Olmsted County, MN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered vehicles
- unlicensed, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative
- Storage allowed only
- inside a completely enclosed building
- Applies in
- Agricultural, Residential districts
- Responsible parties
- vehicle owner and property owner/occupant
- Required remedy
- remove to licensed junk yard
Summary
In Olmsted County's Agricultural and Residential districts, an unlicensed, wrecked, dismantled or otherwise inoperative vehicle cannot sit anywhere on a property unless it is inside a completely enclosed building. Owners of the vehicle and the property must remove it to a licensed junk yard or other authorized storage.
B. Automobiles: 1. In Agricultural or Residential Districts, no person shall place, park, permit to remain, store or leave upon any premises, except in a completely enclosed building, any motor vehicle which does not have affixed thereto a valid current motor vehicle license, or any portions thereof or parts therefrom, when such motor vehicle, portions thereof or parts therefrom are in a rusted, wrecked, partially dismantled or junked condition or in an unoperative or abandoned condition; and the owner of such motor vehicle, portions thereof, or parts therefrom, and the owner and occupant of the premises upon which located shall be obligated to remove same to a duly licensed junk yard or other authorized place of deposit or storage.
Full Breakdown
1 bars anyone in an Agricultural or Residential district from placing, parking, storing or leaving a motor vehicle, or portions or parts of one, on a premises unless it is inside a completely enclosed building, if that vehicle lacks a valid current motor vehicle license or is rusted, wrecked, partially dismantled, unoperative or abandoned. The obligation to fix the problem falls on both the vehicle's owner and the owner or occupant of the property where it sits: both must remove the vehicle or its parts to a duly licensed junk yard or other authorized place of deposit or storage.
A's broader exterior-storage standard for residential districts, which requires all lots to be kept in a reasonably clean and neat condition and specifically calls out inoperable vehicles, machinery, appliances and similar debris for removal alongside dead trees, discarded lumber and mixed municipal solid waste. C. None of these provisions require a hearing before a citation issues; they set a strict standing prohibition tied to the vehicle's condition and licensing status rather than a discretionary nuisance determination.
Violations & Fines
Storing an unlicensed, wrecked, partially dismantled, inoperative or abandoned vehicle outside a completely enclosed building on Agricultural or Residential district property violates Section 10.10.B.1; both the vehicle owner and the property owner or occupant are obligated to remove it and can be cited by the Zoning Administrator under Chapter 1400's enforcement provisions until it is relocated to a licensed junk yard or other authorized storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep an unlicensed car on my property in unincorporated Olmsted County?
Who is responsible for removing a junked vehicle?
Does this rule apply to commercial properties too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Olmsted County
Compare Olmsted County to another location·View the Minnesota parking rules overview
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