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St. Paul drive-thru vote passes unanimously, allowing new drive-thrus with restrictions

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Published  March 4, 2026 5:05pm CST
St. Paul
FOX 9

The Brief

    • The St. Paul City Council voted Wednesday to allow new drive-thrus in the city, with restrictions.
    • New drive-thrus in the city are not allowed to be located downtown, near high-frequency transit or stand-alone buildings.
    • Minneapolis banned new drive-thrus in 2019.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The St. Paul City Council voted Wednesday to allow new drive-thrus, but restricted where they could be added.

READ MORE: St. Paul drive-thru restrictions eyed by city leaders to improve safety

St. Paul City Council allows new drive-thrus

Big picture view:

New drive-thrus in St. Paul will have to abide by zoning restrictions that prevent them from opening in downtown St. Paul as well as high-frequency transit areas. They also cannot be added to stand-alone buildings.

The council is also requiring more spots for cars to line up, known as "stacking space" in the resolution. New regulations state that restaurants must have 12 spaces and coffee shops must have 14. 

There are also requirements for pedestrian access, which states that it must be provided in a way that does not require pedestrians to cross drive-through lanes or other vehicular circulation. 

Minneapolis banned new drive-thrus back in 2019. 

Dig deeper:

The full resolution can be read below:

The Source: This story uses information gathered from a St. Paul City Council meeting and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

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