Minneapolis, MN Parking Rules: Towing & Impound Rights (2026)
Key Facts
- Release before hookup
- No fee or towing charge
- Drop fee, Nov 15 to Apr 1
- Up to $15.00 with receipt
- Drop fee, rest of year
- Up to $5.00 with receipt
- Owner notice after impound
- Mailed within 72 hours, weekends and holidays excluded
- Unclaimed vehicle sale
- After notice and 15 days
- Tower bond
- $100,000 filed with the city finance officer
- Private lot tow sign
- At least 2 feet by 3 feet at each entrance
Summary
In Minneapolis, a driver who reaches a car on public property before the tow truck hooks it and lifts its wheels pays nothing. After that point the operator releases it only for a service fee capped at $15.00 from November 15 through April 1 and $5.00 the rest of the year, with a receipt. Private lots that tow must post a sign naming the Class A tower and the towing fee.
Where a police officer, traffic control agent or other agent authorized by the City of Minneapolis has ordered the impoundment of a vehicle from public property and the owner or operator thereof appears before the vehicle has been hooked to the tow truck and the wheels thereof hoisted from the ground, the tow truck operator shall release the said vehicle without payment of any fee or towing charge. ... the tow truck operator shall release the vehicle only upon the payment of a service fee not to exceed fifteen dollars ($15.00) from November 15th through April 1st, and not to exceed five dollars ($5.00) during other times of the year. The tow truck operator shall give a receipt for each service fee received. ... All parking lots that engage in towing of unauthorized vehicles shall post such practice on a sign at each lot entrance. The sign shall be a minimum of two (2) feet by three (3) feet. In addition, the sign shall include the license number, name and telephone number of Class A tower used, and the current fee charged for towing. No tower shall charge more than the amount indicated on the sign posted at the parking lot at the time of towing of the vehicle.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
Section 478.1080 covers every tow that a police officer, traffic control agent or other agent authorized by the City of Minneapolis orders from public property. The fee depends on how far the tow has progressed. If the owner or operator shows up before the truck has hooked the vehicle and hoisted its wheels, the operator must release it with no fee and no towing charge. If the owner arrives after the hookup and hoist, after a power winch has moved the vehicle, or after it has rolled forward but before it has left the block where it was parked, the operator releases it only on payment of a service fee. That fee cannot exceed $15.00 from November 15th through April 1st or $5.00 during the rest of the year, and the operator must hand over a receipt. Abandoned vehicles under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 168B and scofflaw vehicles under Section 169.041(5)(b)(13) are excluded from Section 478.1080 entirely. Section 349.185 backs it up by requiring every licensee who tows from public property to post the drop fee on each service vehicle in letters at least two inches high.
A vehicle that reaches the impound lot moves into a different track. Under Section 478.1044, the supervisor of impound and towing mails notice to the registered owner and any known lienholder within 72 hours, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and city holidays. Section 478.1046 limits redemption to the registered owner, a person the owner authorizes, a lienholder of record, or a buyer holding proof, and the lot must accept cash, major bank credit cards, certified bank drafts, money orders and personal checks, with two pieces of identification for a check. If the supervisor or a claims investigator finds no probable cause for the impound, the city pays the towing charge, but the redeemer owes storage accruing after the day of that finding. Towing charges are set by the city under Section 478.1070. A vehicle nobody claims is sold under Section 478.1150 after notice and a 15 day wait.
Private lots follow Chapter 319. Under Section 319.230(e), a lot that tows unauthorized vehicles must post a sign of at least two feet by three feet at each entrance naming the Class A tower and the current towing fee, and the tower cannot charge more than the posted amount. Section 319.240 bars any extra parking fee because a vehicle was booted or towed.
Violations & Fines
A tow operator who charges for a vehicle released before hookup, or charges above $15.00 in winter or $5.00 otherwise after hookup, or skips the receipt, breaches Section 478.1080 and the impound tower contract that incorporates Article X under Section 478.1190. A private lot that tows without the entrance sign, or whose tower bills more than the posted fee, violates Chapter 319, and the city council can revoke, suspend or refuse to renew the lot license for good cause under Section 319.100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay anything if I get to my car before the tow truck hauls it away?
How much is the Minneapolis drop fee, and does it change by season?
Who can pick up an impounded car and how can they pay?
What if the city had no probable cause to impound my vehicle?
What must a private parking lot post before it tows my car?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Minneapolis
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