No more being towed in Minnesota for unpaid parking tickets
Statute still allows vehicles to be towed for violating snow emergency regulations, blocking driveways or fire hydrants and parking in otherwise restricted areas.
by Mohamed Ibrahim
05/21/2024
Minnesota lawmakers are hoping a provision signed into law last week that eliminates towing vehicles with several unpaid parking tickets as a means for debt-collection will help unburden lower-income vehicle owners across the state.
Under previous state law, towing authorities could only tow vehicles from expired parking meters if the vehicle had five or more unpaid parking tickets. The bill, authored by DFL Rep. Erin Koegel of Spring Lake Park, prohibits towing those vehicles as a method to collect that debt, building on legislation passed last year that prohibits debt-based driver’s license suspensions.
The provision was part of the larger transportation policy bill helmed by Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, passed by both chambers earlier this month, including a unanimous 67-0 vote in the Senate, and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday.
