Impound Release Hours:
Disclaimer: Vehicles left in the impound for over 45 days are considered abandoned property, and will either be sold or scrapped to cover the costs of the tow and storage. The registered owner will be responsible for paying the remainder of the bill, which will go into collections, against their credit, and we can peruse our legal options. At that time, vehicle owners have no rights to reclaim the vehicle or it's contents. Unclaimed contents will be donated to the local Salvation Army.
Minnesota State Statues on Impounding
168B.04 AUTHORITY TO IMPOUND VEHICLES.
Subdivision 1. Abandoned or junk vehicles.
Units of government and peace officers may take into custody and impound any abandoned or junk vehicle.
Subdivision 2. Unauthorized vehicles.
(a) Units of government and peace officers may take into custody andimpound any unauthorized vehicle under section
168B.035.
(b) A vehicle may also be impounded after it has been left unattended in one of the following public orprivate locations for the indicated period of time:
(1) in a public location not governed by section 168B.035:
(i) on a highway and properly tagged by a peace officer, four hours;
(ii) located so as to constitute an accident or traffic hazard to the traveling public, as determined by a peace officer, immediately;
(iii) located so as to constitute an accident or traffic hazard to the traveling public within the Departmentof Transportation's eight-county metropolitan district, as determined by an authorized employee of thedepartment's freeway service patrol, immediately; or
(iv) that is a parking facility or other public property owned or controlled by a unit of government, properly posted, four hours; or
(2) on private property:
(i) that is single-family or duplex residential property, immediately;
(ii) that is private, nonresidential property, properly posted, immediately;
(iii) that is private, nonresidential property, not posted, 24 hours;
(iv) that is private, nonresidential property of an operator of an establishment for the servicing, repair, or maintenance of motor vehicles, five business days after notifying the vehicle owner by certified mail, return receipt requested, of the property owner's intention to have the vehicle removed from the property; or
(v) that is any residential property, properly posted, immediately.
Minnesota State Statues on Impounding
168B.06 NOTICE OF TAKING AND SALE
Subdivision 1. Written notice of impound.
(a) When an impounded vehicle is taken into custody, the unit of government or impound lot operator taking it into custody shall give written notice of the taking within five days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, to the registered vehicle owner and any lienholders.
(b) The notice must:
(1) set forth the date and place of the taking;
(2) provide the year, make, model, and serial number of the impounded motor vehicle, if such information can be reasonably obtained, and the place where the vehicle is being held;
(3) inform the owner and any lienholders of their right to reclaim the vehicle under section 168B.07;
(4) state that failure of the owner or lienholders to:
(i) exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the appropriate time allowed under section 168B.051, subdivision 1, 1a, or 2, and under the conditions set forth in section 168B.07, subdivision 1, constitutes a waiver by them of all right, title, and interest in the vehicle and a consent to the transfer of title to and disposal or sale of the vehicle pursuant to section 168B.08; or
(ii) exercise their right to reclaim the contents of the vehicle within the appropriate time allowed and under the conditions set forth in section 168B.07, subdivision 3, constitutes a waiver by them of all right, title, and interest in the contents and consent to sell or dispose of the contents under section 168B.08; and
(5) state that a vehicle owner who provides to the impound lot operator documentation from a government or nonprofit agency or legal aid office that the owner is homeless, receives relief based on need, or is eligible for legal aid services, has the unencumbered right to retrieve any and all contents without charge.
Subdivision 2. Notice by mail or publication.
The notice shall be sent by mail to the registered owner, if any, of an impounded vehicle and to all readily identifiable lienholders of record. The department shall make this information available to impound lot operators for notification purposes. If it is impossible to determine with reasonable certainty the identity and address of the registered owner and all lienholders, the notice shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the motor vehicle was towed from or abandoned. Published notices may be grouped together for convenience and economy.
Subdivision 3. Unauthorized vehicle; second notice.
If an unauthorized vehicle remains unclaimed after 30 days from the date the notice was sent under subdivision 2, a second notice must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the registered owner, if any, of the unauthorized vehicle and to all readily identifiable lienholders of record.
Minnesota State Statues on Impounding
168B.07 RIGHT TO RECLAIM
Subdivision 1. Payment of charges.
The owner or any lienholder of an impounded vehicle shall have a right to reclaim such vehicle from the unit of government or impound lot operator taking it into custody upon payment of all towing and storage charges resulting from taking the vehicle into custody within 15 or 45 days, as applicable under section 168B.051, subdivision 1, 1a, or 2, after the date of the notice required by section 168B.06.
Subdivision 2. Lienholder.
Nothing in sections 168B.01 to 168B.101 shall be construed to impair any lien of a garagekeeper under the laws of this state, or the right of a lienholder to foreclose. For the purposes of this section "garagekeeper" is an operator of a parking place or establishment, an operator of a motor vehicle storage facility, or an operator of an establishment for the servicing, repair, or maintenance of motor vehicles.
Subdivision 3. Retrieval of contents.
(a) For purposes of this subdivision:
(1) "contents" does not include any permanently affixed mechanical or nonmechanical automobile parts; automobile body parts; or automobile accessories, including audio or video players; and
(2) "relief based on need" includes, but is not limited to, receipt of MFIP and Diversionary Work Program, medical assistance, general assistance, emergency general assistance, Minnesota supplemental aid, MSA-emergency assistance, MinnesotaCare, Supplemental Security Income, energy assistance, emergency assistance, food stamps, earned income tax credit, or Minnesota working family tax credit.
(b) A unit of government or impound lot operator shall establish reasonable procedures for retrieval of vehicle contents, and may establish reasonable procedures to protect the safety and security of the impound lot and its personnel.
(c) At any time before the expiration of the waiting periods provided in section 168B.051, a registered owner who provides documentation from a government or nonprofit agency or legal aid office that the registered owner is homeless, receives relief based on need, or is eligible for legal aid services, has the unencumbered right to retrieve any and all contents without charge and regardless of whether the registered owner pays incurred charges or fees, transfers title, or reclaims the vehicle.
Subdivision 4. Waiver of rights.
The failure of the registered owner or lienholders to exercise the right to reclaim the vehicle before the expiration of the waiting periods provided under section 168B.051 constitutes a waiver of all right, title, and interest in the vehicle and a consent to the transfer of title to, and disposal or sale of, the vehicle under section 168B.08. The failure of the registered owner to exercise the right provided under subdivision 3 constitutes a waiver of all right, title, and interest in the contents and a consent to the transfer of title to, and disposal or sale of, the contents under section 168B.08.
