Parking on streets/for free anywhere? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: rent, credit card, neighborhood)

[homiej]

I'm doing a food and photo tour of Northeast (Friday), South (Saturday) and St. Paul (Sunday) and was curious how parking works in MSP? Normally I just ride along with friends or rent a Nice Ride but the season and company I'm keeping this time around means I'll be driving my own car in the city (outside of the freeways) for the first time. How can I avoid tickets/getting towed? Where is parking on streets limited? Do I need a permit? How do I get one of those?

Thanks all, I'll post loads of pictures and am arming my girlfriend with a spare camera, so we'll have lots of content for you guys!

[Glenfield]

The only areas with meters or that require permits in south Minneapolis that I know of are at some of the larger parks, Lake Harriet, Nokomis, Minnehaha Falls, and even in those areas you can still find some free street parking. Just watch the signs for time and hour restrictions.

[homiej]

Ok, great! There aren't any neighborhood-wide restrictions?

I remember once in Milwaukee that as a guest I had to enter my plate into some online system. There's none of that in MPLS? Thank god.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by homiej

Ok, great! There aren't any neighborhood-wide restrictions?

I remember once in Milwaukee that as a guest I had to enter my plate into some online system. There's none of that in MPLS? Thank god.

Nope, no neighborhood wide parking restrictions that I'm aware of. The only areas where street parking can be challenging is downtown, uptown and at the U of M. However, ramp parking is available in all of these areas.

[Thegonagle]

There are "Critical Parking" areas in Minneapolis where free parking is limited to two or four hours unless you have a resident permit on the car. Many residential areas near Downtown, Uptown, the U, and major employers are like this. Signs will say things like "2 Hour Parking except by permit MON-FRI 9AM-6PM" Time limits are enforced the old fashioned way: The parking officer walks around and marks each car's tire with chalk, then comes back after the time limit is over. Cars that haven't moved get a ticket.

Many major streets allow parking at all times except rush hour. Read all of the signs on the block.

In places with metered street parking (pretty much all of downtown, the U area, and major streets in uptown), there are two types of meters: individual meters next to the space, and numbered spaces where you pay a central meter that serves the whole block. The central meters take credit cards, dollar bills and coins, and quarters, but most of the individual meters only accept quarters and dollar coins. If you do park in a metered spot, read the days and hours of operation on the meter or space number pole, and read all street signs, as they may restrict parking during rush hour or bar rush times to enable traffic flow.

If the purpose of a parking ban is for traffic flow, especially downtown, the car will be ticketed and issued a "Tow Tag," which allows a city-contracted tow truck to tow it to the Minneapolis impound lot. If the parking officer put the envelope on the car with the red stripe up, there is a tow tag inside. If the red stripe is down, there is not a tow tag inside, but there is still a hefty fine on the ticket. In Minneapolis, it's usually $42, which is really high. 10 years ago, they were only $22, IIRC.

I'd direct you to all the correct information on the Minneapolis web site, but it seems to be down at the moment.

I don't know much about St. Paul, but they have meters and similar types of rush hour restrictions on busy streets. I can't give you solid advice except to be sure you read the meter hours, and all the signs on the block, just like in Minneapolis.

[homiej]

Well none of the times I'd be parking on the street anywhere would be for more than a few hours nor during rush hour, so thanks! I'll be extra careful, though! Cheers!

[xandrex]

Like others have said, unless you're parking downtown, the immediate Uptown area, and areas of the U and Dinkytown, you shouldn't have any problems. Other than downtown, you can also easily avoid paying for any parking simply by finding a nearby side street.

The biggest issue with parking I can think of is during snow emergencies. I'm just happy this year hasn't had any of those (and that I have a guaranteed off-street parking spot!)

[ManBearPig1]

The snow emergency rules in case you run into that

Snow Emergency Parking Rules - City of Minneapolis

[Glenfield]

One more thing-- with the new parking meters, there may not be a meter at each spot. If you see a sign with a number on it like this, there will be a pay box nearby. The good news is that it will take plastic.

new parking meters minneapolis - Google Search