Minnesota Rest Area & Parking Rules
Ten hours if you are a CMV driver complying with federal HOS, 4 hours for everyone else (Minn. Stat. 160.2721). Minnesota puts the HOS carve-out in writing and voids any lease term that tries to shorten it; just use a stall built for a truck. Non-CMV rigs left past 4 hours can be towed as abandoned. Minnesota 511 shows live truck-parking counts. This is a reference, not legal advice.
Sleeping overnight in Minnesota
Ten hours if you are a CMV driver complying with federal HOS, 4 hours for everyone else (Minn. Stat. 160.2721). Minnesota puts the HOS carve-out in writing and voids any lease term that tries to shorten it; just use a stall built for a truck. Non-CMV rigs left past 4 hours can be towed as abandoned. Minnesota 511 shows live truck-parking counts. This is a reference, not legal advice.
Limits, truck parking, and HOS rest
- Time limit: 10 hours for a commercial driver complying with 49 CFR Part 395; 4 hours for other vehicles
- MAASTO TPIMS state. MnDOT and Minnesota 511 (511mn.org) show real-time truck-parking counts at rest areas; select the truck-parking layer. Metro-area spaces are tight. Travel information centers count as rest areas under the 10-hour rule.
- HOS: yes, explicit. Minn. Stat. 160.2721 lets a CMV driver under 49 CFR 395 park up to 10 hours to comply and voids any lease term that tries to limit it. Non-CMV vehicles are held to 4 hours, and one left longer can be treated as abandoned under Minn. Stat. 168B (the 4-hour, properly-posted-property provision appears in both 168B.011's definition and 168B.04's impound authority). Dual lens: statute and posted limits line up; just park in a stall built for a truck. Travel information centers are covered too. Weigh stations are not overnight rest stops.
What overstaying costs
No fixed statutory dollar figure. A non-CMV vehicle left past 4 hours can be tagged and towed as abandoned (Minn. Stat. 168B). A CMV overstaying 10 hours gets a move-along or citation.
Minnesota Rest Area FAQ
Can you park overnight at a rest area in Minnesota?
Is there a time limit at Minnesota rest areas?
What happens if you overstay at a Minnesota rest area?
Reference information for planning, not legal advice. Traffic laws change and this can be out of date, so always confirm the current statute and obey posted signs before you rely on it. Last reviewed July 2026. Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/160.2721. See our Terms & Disclaimer.
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