Minnesota Rethinks Parking Mandates—Will Your City Keep Up?
A parking lot wastes valuable land in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Elected officials are under constant pressure to solve parking issues. Residents expect abundant free parking, and the default response has been to impose strict parking regulations.
But these regulations are completely arbitrary—made up out of thin air—and they actively harm cities. They drive up costs, suppress housing development, create dangerous streets, and weaken the local tax base. Worse yet, they are among the easiest regulations to reform, yet decision-makers are often intimidated by reactionary opposition.
Minnesota is another state that is taking another shot at statewide parking reform. A new bill, SF 1268, is being debated in committee and would prohibit local governments from imposing minimum parking mandates. The bill plainly states: "A political subdivision shall not impose minimum parking mandates for residential, commercial, or industrial properties within its jurisdiction."
While this measure would eliminate unnecessary and costly regulations statewide, opposition has historically come from the places with the most excess parking—small towns and rural areas. Ironically, these are the communities that stand to gain the most from reform. In many cases, outdated mandates require large parking lots for businesses, churches, and housing developments that never fill up, wasting valuable land and limiting economic potential.
Yet, fear of change and misunderstanding of how parking policies impact long-term growth have led to resistance. Nearly all communities struggle with declining tax bases and underutilized infrastructure, both of which could be addressed by removing unnecessary parking mandates and allowing more productive land use.
Strong Towns President Charles Marohn has long advocated for parking reform in his home state, arguing that cities should not wait for legislative action to fix broken regulations. The benefits of eliminating parking mandates are well documented: lower development costs, more financially productive land use, safer streets, and stronger local economies.
Small business entrepreneurs, in particular, benefit from parking reform, as it reduces upfront development costs, frees up valuable space for revenue-generating uses, and makes walkable commercial districts more viable. Cities that act now will be market leaders, rather than falling behind others in business attraction and retention.
If your city is ready to move beyond arbitrary regulations and take control of its financial future, don’t wait for the state to act. Contact Strong Towns to set up an event. Let’s work together to make your community stronger, safer, and more prosperous.
