Car Lockout in Saint Paul, MN

Locked out on a plow route

Saint Paul's Snow Emergency rules can turn a lockout into a deadline. An emergency starts at 9 p.m. and lasts 96 hours:

• signed Night Plow Routes lose parking at 9 p.m., and downtown the ban covers every street, not only signed ones
• Day Plow Routes lose parking at 8 a.m. the next day, until they are plowed to the curb
• the city tickets and tows for up to 96 hours

A car you cannot open can still be ticketed and towed. If yours is on a plow route, say whether it is a Night or Day route, and check the city's current Snow Emergency notice before relying on these times. This is general information, not legal advice.

If the car has already been towed and the keys are lost, the problem becomes car key replacement, not a lockout.

Cold, heat and 911

Keys get shut inside while someone clears snow off the windows, loads a child seat or lets the engine warm up. If the engine is still running, say so. In the cold, do not wait beside the car; a shop, a friend's home or another car is a better place.

If a child or a pet is locked in the car, call 911 first, in any season. A closed car in summer sun heats far past the outside temperature, and deep winter cold is dangerous too.

Where you are and what to send

A clear location matters most. Include:

• the street address or the two nearest cross streets, and which side of the street
• whether the spot is downtown or on a signed Night or Day Plow Route
• the car's year, make and model, and whether it has a turn key or push-button start
• where the keys are: ignition, seat, cup holder or trunk

For the service itself, see car lockout; the Saint Paul page has more local notes.