How Much Do Minneapolis Parking Tickets Cost?

Most parking tickets in Minneapolis cost $60. That’s a $45 base fine plus $15 in mandatory surcharges, and it covers the everyday violations: expired meters, snow emergency parking, and street cleaning.¹ Prohibited-location tickets run $52. Disability space violations are a different category entirely, starting at $100 and climbing to $500. If you let a ticket sit, late penalties, towing, impound storage, and collections can multiply the original number several times over.

What a Standard Ticket Actually Costs

Two charges get added to every Minneapolis parking citation: a $12 parking surcharge required by Minnesota Statute 357.021 and a $3 Hennepin County law library fee.² The amount printed on your ticket already includes them, which is why the total is always higher than the base fine.

Disability Space Violations

Parking in a disability-designated space without a valid permit is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute 169.346, with a fine between $100 and $200.³ Using someone else’s disability plates or permit, or fraudulently obtaining a certificate, carries a $500 fine under Statute 169.345.⁴ Because these are misdemeanors rather than petty misdemeanors, the $75 criminal surcharge applies instead of the $12 parking surcharge, on top of the $3 law library fee.

What Happens If You Pay Late

You have 30 days from the date the citation is entered into the Minnesota Court Information System to pay or request a hearing. Note that this is 30 days from when the court enters it, not necessarily the date printed on the ticket.⁵

After that, the penalties stack on a fixed schedule:⁶

After 30 days: $5 late penalty added.
After 60 days: another $25 penalty added.

Keep ignoring it and the consequences get worse. Unpaid citations can trigger a driver’s license suspension through Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services, or the debt may be referred to a collection agency under Minnesota Statute 480.15.⁷ Collection agencies can tack on their own fees, so a $60 ticket can grow substantially.⁸

Towing and Impound Fees

If your car gets towed, the ticket is the small part of the bill. The city impound lot charges a $222 standard tow fee plus $18 per day in storage, assessed at midnight each night.⁹ Private tow companies licensed in Minneapolis can charge up to $274 for a personal vehicle and up to $38 per day in storage under the city’s 2025 maximum rate schedule.¹⁰ Your total depends on who tows the vehicle and how fast you retrieve it.

Common reasons for a tow include blocking a hydrant, parking in a no-parking zone, or ignoring snow emergency restrictions. There’s also a cumulative trap: if your vehicle has five or more unpaid parking citations against it, the impound lot will hold it until you pay every outstanding fine and produce a letter from the Hennepin County Violations Bureau confirming payment.⁹ At that point you’re paying the tow, the daily storage, and the full stack of old tickets before you can drive away.

How to Pay

Minneapolis parking tickets go through the Minnesota court system. Three options:

Online at webpay.courts.state.mn.us with Visa or MasterCard. There’s a $2.34 convenience fee. Wait at least seven days after the citation date so the ticket has time to enter the court system.¹¹
By mail with a check or money order payable to “Minnesota Court Payment Center,” sent to P.O. Box 898, Willmar, MN 56201. No cash.⁵
In person at the Hennepin County Violations Bureau in the Hennepin County Government Center, with cash, check, money order, or major credit card.

How to Contest a Ticket

If you think the ticket was wrong, you can request a hearing with a Hennepin County Hearing Officer. Hearings happen by Zoom and are available by appointment or walk-in at the Government Center. To schedule, call the Court Payment Center at (651) 281-3219 in the metro area or 1-800-657-3611 outside it.⁸

The same 30-day clock applies. The Hearing Officer can reduce or dismiss the fine when circumstances warrant, and you can also ask for a hearing if you cannot afford to pay. Bring evidence: photos of the signage or lack of it, a malfunctioning meter, proof you had already paid.

If the Hearing Officer can’t resolve things, you can request a formal court hearing. For misdemeanor offenses like disability parking violations, that right is automatic. For petty misdemeanors, which covers standard parking tickets, the right to a court hearing is waived once the 30-day window closes without a response.⁸

1
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Fine Amounts – Violations Bureau and Hearing Office – Hennepin County District Court
2
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Section 357.021 – Surcharges on Criminal and Traffic Offenders
3
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Section 169.346 – Disability Parking
4
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Section 169.345 – Disability Parking Certificate and Permit
5
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Pay Fines and Citation Information
6
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Frequently Asked Questions – Pay Fines and Citation Information
7
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Section 480.15 – Powers and Duties
8
Minnesota Judicial Branch. Contesting and Other Options – Violations Bureau and Hearing Office
9
City of Minneapolis. Minneapolis Impound Lot
10
City of Minneapolis Licenses and Consumer Services. Tow Truck 2025 Fees Industry Bulletin
11
Minnesota Court Web Payment. Minnesota Court Web Payment