HOA Towed Your Car? When Towing Is and Isn't Allowed in Minnesota

You walked outside, ready to head to work or pick up your kids, and your car was gone. Not stolen — towed. By order of your homeowners association. If this has happened to you, you know that sinking, frustrated feeling of being blindsided by a tow you didn't see coming, followed quickly by the question: were they even allowed to do that? The answer in Minnesota is not always a simple yes. State law and your HOA's own governing documents place real limits on when and how a vehicle can be towed from a common interest community — and understanding those limits is the first step toward pushing back in an organized, informed way.

What State Law Generally Says

Minnesota's primary framework for regulating HOAs in common interest communities is the Minnesota Common Interest Ownership Act, found at Minn. Stat. Chapter 515B (MCIOA). Under this framework, an HOA generally derives its enforcement authority — including the authority to arrange for vehicle towing — from its declaration and governing documents. That authority, however, is not unlimited. Under Minn. Stat. §515B.3-102, an HOA is generally required to enforce its rules uniformly and consistently across all members. This means that if the association is towing vehicles in your driveway or on your parking pad but routinely overlooking identical situations for other homeowners, that selective enforcement pattern may not align with what the statute appears to require. If you want a broader picture of what HOAs can legally enforce, that general guide is a useful starting point.

On the question of notice and process, Minn. Stat. §515B.3-102(a)(11) generally requires that fines — and by extension, punitive actions like towing that carry financial consequences — be levied only after the homeowner has received notice and an opportunity to be heard before the board or a committee the board appoints. As of January 1, 2024, Minnesota tightened these requirements further: violation notices must now specify the exact violation, the date of levy, and the specific section of the CC&Rs that was allegedly violated. A notice that is vague, generic, or missing those elements may not satisfy what the statute appears to require. Additionally, as of that same date, associations generally cannot charge attorney fees to a homeowner unless the fine or action is ultimately upheld at final disposition — so a fee line on your towing bill or fine notice may warrant a closer look at whether it complies with current law.

It is also worth knowing that Minnesota law places specific signage and notice requirements on towing from private property more broadly. Under Minnesota's private towing statutes, parking areas must typically be posted with clearly visible signs stating that unauthorized vehicles will be towed, where vehicles will be taken, and how to retrieve them. If your HOA arranged a tow from a parking area that lacked proper signage — or if you received no prior warning that your specific vehicle was at risk of being towed — those facts are worth documenting carefully. Minnesota does not set a statutory dollar cap on HOA fines, but fines (and related costs) are generally required to be reasonable. An exorbitant towing fee or administrative charge added on top may not meet that standard, depending on the full picture of your situation.

Steps a Homeowner Can Consider

Step 1: Document Everything Right Away

Before anything else, you may want to photograph or video the exact location where your vehicle was parked. Capture the area from multiple angles, paying particular attention to whether any towing warning signs are posted and, if so, what they say. Note the sign's height, visibility, and exact wording. Write down the date, time, and a description of everything you observe while your memory is fresh. If neighbors witnessed the tow, consider asking whether they would be willing to write a brief statement about what they saw. This kind of contemporaneous documentation often proves far more useful than recollections gathered weeks later.

Step 2: Retrieve Your Governing Documents and Review the Parking Rules

Your HOA's authority to tow vehicles should appear somewhere in its governing documents — typically the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions), the bylaws, or a separately adopted parking policy. Pull out the copies you received at closing, or request current copies from the association. Review the parking and vehicle sections carefully. Ask yourself: does the document actually authorize towing, or only fines? Does it require a warning or notice period before a tow can be initiated? Does it specify which areas towing applies to? If the tow happened in a way that does not appear to match what the governing documents authorize, that is a meaningful detail to include in any written response you send. Understanding what your HOA can and cannot do under its own governing framework can help you read these documents more critically.

Step 3: Submit a Written Records Request

Under Minn. Stat. §515B.3-118, your HOA is generally required to make association records available and respond to member requests within 10 business days. You may want to send a written request — via certified mail with return receipt, so you have proof of delivery — asking for copies of the parking policy currently in effect, the board resolution or authorization that permitted the tow of your specific vehicle, any written notice sent to you before the tow was initiated, the name and contact information of the towing company used, and the association's towing contract or agreement. Keeping this request professional and specific tends to get better results than a broad or emotional ask. Hold onto the certified mail receipt and any responses you receive.

Step 4: Send a Written Dispute Letter Referencing the Relevant Statutes

Once you have your documents in hand, consider drafting a formal written dispute to the HOA board. This letter should clearly state the facts as you understand them, reference the specific governing document provisions (or apparent lack thereof) that relate to the tow, and cite the applicable statutes — such as the notice and hearing requirements under Minn. Stat. §515B.3-102(a)(11) — that appear relevant to your situation. The goal is not to make accusations but to put your concerns on the record in a calm, organized, statute-referenced way. Request reimbursement of towing and storage costs if you believe the tow was not properly authorized. Again, certified mail is worth the extra cost, because delivery confirmation matters if this escalates.

Step 5: Request a Hearing Before the Board

If the HOA treats the towing incident as a violation and assesses a fine, Minnesota law generally requires that you have the opportunity to be heard before the board or a committee before that fine is finalized. You may want to formally request that hearing in writing. Come prepared with your documentation, photographs, timeline, and a copy of the governing document language you believe is relevant. HOA appeal deadlines vary by association, so check any notice you received for a stated deadline and treat it seriously. For a general overview of how this process typically works, the guide on how to appeal an HOA fine walks through the common steps.

When to Talk to a Licensed Attorney

Self-help steps like the ones above are often appropriate when the dispute involves a single tow, a modest dollar amount, and an HOA that is at least communicating with you. But some situations call for professional legal guidance, and it is worth being honest about where those lines are. If your HOA has placed a lien on your home, threatened foreclosure, or filed a lawsuit against you, please consult a licensed attorney in Minnesota before taking further action on your own. The same applies if you believe you are being targeted because of a protected characteristic — race, national origin, disability, familial status — which may implicate federal fair housing laws that go well beyond what a self-help document tool can address.

Retaliation is another situation worth flagging. Under Minn. Stat. §515B.3-102, retaliation against homeowners for asserting their legal rights is generally prohibited — but proving retaliation and responding to it effectively often requires legal strategy that goes beyond