Parking Rules in Saint Paul, MN

If you live in Saint Paul or are thinking about moving there, parking rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Saint Paul has 11 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of parking rules, and some of them might surprise you.

EV Charging

Ordinance 24-5 requires new surface parking lots with 15+ spaces to be EV-ready. At least 80% of spaces must have conduit to electrical service, with 1 in 30 fully wired.

Key details: Ordinance: Ordinance 24-5 (April 2024). Applies To: New lots with 15+ spaces. Conduit Requirement: 80% of spaces. Full Wiring: 1 in every 30 spaces. EV Space Violation Fine: $75-$150.

New parking lots that fail to include required EV-ready infrastructure may not receive final site plan approval. Non-electric vehicles occupying designated EV charging spaces are subject to fines ranging from $75 to $150. Residential charger installations without an electrical permit may result in a stop-work order and requirement to obtain the permit retroactively.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Saint Paul bans heavy commercial and overweight vehicles from parking overnight in residential areas and restricts them on nearby streets entirely. Under Legislative Code Section 157.11(d), any vehicle over 10,000 pounds or registered above 12,000 pounds cannot stop, stand or park on a street bordering a residential or traditional neighborhood zoning district, and anything over 26,000 pounds is barred citywide outside active loading.

Key details: Residential-zone threshold: Over 10,000 lbs or 12,000 lbs registered. Citywide threshold: Over 26,000 lbs, any street. Fine: $250 per violation (was $150 through 6/30/24). School bus exception: Up to 4 hours at driver's home. Storage rule: No overnight parking on residential-zoned property.

A vehicle over the weight thresholds parked in violation of 157.11(d)(3)(a) or (3)(b) is 'illegally parked and unauthorized' and can be towed and impounded immediately on an officer's written report. The ordinance sets the fine at $250 per violation (was $150 through June 30, 2024), on top of any towing and storage costs the owner must pay to reclaim the vehicle.

Compared to other cities, Saint Paul takes a harder line on commercial & oversized vehicles. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

When Saint Paul's public works director declares a snow emergency, parking bans kick in on designated plow routes for up to 96 hours. Chapter 161 splits every city street into 'night plow routes,' posted with signs and banned to parking for the full emergency, and 'day plow routes,' banned starting 8 a.m. the following day until each street is plowed to the curb.

Key details: Snow emergency duration: Up to 96 hours. Night plow routes: Banned for full declared emergency. Day plow routes: Banned from 8 a.m. next day. Winter parking restriction season: Oct. 1 - May 1. Violation: Petty misdemeanor plus towing/storage costs.

Any vehicle stopped, parked, abandoned or left unattended in violation of Chapter 161 is declared an obstruction to the public streets and is a petty misdemeanor under Section 161.04. The city may also move or impound the vehicle under Section 161.05, and the owner is responsible for all towing and storage costs, in addition to any court fine.

Abandoned Vehicles

Saint Paul makes it illegal to abandon a motor vehicle on public or private property, or to let one sit abandoned on property you control. Chapter 163 defines 'abandoned' broadly -- more than 48 hours disabled, unsecured, unplated, or with plates over 90 days expired -- and both abandoning and allowing an abandoned vehicle to remain are petty misdemeanors.

Key details: Abandoned threshold: 48+ hours disabled, unsecured, or unplated. Penalty for owners/occupants: Petty misdemeanor (Sec. 163.11). Reclaim window: 15 days after notice (Sec. 163.07). Immediate auction trigger: 7+ model years, no vital parts, unplated. Cost recovery: Unpaid costs become a special property assessment.

Both abandoning a vehicle (Section 163.02) and allowing an abandoned vehicle to remain on property you control (Section 163.03) are petty misdemeanors under Section 163.11. The city can additionally impound and sell the vehicle at public auction, charging unreimbursed towing, storage and notice costs back to the property as a special assessment under Section 163.10.

Preferential Parking Districts

Saint Paul residents facing overflow parking from nearby businesses or institutions can petition for a residential permit parking district under Chapter 164. A qualifying area needs at least eight contiguous block faces, or 4,000 lineal feet of frontage, and 75 percent of property owners or occupants must sign the petition before the traffic engineer and city council will consider it.

Key details: Minimum new district: 8 block faces or 4,000 lineal feet. Petition threshold: 75% of owners/occupants must sign. Public hearing notice: 30 days to nearby owners. False application: Petty misdemeanor (Sec. 164.10(b)). Permit fee: Non-refundable, set by council resolution.

Furnishing false information on a residential parking permit application is grounds for denial or revocation and is itself a petty misdemeanor under Section 164.10(b). Parking without a valid, properly displayed permit in a restricted area is enforced under the district's posted restrictions, and the traffic engineer can revoke any permit found to be misused under Section 164.11(e).

Towing & Impound Rights

Saint Paul impounds vehicles into a public pound that the police department runs itself: Sec. 162.04 makes the department the poundkeeper and puts the pound under the full and complete control of the chief of police. Chapter 162 of the Legislative Code sets the notice deadlines, the release conditions and the sale clock, but it deliberately does not print a tow or storage rate. Sec. 162.05 delegates those charges to resolutions of the city council, and defines them as three parts added together: the amount agreed in the current contract between the city and its contract tower, the clerical and administrative expenses the city incurs, and a reasonable daily storage expense. Any fixed Saint Paul tow price attributed to the ordinance is not in the ordinance.

Key details: Who runs the pound: The police department is the poundkeeper and the public pound is under the full and complete control of the chief of police (Sec. 162.04). Tow and storage rates: Not printed in the code. Set by city council resolution as the contract tower amount plus city clerical and administrative expenses plus a reasonable daily storage expense (Sec. 162.05). Drop fee: No fee at all if you reach the vehicle before the wheels leave the ground; once hoisted, a service fee capped at the city contract amount, with a receipt required (Sec. 162.06). Notice deadline: 7 calendar days by mail or newspaper publication, cut to 2 business days for a tow made under the three citation rule (Sec. 162.03). Warrant tow trigger: Three or more parking or traffic citations in warrant or more than 60 days old (Sec. 162.01(c)).

It is unlawful under Sec. 162.07(a) to reclaim an impounded vehicle without first paying all of the towing and storage fees. An unredeemed vehicle is not held indefinitely: Sec. 162.10 lets the chief of police, acting through the contract and analysis services division, sell it by sealed bid or public auction once fifteen days have passed since the notice was mailed or published, with the sale itself advertised in a legal newspaper at least ten days beforehand and identifying records available for public inspection at the place of sale. After thirty days the chief may instead put the vehicle to special police purposes until it is of no further use, then sell it the same way. While a vehicle sits in the pound, Sec. 162.09 forbids both the impound lot and the owner from removing any part or repairing anything, and Sec. 162.12 requires the impounding officer to file a written report covering the make, license number, vehicle identification number, number of tires, tools and other separate articles of personal property, which the poundkeeper signs as a receipt for the vehicle and property. The one relief valve is Sec. 162.11, which gives the chief of police power to abate towing and storage charges and administrative fees. Vehicles seized under Chapter 279 for a designated offense follow a stricter path: notice within seven calendar days, a civil in rem complaint filed against the vehicle itself within twenty days, forfeiture only upon conviction, and dismissal of the complaint with return of the vehicle if the driver is acquitted.

This is one of the stricter rules in Saint Paul's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Overnight Parking

Saint Paul has no year-round nightly parking ban, but Sec. 161.02(b) lets the public works director impose a continuous winter parking restriction on any or all city streets between October 1 and May 1, and Sec. 161.03 separately bans overnight parking on designated 'night plow routes' for the length of a declared snow emergency.

Key details: Winter season defined: Oct. 1-May 1, Sec. 161.01. Snow emergency max length: 96 hours, Sec. 161.02(a). Night plow routes: No parking for full emergency, Sec. 161.03(a). Day plow routes: Banned starting 8 a.m. next day, Sec. 161.03(a). Violation penalty: Petty misdemeanor, Sec. 161.04.

Sec. 161.04 makes any vehicle stopped, parked, abandoned or left unattended in violation of Chapter 161 a public street obstruction punishable as a petty misdemeanor. Sec. 161.05 allows the vehicle to be moved or impounded under Chapter 162, with the owner responsible for all removal and storage costs, and Sec. 161.06 requires written notice to the registered owner within five business days of the tow.

Compared to other cities, Saint Paul takes a harder line on overnight parking. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

RV & Boat Parking

Saint Paul limits how long recreational vehicles, campers and boat trailers can sit on public streets. Any vehicle or combination 22 feet or longer, or 7 feet or wider, cannot park on a street or alley for more than 30 minutes, and any unattached trailer -- including boat trailers and campers -- cannot stay on a block more than 48 consecutive hours unless hitched to a vehicle that can tow it.

Key details: Oversized threshold: 22 ft long or 7 ft wide. Street/alley limit for oversized RVs: 30 minutes (Sec. 157.11(a)). Unattached trailer/boat limit: 48 consecutive hours (Sec. 157.11(e)). Enforcement: Police & parking enforcement officers, immediate tow. Exceptions: Mobile food vehicles, MN-registered RVs.

Violating either provision makes the vehicle or trailer illegally parked and subject to citation. Under Section 157.11(e), an unattached trailer left past 48 hours 'may be cited and immediately towed and impounded pursuant to the written report of a peace officer or parking enforcement officer.' Oversized vehicles left past the 30-minute limit under 157.11(a) are likewise subject to ticketing and towing under Chapter 157's general parking-enforcement authority.

Loading Zones

Saint Paul's traffic engineer marks loading zones on public streets for freight and passenger loading under Sec. 152.12 of the Legislative Code. Commercial vehicles using a marked zone may stop only to load or unload and must clear the space within thirty minutes, while bus stops and taxi stands take precedence over conflicting parking designations.

Key details: Commercial loading limit: 30 minutes, Sec. 152.12(a). Bus stops override other parking rules: Sec. 152.12(b). Taxi stands override meters: Sec. 152.12(c). School pick-up zones authorized: Sec. 152.12(d). Citations issued by PEOs: Sec. 160.16.

Parking in a posted loading zone beyond the permitted use is a citable parking violation. A commercial vehicle that overstays the thirty-minute window in Sec. 152.12(a), or that occupies a loading zone for a purpose other than active loading or unloading, is subject to citation by a parking enforcement officer or police officer under Sec. 160.16, with citations carrying the same force as though issued by a peace officer and processed through Ramsey County District Court.

Street Parking Limits

Saint Paul's general parking rules in Sec. 157.01 and 157.03 bar stopping or standing so as to interfere with traffic, blocking a driveway or alley, and leaving a vehicle in the same spot on a street or alley for more than forty-eight straight hours, among two dozen specific no-stop locations.

Key details: Baseline rule: No blocking traffic passage, Sec. 157.01. Driveway buffer: 5 feet from driveway/alley throat, Sec. 157.03(a)(2). Fire hydrant buffer: 10 feet, Sec. 157.03(a)(5). Same-spot time limit: 48 consecutive hours, Sec. 157.03(a)(20). Business curb-parking cap: 90 minutes, Sec. 157.03(b).

A vehicle stopped, standing or parked in violation of Sec. 157.01 or 157.03 is subject to citation, and an unattended vehicle obstructing traffic may be moved or towed by police under Sec. 157.02. Parking enforcement officers, empowered under Sec. 160.16, issue citations carrying the same force as those from a sworn officer, processed through Ramsey County District Court.

Driveway Rules

Saint Paul limits front-yard driveways on lots with up to four dwelling units to 12 feet wide, with a 4-foot allowance near the garage door, a 20-foot exception for long setbacks, and an 8-foot citywide minimum.

Key details: Max front-yard driveway width: 12 feet (≤4 units). Near-garage allowance: +4 ft within 30 ft of garage door. Long-setback exception: Up to 20 ft if building >150 ft from street. Minimum driveway width: 8 feet (or 2-ft wheel tracks). Governing section: Sec. 63.308(b).

Building or paving a front-yard driveway wider than the Sec. 63.308(b) limit, or narrower than its 8-foot minimum, without qualifying for one of the listed exceptions is a zoning code violation under Sec. 61.901, a misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation a separate offense under Sec. 61.904. The zoning administrator can require narrowing or removal of noncompliant paving as a condition of permit compliance.

The Bottom Line

Saint Paul is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 11 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Saint Paul, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Saint Paul can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.