How to get your car out of impound in North Minneapolis
If your car got towed in North Minneapolis, here is how to find it and get it back today.
What Minnesota law says
A missing car in this metro is one of three different things, and they have almost nothing in common. It may be a City of Minneapolis or City of St. Paul tow, held at that city's own impound lot. It may be a suburban tow, held by whichever suburb ordered it under its own arrangement. Or it may be a private-property tow off a lot or an apartment complex. Figure out which one you are in first, because the lot, the phone number and the paperwork all change with the answer. If Minneapolis towed it, the vehicle is at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd and the plate or VIN search at minneapolismn.gov confirms it before you leave the house. If St. Paul towed it, it is at 830 Barge Channel Rd, unless a snow emergency sent it to the lot on Cathlin St instead.
How it works in North Minneapolis
- 1 Work out who towed it first
A City of Minneapolis or St. Paul tow, a suburban tow and a private-property tow are three different processes with three different holders. Getting this right before you do anything else saves you a wasted trip and a call to the wrong place.
- 2 Search for a Minneapolis tow online
If you think Minneapolis towed it, run the plate or VIN search at minneapolismn.gov. It tells you whether the city has the vehicle at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd before you drive anywhere, and you can confirm by phone at (612) 673-5777.
- 3 Confirm a St. Paul tow by phone
A St. Paul tow is usually at 830 Barge Channel Rd, 651-266-5642, open daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. A snow-emergency tow goes to 1129 Cathlin St instead, 651-502-7480, so ask which lot has your car before you head out.
- 4 Bring the right documents
Bring valid photo identification and proof that you own the vehicle, such as the title or the registration. Requirements vary by lot, so confirm the exact list with whoever is holding the car before you make the trip.
- 5 Make sure you can drive it out
A released vehicle still needs current registration for you to legally drive it off the lot. If the registration has lapsed, ask the lot what your options are so you are not stuck with a car you cannot move.
- 6 For a suburb, call your own city
If a suburb towed it, none of the Minneapolis or St. Paul details apply. Call the city that ordered the tow, ask where the lot is and what you will owe, and never assume a central-city fee is the number you will pay.
What this looks like around North Minneapolis
If the City of Minneapolis towed it, the vehicle is at the impound lot at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd, and the fastest way to confirm is the plate or VIN search at minneapolismn.gov before you drive over. The lot runs 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and during Day 1 and Day 2 of a declared snow emergency it stays open 24 hours. You can reach it at (612) 673-5777.
A North Side city tow often hasn't gone far, because the Minneapolis lot at 50 Van White sits on the district's southern edge. Search by plate or VIN at minneapolismn.gov to confirm the city has it. The City of Minneapolis impound lot is at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd, and the fees are published: $222 to tow, $18 per day storage assessed by midnight, a $6 notification letter, and $204.50 plus $94.50 per half-hour of winch time for a heavy-duty tow, under City Code Chapter 349.270. Search by plate or VIN at minneapolismn.gov before you go. The lot is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and 24 hours during Day 1 and Day 2 of a snow emergency. Bring photo identification, proof of ownership and payment in full to release it.
North Minneapolis covers the Near North, Camden and Willard-Hay communities from downtown up to the city line, with West Broadway Avenue as the commercial spine and Penn, Lyndale and Washington carrying the north-south traffic. I-94 runs the eastern edge and Olson Memorial Highway (MN-55) cuts across the south. The City of Minneapolis impound lot at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd sits right on the district's southern edge, so for a lot of North Side calls the vehicle has not gone far, and the plate search at minneapolismn.gov settles it fast. The call mix here is shaped by residential street parking, snow-emergency clearances and winter one-side bans more than by freeway recovery. Dead batteries in a hard freeze, lockouts and residential tows are the everyday work. Operators cover West Broadway, the Camden industrial pockets and the residential grid; ask whether a wheel-lift fits the block before the truck rolls.
Common North Minneapolis questions
How do I find out where my car was towed in North Minneapolis?
Start by working out who towed it. For a City of Minneapolis tow, run the plate or VIN search at minneapolismn.gov or call the impound lot at (612) 673-5777. For a St. Paul tow, call 651-266-5642, or 651-502-7480 during a snow emergency. If a suburb towed it, call that city's police or public works department directly.
What do I need to bring to get my car out of impound in North Minneapolis?
Bring valid photo identification and proof that you own the vehicle, such as the title or the registration, and remember the car needs current registration for you to drive it off the lot. Every lot sets its own exact requirements, so confirm the list with the holder before you drive over.
Is my car at the Minneapolis lot, the St. Paul lot, or a suburb in North Minneapolis?
It depends entirely on who towed it. A Minneapolis city tow is at 50 Van White Memorial Blvd, a St. Paul city tow is at 830 Barge Channel Rd or the snow-emergency lot on Cathlin St, and a suburban tow is at whatever lot that suburb uses. Confirm before you drive, because these are miles apart.
Can Quick Tow Minneapolis release my car from impound in North Minneapolis?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. We are a referral service that connects drivers with independent, locally licensed tow and roadside operators. We are not the impound lot, the city or the suburb holding your car, so we cannot waive a fee or speed up a release. What we can do is help you work out who has it and line up an operator once it is released. Call (952) 900-4065.
Related help for North Minneapolis
Impound release process in the rest of the Minneapolis Core area
Need your car towed once it's released in North Minneapolis?
We can't waive the yard's fees. We can line up an operator the moment it clears.