Subdivision 1. Payment of charges. The owner or any lienholder of an impounded vehicle shall have a right to reclaim such vehicle from the unit of government or impound lot operator taking it into custody upon payment of all towing and storage charges resulting from taking the vehicle into custody within 15 or 45 days, as applicable under section 168B.051, subdivision 1, 1a, or 2, after the date of the notice required by section 168B.06.

Subd. 2. Lienholder. Nothing in sections 168B.01 to 168B.101 shall be construed to impair any lien of a garagekeeper under the laws of this state, or the right of a lienholder to foreclose. For the purposes of this section "garagekeeper" is an operator of a parking place or establishment, an operator of a motor vehicle storage facility, or an operator of an establishment for the servicing, repair, or maintenance of motor vehicles.

Subd. 3. Retrieval of contents. (a) For purposes of this subdivision:

(1) "contents" does not include any permanently affixed mechanical or nonmechanical automobile parts; automobile body parts; or automobile accessories, including audio or video players; and

(2) "relief based on need" includes, but is not limited to, receipt of MFIP and Diversionary Work Program, medical assistance, general assistance, emergency general assistance, Minnesota supplemental aid, MSA-emergency assistance, MinnesotaCare, Supplemental Security Income, energy assistance, emergency assistance, food stamps, earned income tax credit, or Minnesota working family tax credit.

(b) A unit of government or impound lot operator shall establish reasonable procedures for retrieval of vehicle contents, and may establish reasonable procedures to protect the safety and security of the impound lot and its personnel.

(c) At any time before the expiration of the waiting periods provided in section 168B.051, a registered owner who provides documentation from a government or nonprofit agency or legal aid office that the registered owner is homeless, receives relief based on need, or is eligible for legal aid services, has the unencumbered right to retrieve any and all contents without charge and regardless of whether the registered owner pays incurred charges or fees, transfers title, or reclaims the vehicle.

Subd. 4. Waiver of rights. The failure of the registered owner or lienholders to exercise the right to reclaim the vehicle before the expiration of the waiting periods provided under section 168B.051 constitutes a waiver of all right, title, and interest in the vehicle and a consent to the transfer of title to, and disposal or sale of, the vehicle under section 168B.08. The failure of the registered owner to exercise the right provided under subdivision 3 constitutes a waiver of all right, title, and interest in the contents and a consent to the transfer of title to, and disposal or sale of, the contents under section 168B.08.

History: 1971 c 734 s 7; 1980 c 509 s 57; 1987 c 384 art 2 s 1; 1995 c 137 s 5; 1997 c 108 s 4; 1997 c 251 s 4; 2008 c 350 art 1 s 22,23; 2010 c 351 s 26; 2016 c 158 art 2 s 41