Transportation, Vehicle Services, and Parking use group.
Minneapolis Code of Ordinances § 545.160
in effect545.160. - Transportation, Vehicle Services, and Parking use group.
(a) Description and characteristics. The Transportation, Vehicle Services, and Parking use group includes the sale, rental, maintenance, storage, and parking of vehicles. It also includes services that rely heavily on fleets of vehicles or trains.
(b) Use categories. This use group includes the following use categories:
(1) Automobile Services.
a. Description and characteristics. Automobile Services provide for the sale, servicing, maintenance, repair, and cleaning of passenger automobiles.
b. Examples. Examples of automobile services include but are not limited to: automobile rental, car washes, electric vehicle charging hubs, enclosed automobile sales, gas stations existing on the effective date of this ordinance, major automobile repair, minor automobile repair, motorized scooter sales, and neighborhood electric vehicle sales.
c. Exceptions.
1. Newly established gas stations are prohibited.
2. Maintenance and repair of commercial vehicles and industrial transportation equipment are Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services uses.
3. Wholesale automobile dealers, where vehicles are not stored on-site, are considered an office use.
4. Electric vehicle charging hubs will be classified as a principal use only when no other principal use exists on the same zoning lot and the use is intended as a destination specifically for vehicle charging. Principal parking lots that include charging infrastructure are not automatically classified as electric vehicle charging hubs. Electric vehicle charging is an allowed accessory use wherever off-street parking is allowed.
(2) Industrial Transportation Services.
a. Description and characteristics. Industrial Transportation Services include the movement and transfer of freight utilizing trains or large-scale trucks, and the storage of fleets of waste collection vehicles.
b. Examples. Examples of industrial transportation services include but are not limited to: intermodal containerized freight facilities, motor freight terminals, railroad switching yards and freight terminals, railroad rights of way, and waste haulers.
(3) Principal Parking.
a. Description and characteristics. Principal parking includes surface parking lots and parking structures that provide parking primarily for passenger automobiles where the parking is not accessory to a principal use. In addition, a parking lot or parking structure that is the sole or primary use on a zoning lot is classified as a principal parking facility regardless of whether it serves as off-site parking for a specific use or uses. When a parking facility exists on a lot with other principal uses and the number of parking spaces exceeds the property's maximum parking standard and/or appears intended to serve a broader geographic area, the zoning administrator may determine that the parking facility is a principal use.
b. Examples. Principal parking includes but is not limited to: off-site parking lots serving multiple-family residential uses and congregate living uses, off-site parking lots serving institutional and civic uses, principal parking lots, and principal parking structures.
c. Exceptions. Facilities providing longer-term storage of vehicles, such as motor vehicle storage lots, towing services, and impound lots, are classified as Vehicle Storage uses.
(4) Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services.
a. Description and characteristics. Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services provide facilities for the dispatching, parking, and/or loading of fleets of commercial vehicles whose primary function is the transportation of goods or people, including facilities where goods are transferred or loaded into commercial vehicles. This use category will include dispatch offices when determined by the zoning administrator that the use is likely to include frequent commercial vehicle traffic or parking. Sales, service, and rental of commercial and recreational vehicles is also included.
b. Examples. Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services include but are not limited to: ambulance services; bus garages and maintenance facilities; cannabis delivery service with on-site vehicle fleets; cannabis transporter with on-site vehicle fleets; courier and package delivery services with on-site vehicle fleets; horse and carriage assembly/transfer sites; limousine services; sales, service, and rental of trucks, trailers, boats, and recreational vehicles; and taxicab services.
c. Exceptions.
1. Package delivery services primarily dedicated to public pick-up and drop-off will be considered a General Retail Sales and Services use when commercial vehicles are not stored on the site. Package delivery services that primarily utilize alternatives to commercial vehicles with internal combustion engines, including small vehicles and cargo bicycles, may be considered a General Retail Sales and Services use regardless of whether such vehicles are kept on the site.
2. Public post offices operated by the United States Postal Service are a General Retail Sales and Services use. Facilities engaged primarily in processing, transferring, and transporting mail or packages, particularly without a service that is open to the public, are classified as Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services.
3. Warehouses or other facilities where loading and shipment of vehicles is accessory and incidental to the principal use are not classified as Vehicle Fleet-Oriented Services.
(5) Vehicle Storage.
a. Description and characteristics. Vehicle Storage uses typically provide parking spaces for vehicles on a longer-term basis than parking facilities. They may be indoors or outdoors and may serve multiple types of vehicles, including commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. Due to the storage function, individual parking spaces for the stored vehicles are typically not designated and vehicles may be parked in tandem without direct access to a drive aisle. A fee is typically charged to store or to retrieve stored vehicles. Vehicles may or may not be in operable condition.
b. Examples. Vehicle Storage uses include but are not limited to: motor vehicle storage lots, public impound lots, and towing services.
c. Exceptions.
1. Self-service storage uses where less than fifty (50) percent of the total square footage of storage space is accessible for vehicle storage are classified as a Warehousing and Storage use within the Production use group.
2. Truck trailer storage, where the motorized cab is often not attached, is classified as a Warehousing and Storage use within the Production use group.
(Ord. No. 2024-041, § 4, 10-31-2024; Ord. No. 2025-023, § 33, 5-15-2025)
Source: City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Park and Recreation Board Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/mn/minneapolis/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOOR_TIT20ZOCO_CH545USRE_ARTIPRUS_545.160TRVESEPAUSGRFetched: 11/2/2026