2026 Minnesota Statutes
169.981 SALE OR TRANSFER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE.
Subdivision 1.Definition.
As used in this section, "law enforcement vehicle" means a vehicle owned or leased by a state or local law enforcement agency.
Subd. 2.Prohibition.
(a) A person must not sell or transfer a law enforcement vehicle to the public unless the person first removes any equipment or insignia that could mislead a reasonable person to believe that the vehicle is a law enforcement vehicle, including any:
(1) emergency lights;
(2) sirens;
(3) amber warning lights;
(4) grille lights;
(5) emblems; or
(6) outlines of emblems.
(b) The requirements in paragraph (a) do not apply to a sale or transfer to the federal government, a state, or a political subdivision.
Subd. 3.Certificate of compliance.
(a) Before consummating a sale or transfer of a law enforcement vehicle that is subject to subdivision 2, paragraph (a), the vehicle owner must provide a certificate of compliance to the buyer or transferee confirming that the vehicle has had the law enforcement equipment and insignia removed.
(b) The commissioner of public safety must design a standard certificate of compliance form and make the form publicly available without fee on the department's publicly accessible website using existing appropriations.
Subd. 4.Violations.
(a) A person who sells or transfers a law enforcement vehicle to the public in violation of this section is liable for:
(1) damages proximately caused by the use of that vehicle during the commission of a crime; and
(2) a civil penalty of $2,500.
(b) Civil penalties collected under this subdivision must be deposited in the Minnesota victims of crime account created in section 299A.708.
Subd. 5.Enforcement.
A county or city attorney may bring an action to recover the civil penalty established under subdivision 4.
Subd. 6.Exemption.
Sales or transfers of law enforcement vehicles to members of the public for the purpose of collection or display are exempt from the requirements of this section if the vehicle is owned and operated solely as a collector's item and not for general transportation purposes and is registered under section 168.10, subdivision 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1g, or 1h.
History:
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes