A new regulation prevents certain American car owners from having their cars towed for unpaid parking tickets.
A bill signed into law last week has repealed the rule that allowed Minnesota drivers with multiple unpaid parking tickets to have their cars towed.
State lawmakers hope the change will relieve a significant burden on lower-income car owners, according to a report by MinnPost.
Previously, towing operators could tow vehicles from expired parking meters if the vehicle had five or more unpaid parking tickets.
The new regulation, introduced by State Representative Erin Koegel, prevents towing companies from using this method to collect debt.
“When parking tickets lead to the loss of a vehicle, it has immediate and negative economic consequences, potentially resulting in job loss and disruptions to child care and education,” she said.
“Many people in Minnesota rely on cars to commute to work, and 30 percent of households in Minnesota have only one vehicle.
“So, how can we expect people to pay their fines when we’re taking away their means of getting to work?”
The new measure was part of a transportation policy bill passed by both chambers earlier this month, receiving a unanimous 67-0 vote in the Senate.
This law builds on last year’s legislation prohibiting debt-based driver’s license suspensions.
Governor Tim Walz signed the policy into law on Wednesday.
It can cost vehicle owners around $640 to retrieve their car from an impound lot, including previous parking debt and new fees, state policy manager for the Justice Action Network Jenny Catchings told MinnPost.
In addition to the high costs for lower-income residents, Catchings noted that the practice is not effective. An audit revealed that San Diego, California, lost about $1.5 million by towing and storing vehicles.
What to do if your car is towed:
Retrieving a towed vehicle can be challenging, whether it was towed wrongfully or not.
If your car is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or for another legitimate reason, follow these steps:
– Determine why your car was towed. Was there a posted “No Parking” sign you missed? Did you miss a car payment? Were there unpaid citations? Identifying the reason can help narrow down the contact numbers.
– Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to provide contact information via a posted sign or by mail.
– Check recovery dates and times, which should be posted on the towing company’s website or provided by a representative.
– Pay the fees promptly to avoid additional storage charges.
If you believe your vehicle was wrongfully towed, you can contest the action by following these steps:
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
Nearly 30 percent of towed vehicles in the city were never recovered.
Reasons a car can still be towed:
Despite the new Minnesota towing restrictions, vehicles can still be towed for violating snow emergency regulations or if they block driveways, fire hydrants, or are parked in restricted areas.
Minneapolis issued about 430,000 tickets between 2018 and 2019, the fifth-highest number in the country, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
Minneapolis had the most tickets issued and the highest ticket amount per resident among the three cities analyzed, totaling about $37 million.
