Hundreds of cars ticketed, towed in Twin Cities on 1st night of snow emergency
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Crews are still busy clearing snow, and if you're in their way, it will cost you. Hundreds of Minnesotans have already found out the hard way.
At least 470 cars were towed, and more than 1,600 tickets were written in Minneapolis and St. Paul since the snow emergencies started Tuesday night.
"My car got towed sitting in front of my home, and in front of my home there are no signs, no city parking signs as far as that address snow [plow] routes," said Larry Nettles, who's entering his first winter living in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood.
He left the impound lot with his car Wednesday with a wallet that was $275 thinner.
"Two-hundred-and-seventy-five dollars that I don't necessarily have," he said.
MORE: Don't get your wallet plowed during snow emergencies
Lisa Hiebert with St. Paul Public Works says the city dished out nearly 850 tickets overnight and more than 250 vehicles were towed.
"That's actually pretty typical for a first snow emergency," she said.
The snow emergency isn't over yet either. Thursday begins the cleanup phase, which means you can park anywhere, as long as it's already been plowed.
"You don't have to move your car to one street or the other, just please be aware," Hiebert said.
Nettles is considering trying to fight for his money back, because he feels his car was wrongfully towed.
"They sent out warnings over the internet. I didn't receive anything over the internet," he said.
A ticket in St. Paul will run you $56. The tow, on top of the hassle, can cost up to $300.
"Unfortunately, it's not a cheap, 'oops' mistake if you get ticketed and towed," Hiebert said.
Click here to sign up for email and text alerts about snow emergencies in St. Paul. There's also a snow emergency parking map where you can put in your address and it'll tell you where it's safe to park.
St. Paul's snow emergency lasts until 9 p.m. Saturday. For the full rules, click here.
Minneapolis later confirmed with WCCO that 770 tickets were issued and 220 vehicles were towed. Click here to see parking rules in Minneapolis.
Many other cities declared snow emergencies due to Tuesday's storm, which brought anywhere from 7 to 9 inches of snow to parts of the Twin Cities.