To get your car back from a St. Paul tow, first find out which lot has it, because St. Paul uses two. Normal tows go to the regular lot at 830 Barge Channel Rd. Snow-emergency tows go to a separate lot at 1129 Cathlin St, near the fairgrounds. Call the right one before you drive over, bring proof you own the car, and be ready to pay the tow, the storage, and a separate parking ticket.
Two lots, and picking the wrong one wastes a trip
This is the part people get wrong. St. Paul does not send every towed car to the same place.
- Regular impound lot: 830 Barge Channel Rd, St. Paul 55107, phone 651-266-5642, open every day 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. This handles the everyday tows.
- Snow-emergency lot: 1129 Cathlin St, St. Paul 55108, phone 651-502-7480. During a snow emergency, cars go here instead, not to Barge Channel Rd.
If your car was towed during a declared snow emergency, call Cathlin St first. If it was a regular tow, call Barge Channel Rd. Confirming the lot by phone before you leave saves you a cross-town trip to the wrong address.
What a St. Paul tow costs
St. Paul publishes its own fees, and they are not the Minneapolis numbers. A snow-emergency tow comes to $246 if you retrieve the car the same day before midnight. That total is a $143.89 tow, an $80.00 administration fee, and $22.11 in sales tax. Storage is $15 per day for each additional day, starting at midnight. On top of the tow, the $56 parking ticket is separate, and you pay it to the Minnesota courts, not the impound lot. Fee waivers fall under St. Paul Legislative Code 445.09, and the dollar amounts are published on the city pages.
What to bring to claim it
Bring a valid driver’s license and proof you are the registered owner, such as the title or the registration. Be ready to pay the full total before the car is released. If the car is registered to someone else, call the lot ahead of time and ask what they need from you. Because storage is charged by midnight each day, picking the car up in the morning rather than the following night can save a full day of storage.
Is it a St. Paul tow at all?
Make sure St. Paul actually towed the car before you head to either lot. A car towed from a private lot, an apartment complex, or a suburb like West St. Paul or Maplewood is not at the city lots and follows different rules. Suburbs each set their own impound fee and use their own arrangement, so if a suburb towed you, call that city. A private-property tow falls under Minnesota Statutes 168B.035, and you would deal with the towing company that holds the car.
If the car will not drive once you have it
Sometimes a car comes out of impound with a dead battery or worse after sitting in the cold. Quick Tow Minneapolis is a referral service covering the Twin Cities. We take the call and match you with an independent local operator, and that operator quotes the job before rolling. Tell us where the car is and where it needs to go.
Frequently asked questions
Which St. Paul lot has my car? The regular lot at 830 Barge Channel Rd for everyday tows, or the snow-emergency lot at 1129 Cathlin St during a declared snow emergency. Call to confirm before you drive over.
How much is a St. Paul snow-emergency tow? $246 if retrieved the same day, made of a $143.89 tow, $80 administration, and $22.11 tax, plus $15 per day storage after and a separate $56 ticket paid to the courts.
What do I need to bring? A valid driver’s license, proof of ownership such as the title or registration, and payment for the full total. If the car is in someone else’s name, call the lot first.
My car was towed from an apartment lot, not by the city. Where is it? That is a private-property tow under Minnesota Statutes 168B.035, so the towing company holds it, not the city lots. Ask the property or the posted sign which company was called.