Loan Limits / Minnesota / Dakota County
2026 Loan Limits · Minnesota · MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL-BLOOMINGTON, MN-WI
Dakota County, MN.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $480,000.
Median Sales Price
$480,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$832,750
Standard conforming
FHA 1u Limit
$552,000
Mid-tier
Jumbo Threshold
> $832,750
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
Standard conforming| 1-unit (single-family) | $832,750 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,066,250 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,288,800 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,601,750 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Mid-tier| 1-unit (single-family) | $552,000 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $706,650 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $854,200 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,061,550 |
About this county
About Dakota County
Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 455,710 in 2025. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.71 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the ninth-largest city in Minnesota and fifth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
442,204
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$105,212
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$362,100
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
75%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in Dakota County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for Dakota County is $832,750. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. Dakota County uses the standard national conforming baseline.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $552,000. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for Dakota County at $480,000. Dakota County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in Dakota County ($480,000) is below both limits — FHA, conventional, and VA financing all cover median-priced purchases here. Choice between programs comes down to credit, down payment, and overlay differences.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
Dakota County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, and $1,601,750 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in Dakota County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.