Last month, Minneapolis declared the first snow emergency of the season. It was reported that 670 cars in the city were impounded and 476 cars were towed in neighboring St. Paul. Parking enforcement officers also issued 1,306 tickets during the snow emergency period.

While snow emergencies are called to allow plow to clear the roads, vehicle owners are often taken off guard as to the parking rules and regulations, resulting in a missing car the next morning.

To avoid having your car towed and ticketed in Minneapolis, you can sign up to receive email, text, and phone call alerts. You can also use the city’s online portal to find out where you can park during the snow emergency. There’s also an app that provides this information directly to your smartphone (android) (iphone). For offline info, call (612) 348-SNOW.

For residents of St. Paul, subscribe to SnowAlert to receive email or text messages when a snow emergency is declared. More information about parking rules can be found online or by calling (651) 266-PLOW.

Being informed on the parking rules during a snow emergency can save you money and a lot of hassle.

In St. Paul, residents are charged $209 to get their cars back if they retrieve their vehicle before midnight of the day it was towed. Tickets during the snow emergency tack on another $56.

In Minneapolis, tickets during the snow emergency will cost you $45 and the city charges $138 for the tow.

As we’re bound to see more of the white stuff this winter, take measures to get the proper parking information for your area and rest assured that your vehicle will be where you parked it the night before.