Snow emergency parking in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, night by night

A snow emergency is a parking rule more than a weather report: the city declares one so plows can reach the curb, and a car left in the wrong place can be ticketed and towed. Minneapolis and Saint Paul do it differently, and knowing one does not teach you the other. If you live elsewhere, your city has its own rules, so look them up before the first big snow. We read only these two cities' pages, on November 6, 2026.

Minneapolis: three days, three sets of rules

Minneapolis counts days, and each has its own list of where you may stay. The step that needs planning is between Day 2 and Day 3, when the city says to move from the odd side to the even side overnight, between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The city defines the odd side as addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9, and the even side as addresses ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8.

A route can be used once it is fully plowed. The city also says parkways are plowed unevenly: it described two streets plowed on Day 1, many on Day 2 and none on Day 3, so do not assume a parkway is clear. Separately, the city can declare winter parking restrictions on the even side of non-route streets when too much snow has built up. Those start again at 8 a.m. the morning after Day 3 and end by April 1.

Saint Paul: signs, not days

Saint Paul divides streets by whether they have a Night Plow Route sign. An emergency begins at 9 p.m. and runs 96 hours.

Downtown has no night parking even without signs. The city listed free parking at the Block 19 Ramp, 145 E. 7th Street, for the first 24 hours of an emergency. That rule page itself was last edited in October 2022, so use the city's snow page for current ramp and alert information.

The Saint Paul pilot: what happened, and what is next

From January 4 to April 11, 2026, Saint Paul ran weekly alternate-side parking in two pilot areas, Snelling-University (bounded by Thomas Avenue, Snelling Avenue, St. Anthony/I-94 and Aldine Street) and Selby-Dale (bounded by Selby Avenue, Western Avenue, Summit Avenue and Dale Street). Snelling, University, Selby and Dale themselves were not included. Parking was allowed only on the side matching the week's even or odd address type, with sides switching on Sundays between 3 and 9 p.m., and snow emergency rules did not apply there. The first two weeks were an education phase; ticketing and towing began January 18.

The city's page, last edited June 4, 2026, says no final decision has been made on citywide changes. It says staff plan further testing in additional pilot areas next winter, and that a possible citywide weekly alternate-side model would come later, at an undetermined date. Treat this as likely to change: before the first snow, check the city's snow page for whether your block is in a 2026-27 pilot.

What towing costs

One snippet circulating online showed $209 for a Minneapolis tow. We could not find that figure on any city page, in the city's March 2026 news bulletin or in news coverage, so we do not use it. A March 14, 2026 city bulletin mentions risking "a $200 tow" in one sentence and a standard tow charge of $222 in another; the impound lot page, which is the fee table, says $222. Older news and reviews cite $138 for a tow, which looks like an earlier rate.

The Minneapolis Impound Lot has a Google Maps listing where customers post their own ratings and reviews; we do not reproduce them. Individual accounts there are not confirmed by us, and the city's impound lot page is the source for fees and hours.

Hearing about it in time

Minneapolis offers alerts by email, text or phone, Smart911, the MPLS Parking app and a hotline at 612-348-SNOW, with Spanish, Somali and Hmong available. It also says it cannot guarantee you will get an alert, so check when snow is falling. Its 311 line (612-673-3000) runs 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Saint Paul has a new text system for 2026-27: text STPAULSNOW to 888777. The city warns that the older number, 88911, may send duplicates.

Common mistakes

Moving the car to the right side but at the wrong hour: Minneapolis Day 2 begins at 8 a.m., not 9 p.m. Forgetting the Day 2 to Day 3 switch. Assuming a route you shoveled out is legal before it is plowed. Treating the pilot as a rule for all of Saint Paul. Paying a Saint Paul ticket at the impound lot, which the city says cannot be done. Counting on an alert you never signed up for.

What differs by city

Minneapolis uses calendar days and odd and even sides. Saint Paul uses signs, night and day plow routes and a 96-hour window. The tow fee is $222 in Minneapolis and $246 in Saint Paul, with different storage rates. Other Minnesota cities have their own snow rules; we did not read any.

What to do

Sign up for your city's alerts now. Learn whether your street is a snow emergency route (Minneapolis) or has a Night Plow Route sign (Saint Paul). Pick a backup place to park, such as a ramp, and keep the impound lot's hours and payment methods handy. If you are in Snelling-University or Selby-Dale in Saint Paul, check the city's pilot page first. If your car is gone, check the city's impound lookup before assuming it was stolen.

What we could not confirm

The Minneapolis ticket amount: no city page lists it and the court page that could (Hennepin County's fine amounts page) returned a block on our request, so it is marked not checked. The source of the $209 figure. Whether Saint Paul will run pilots in specific areas in 2026-27. Other cities' rules. Whether the alerts work as described; we did not test them.