING LAW. A law which reenacts the provisions of an earlier law shall not be construed to repeal an intermediate law which modified such earlier law. Such intermediate law shall be construed to remain in force and to modify the reenactment i…

645.39 IMPLIED REPEAL BY LATER LAW. When a law purports to be a revision of all laws upon a particular subject, or sets up a general or exclusive system covering the entire subject matter of a former law and is intended as a substitute for such former law, such law shall be const…

645.40 NONEXISTENCE OF REASON FOR LAW DOES NOT REPEAL IT. A law shall not be deemed repealed because the reason for its passage no longer exists. History: 1941 c 492 s 40

645.41 NO IMPLIED REPEAL BY NONUSER. A law shall not be deemed repealed by the failure to use such law. History: 1941 c 492 s 41

645.42 EFFECT OF SEPARATE REPEALS ON CODE PROVISIONS ENACTED AT SAME SESSION. When a law repeals any provision of a law incorporated into a code adopted at the same session of the legislature, the law repealing the provisions so incorporated into the code shall be construed to ef…

645.43 EFFECT OF REPEAL ON LIMITATIONS. When a limitation or period of time, prescribed in any law for acquiring a right or barring a remedy, or for any other purpose, has begun to run before a law repealing such law takes effect, and the same or any other limitation is prescribe…

645.435 APPROPRIATIONS GIVEN EFFECT ONCE. If the same appropriation or transfer is enacted more than once in a legislative session, the appropriation or transfer must be given effect only once. History: 2025 c 20 s 289

645.44 WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED. § Subdivision 1.Scope. The following words, terms, and phrases used in Minnesota Statutes or any legislative act shall have the meanings given them in this section, unless another intention clearly appears. § Subd. 1a.Appellate courts. "Appellate…

645.445 SMALL BUSINESS; DEFINITIONS. § Subdivision 1.Scope. Wherever the term "small business" is used in Minnesota Statutes or in any rule or program established thereunder, the definitions contained in this section shall apply unless the context clearly indicates that a differe…

645.446 HEALTH PLAN COMPANIES. The term "health plan company" or "health plan companies," when used in Minnesota Statutes or Minnesota Rules, does not apply to an entity that offers, sells, issues, or renews only products expressly excluded from the definition of a health plan un…

645.45 DEFINITIONS, CONTINUED. The following words and phrases, when used in any law enacted after the effective date of Laws 1941, chapter 492, section 45, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section: (1) "abode" means…

645.451 DEFINITIONS, CONTINUED. § Subdivision 1.Application and scope. The terms defined in the following subdivisions shall have the meanings given them for the purpose of any statute or law of this state now in force, for the purposes of any statute or law hereinafter enacted u…