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Minnesota Parking Laws



Understanding the Minnesota Parking Laws

It’s important to know that you can even get a traffic violation when your car’s not even moving! It’s simply called this:

A parking violation. And to understand what that means in the state of Minnesota, you have to have some sort of understanding of what the MN parking laws are.

A List of Violations Under Minnesota Parking Laws

Some of the violations of MN parking laws you’ll read here will be pretty recognizable. Others won’t. But the point is you’ll know straight away what not to do with your vehicle when it comes to MN parking laws. Minnesota parking laws are pretty clear about that.

Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of MN parking laws:

1. Blocking Driveway
2. Blocking Visibility
3. Crosswalk & Handicapped Access Ramp Parking
4. Disabled Parking Zones
5. Distance from Curb
6. Divided Highway
7. Double Parking
8. Expired Registration
9. Parking in Front of a Fire Hydrant
10. The Fog Line
11. For Sale on Public Street
12. Keys Left, Motor Running
13. Parallel Parking
14. Planting Strip
15. Sidewalks and Sidewalk Areas
16. Street Storage & Abandoned Automobiles
17. Time Limits
18. Truck Loading Zones
19. Meter Parking

Understanding Minnesota Parking Laws in Regards to Driveways

It’s important to understand that you may be fined for simply blocking a driveway according to Minnesota parking laws. According to those MN parking laws, no vehicle can block even the curb returns or wings of a driveway, or the driver of the vehicle can be issued a parking citation. This is even true of a driveway that has all kinds of barriers, such as:

1. Gates
2. Chains
3. Posts

What About Minnesota Parking Law Citations for Blocking Visibility?

The Minnesota parking law specifically states that no vehicle can park within 50 feet of any intersection carrying these characteristics:

1. Your Vehicle or Obstruction on Vehicle Is More Than 6 Feet High

2. Your Vehicle Obscures the View of Traffic, Control Signs, Signals, Crosswalks

3. Your Vehicle Has Shading, Curtains, or Packages Obscuring Views Through Windows

The Subject of Crosswalks and Handicap Ramps

It is also against Minnesota parking law to park in a crosswalk – either unmarked or marked doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t even park in front of a handicapped access ramp.

What the Minnesota Parking Law Says About Disabled Parking Zones

Only vehicles with an authorized DMV disability plate/placard can park in those types of zones. It doesn’t matter if it’s a public street or a parking lot. Any vehicle that doesn’t have that plate/placard will be fined for the parking violation.

Details of Curb Distance

According to the Minnesota parking law, no car may park over 1 foot away from the curb.

Thou Shalt Not Park in a Divided Highway

Why? Because it’s dangerous. You’re basically sitting your car right in the middle of high traffic. This law applies for both marked and unmarked divisions on a highway as well.

It’s been established that these parking laws in Minnesota are there for the purpose of establishing safety on the road.

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