City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 162.01 Authority to Remove:
Any vehicle, wherever found, in violation of the ordinances of the City of Saint Paul or the laws of the State of Minnesota, is hereby declared to be a nuisance and the same may be summarily abated by or under the direction or at the request of a police officer by removing and impounding such vehicle, in a public pound, by means of towing, or otherwise and shall only be surrendered to the duly identified owner thereof or the agent upon the payment of the fees hereinafter.
Any vehicle found upon the streets of the City of Saint Paul in such a damaged condition as a result of an accident or disrepair that it cannot be driven and is so located as to constitute an obstruction of the street may be removed and impounded, in a public pound, by the police department, and shall only be surrendered to the duly identified owner thereof or the agent upon the payment of the fees hereinafter provided; provided, that if the owner or operator thereof has requested, or does request that such vehicle be towed to any garage other than the public pound, neither the police department nor anyone else, shall order such vehicle to be impounded in a public pound unless the police department considers possession of such vehicle necessary in the prosecution of any person for violation of the law.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 162.06 Charge When Operator Appears Before Towing:
Where a police officer has tagged a vehicle to be impounded, and where the owner or operator thereof appears before the tagged 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 the payment of any fee or towing charge.
Where the tow truck operator has any such vehicle on the hoist and the wheels thereof raised from the ground before the owner or operator thereof appears, the tow truck operator shall release the same upon the payment of service fee not to exceed the amount agreed upon in any current contract between the city and a contract tower as provided herein, and shall give receipt for such payment.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 162.12 Report of Police Officer:
Any police officer(s) directing the impounding of any vehicle shall prepare a written report of the description of such vehicle, which report shall, among other things, include the following: make of car, license number, vehicle identification number, number of tires, tools and other separate articles of personal property, general descriptions of the vehicle with regard to the condition, damaged parts, and such, and other information as may be necessary to adequately describe the vehicle and property delivered to the impound lot. A copy of such report, signed by the officer(s), shall be delivered to the impound lot at the time of impounding and the impound lot shall receipt for such report and shall check such report, and signature thereon shall be considered a receipt for the vehicle and property described in said report. The original of said report, together with a duplicate of the impound lots receipt, shall be filed in the police department.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 361.19 Permission to Tow Vehicle from Accident Scene:
It shall be unlawful at the scene of any accident involving one or more motor vehicles for any person, firm or corporation to tow any motor vehicle involved in said accident, either directly or indirectly, unless permission to do so is obtained from a police officer or other police officer investigating said accident, except such distance as is necessary in the interests of safety.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 361.19 Soliciting Tow Prohibited:
No person, firm or corporation shall, at the scene of any accident involving one or more motor vehicles, solicit or contract for the towing of any motor vehicle involved in said accident, and no person, firm or corporation shall go to or be at the scene of any such motor vehicle so involved.
Minnesota Statute 168B.011 Subdivision 2: Abandoned Vehicle:
Means a motor vehicle that has remained for a period of more than 48 hours on public property illegally or lacking vital component parts, or has remained for a period of more than 48 hours on private property without consent of the person in control of such property or in an inoperable condition such that it has no substantial potential further use consistent with its usual functions unless it is kept in an enclosed garage or storage building. It shall also mean a motor vehicle voluntarily surrendered by its owner to and accepted by a unit of government or its agent.
Minnesota Statute 168B.011 Subdivision 14: Vital Component Parts
Vital component parts means those parts of a motor vehicle that are essential to the mechanical functioning of the vehicle, including, but not limited to, the motor, drive train, and wheels.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 163.02 Abandoning a Motor Vehicle:
No person shall abandon a motor vehicle on any public or private property, without the consent of the person in control of such property.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 163.03 Allowing an Abandoned Motor Vehicle on Property:
No person in charge or control of private property, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise, shall allow an abandoned motor vehicle to remain on such property.
City of Saint Paul Legislative Code 163.04 Custody of Abandoned Vehicles:
The city health officer or enforcement officials of the department of safety inspections for the city are hereby authorized to remove or have removed any motor vehicle left at any place within the city which reasonably appears to be in violation of this chapter or lost, stolen or unclaimed. The impounding and taking into custody of a motor vehicle pursuant to this chapter shall be done at the direction of a police officer. A police officer, health officer or enforcement official of the department of safety inspections for the city may enter upon private property at all reasonable hours for the purpose of inspecting such vehicle and impounding such vehicle; and it shall be unlawful for any person to prevent an officer, health officer or enforcement official of the department of safety inspections for the city from entering on private property for purposes of carrying out duties hereunder or to interfere in the lawful performance of duties.
Revised July 1, 2011