Minneapolis offers travelers and residents alike a wide variety of activities to explore. The good news is that you can find free street parking all over the city. The bad news: it is a tricky game to play. But don’t worry SpotAngels is here to the rescue 🙂
This guide will grant you Minneapolis street parking superhero powers:
- An understanding of where free street parking spots are. (Check out this street parking map!)
- Familiarity with parking rules in Minneapolis
Street Parking Map
The map below will show you all the spots where you can park, their price and how long you can stay without getting a ticket.
The map updates in real-time, so simply type in the address you’re parking near, the time you expect to be there, and your duration. The green spots are the ones that are free of charge!
Pro tip: the spots that have a yellow halo are those where you are more likely to find parking. The information is constantly provided by the SpotAngels community.
Minneapolis Parking Rules
While the authorities of Minneapolis post “no parking” signs for many parking restrictions, there are some common parking rules that they do not post signs for, that everyone who needs street parking in Minneapolis should know. Such as:
- You may not park a vehicle within 20 feet of an intersection; within 10 feet of a fire hydrant; within 5 feet of a private road, driveway or alley; within 30 feet of the front side of a stop sign or traffic signal; within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing;
- It’s prohibited to stop, idle or park a vehicle on a sidewalk, sidewalk crossing or boulevard.
You can find below a list of Minneapolis most common parking signs:
No parking – this block: You may NOT park during the posted hours usually to allow street sweeping. You risk getting your car towed-away if you park when not authorized.
No Parking sign: You may NOT park during the posted hours. Otherwise, you risk getting your car towed-away. This sign comes sometimes with excempted vehicles that may park.
Meter enforced: When you see this sign or a meter, you have to pay to park. There’s a parking time limit to take into consideration.
Reserved parking : You may park in that spot only if you hold the permit indicated.
Minneapolis parking meters
Every meter has meter rates and time limits posted at the space. There are 6 easy steps to parking at a meter:
- Park at a meter marked with a space number.
- Look at the time limit, hours enforced and any other restrictions and make sure to follow them.
- Note the space number.
- Find the nearest pay station (or use the mobile app).
- Follow the prompts to make your payment and print your receipt.
- Keep your receipt — it shows your space number and the time it will expire.
Minneapolis Snow Emergency
When a snow emergency is declared by the authorities, it’s prohibited to park in the streets that have the red sign: Snow Emergency Route. You can however park on either side of non-Snow Emergency routes.
Critical parking permits
If you live or have a business in a critical parking area, you can apply for a critical parking permit. This permit will give you more access where there’s limited street parking.
Critical Parking Permits are valid for a year and they cost $25.00, transferable permits for service vehicles and visitors are $10.00 each. Temporary permits are priced at $2.00 or $5.00 depending on their duration.
To get the permit you need a valid government-issued ID or a document that proves your residency (A signed lease, Utility bill, Credit card bill, Insurance statement), get your vehicle information (make, model and year) and license plate number ready and apply on the Critical Parking Permitting site.
Minneapolis Parking Tickets
You can pay your fines here: www.mncourts.gov/fines
Parking fines and citations can be expensive in Minneapolis. Make sure to use the SpotAngels parking app when you park. You will receive notifications and text messages to remind you to move your car!
Minneapolis Parking Holidays:
Minneapolis meters are free during parking holidays! Here they are:
| Start Date | Parking Holiday | End Date |
| 2024-01-01 | New Year's Day | 2024-01-01 |
| 2024-01-15 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | 2024-01-15 |
| 2024-02-19 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | 2024-02-19 |
| 2024-05-27 | Memorial Day | 2024-05-27 |
| 2024-07-04 | Independence Day | 2024-07-04 |
| 2024-09-02 | Labor Day | 2024-09-02 |
| 2024-10-14 | Indigenous Peoples' Day | 2024-10-14 |
| 2024-11-11 | Veterans day | 2024-11-11 |
| 2024-11-28 | Thanksgiving Day | 2024-11-28 |
| 2024-11-29 | Day after Thanksgiving | 2024-11-29 |
| 2024-12-25 | Christmas Day | 2024-12-25 |
To know which specific regulations are suspended on these days and find parking on the go, download the SpotAngels app. It is free, the data is constantly updated by the community and it was featured as the best parking app by Apple and Google!
