Car towed from private property in Brooklyn Center
Your car got towed from a lot or apartment complex in Brooklyn Center. Here is what Minnesota law actually requires.
What Minnesota law says
A tow from private property is not the same thing as a city impound or a police tow. It is governed by Minnesota Statutes 168B.035 and 168B.04, and the rules there are worth knowing because they set real limits on when a vehicle can be removed and what it can be charged. The charge for a private-property tow must be reasonable for the type of vehicle removed and the circumstances surrounding its removal, in the words of the statute itself. The waiting period before a tow depends on the kind of property and whether it is posted. Get the details straight, because a tow that skipped a required waiting period or overcharged for the vehicle and circumstances is a tow you can push back on.
How it works in Brooklyn Center
- 1 Confirm it was a private-property tow
If the city or a suburb towed the vehicle from a public street, this is a different process. Private-property rules cover vehicles removed from a lot, an apartment complex or a business at the property owner's direction, governed by 168B.035 and 168B.04.
- 2 Check the waiting period for that property
Under 168B.04 the wait before a tow depends on the property. A vehicle on a single-family or duplex residential property can be removed immediately, as can one on posted residential or posted commercial property, while unposted commercial property carries a 24-hour wait. Confirm which category the lot falls in.
- 3 Know what 'properly posted' does and does not mean
The statute uses the phrase properly posted but does not define the sign's size, wording or placement. A city ordinance may set those specifics locally, so ask that city, and do not assume there is a single statewide sign rule, because there is not.
- 4 Check the charge against the statute
A private-property tow charge must be reasonable for the type of vehicle removed and the circumstances surrounding its removal, in the words of 168B.035. Ask for an itemized total and compare it against what the tow and the situation actually involved.
- 5 Do not rely on the repealed citation rule
Minnesota once required a four-hour wait after a parking citation before a public-property tow, but that rule was repealed in 2010. Do not count on it. The four-hour figures that remain in 168B.04 are about tagged highway vehicles and posted public lots, which is a different thing.
- 6 Find the vehicle and get it documented
Ask the property manager or the operator where the vehicle went and get a written or itemized charge. If you think the tow skipped a required wait or the charge was not reasonable for the vehicle and circumstances, keep that paperwork, because it is the basis of any challenge.
What this looks like around Brooklyn Center
Shared apartment and shopping lots through Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley and Roseville produce most of the private-property tows here. The vehicle's charge must still be reasonable for the type of vehicle and the circumstances, and the waiting period turns on whether the lot was posted and what kind of property it is.
Brooklyn Center runs its own impound and sets its own fee. A tow from a Brooklyn Boulevard retail lot is usually a private-property tow, and a message left in Spanish is read in Spanish. A suburban impound isn't the Minneapolis or St. Paul lot and doesn't use their published rates, so a figure a neighbour quotes from a city tow won't match. Minnesota Statutes 168B governs it statewide: 168B.035 requires the charge to be reasonable for the type of vehicle removed and the circumstances of its removal, 168B.06 requires notice within five business days, and 168B.04 sets the waiting periods before a tow. Minnesota has no statewide tow-operator license. Call the department that ordered the tow and ask for its fee and daily storage rate.
Brooklyn Center is a compact suburb at the north edge of Minneapolis, built around the I-94/I-694 interchange and the shopping district off Brooklyn Boulevard. Roughly a sixth of the city is Hispanic, so Spanish-language calls are routine. The interchange is one of the busiest and most crash-prone in the north metro, and the retail corridor produces steady private-lot and dead-battery work. Residential tows, lockouts and cold-weather batteries round out the mix. Operators cover the I-94/I-694 interchange, the Brooklyn Boulevard retail strip and the residential blocks; a message left in Spanish is read in Spanish.
Common Brooklyn Center questions
Is it legal to tow my car from a parking lot in Brooklyn Center?
Yes, when the property meets the conditions in Minnesota Statutes 168B.04. The waiting period before a tow depends on the type of property and whether it is posted: immediate on residential or posted commercial property, and 24 hours on unposted commercial property. The charge must also be reasonable for the vehicle and the circumstances under 168B.035.
Does a lot have to post a sign before towing in Brooklyn Center?
The statute uses the phrase properly posted but does not define the sign's size, wording or placement, and a single-family or duplex residential property can tow with no posting at all. A city ordinance may add its own sign specifics locally, so ask that city rather than assuming there is a statewide sign standard.
Do they have to wait four hours after a ticket to tow in Brooklyn Center?
No. Minnesota repealed the old four-hour-after-a-citation rule in 2010, so do not count on it. The four-hour figures still in 168B.04 apply to a highway vehicle tagged by a peace officer and to posted government parking lots, which is a different situation from a tow after a parking ticket.
Does Quick Tow Minneapolis do private-property tows in Brooklyn Center?
We are a referral service, not a tow company, and we hold no license to perform tows. What we do is connect property managers with independent, locally licensed operators, and help drivers work out what actually happened to their vehicle and what the law requires. Call (952) 900-4065.
Related help for Brooklyn Center
Private-property tows in the rest of the North Metro area
Need your car towed once it's released in Brooklyn Center?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.