Disclosure: this guide contains referral links, marked where they appear. Market data is independently measured from public sources on the dates shown.
Minnesota is one of the better-drafted states on this subject, and one of the more procedural. Its statute names mini trucks, defines them properly, and requires — as a condition of the class — that the vehicle was not originally manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The fact other states use to refuse these trucks is, here, part of the definition of what they are.
Road use then runs through a county or city ordinance and, unlike most opt-in states, an actual permit — with a sheriff’s inspection, an insurance certificate, annual renewal, and in at least one county, three-inch identifying numbers on the front and rear of the truck.
I research Japan’s used vehicle market from Sapporo. Below is the statute, a real county ordinance quoted in detail, and what it costs.
The Short Answer
- The definition fits, deliberately. 660cc or less, total dry weight 900–2,200 lb, enclosed cab, resembles a pickup or van, and not built to FMVSS.
- No length or width limit — Minnesota avoided the trap several other states fell into.
- Road use requires a local ordinance and a permit. Authorisation “is by permit only.”
- The ordinance may require a physician’s certificate that you can safely operate the vehicle.
- The state’s daylight and inclement-weather limits name golf carts, ATVs and UTVs — not mini trucks. But counties may impose their own, and at least one does.
- Insurance: 30/60/10 liability, $40,000 no-fault PIP, plus uninsured and underinsured motorist cover.
The Definition Minnesota Wrote
Minn. Stat. § 169.011, subdivision 40a, defines a mini truck as:
a motor vehicle that has four wheels; is propelled by an electric motor with a rated power of 7,500 watts or less or an internal combustion engine with a piston displacement capacity of 660 cubic centimeters or less; has a total dry weight of 900 to 2,200 pounds; contains an enclosed cabin and a seat for the vehicle operator; commonly resembles a pickup truck or van, including a cargo area or bed located at the rear of the vehicle; and was not originally manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards required of motor vehicles in the Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, sections 571.101 to 571.404, and successor requirements.
Four observations, and the last one is a correction to something I have written elsewhere on this site.
The weight figure is a band, not a ceiling. 900 to 2,200 pounds. A kei truck sits in the middle at roughly 1,500–1,900 lb on the manufacturers’ own figures, and the lower bound does the work of excluding golf carts. Compare Indiana’s flat 1,600 lb cap, which some kei trucks genuinely exceed.
There is no length or width limit at all. So the 130-inch problem that affects Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Massachusetts’ pending bill — the Japanese standard replaced in 1998 — cannot arise here.
“Commonly resembles a pickup truck or van” is a functional test rather than a measured one, which is how you keep side-by-sides out without a tape measure.
And the FMVSS clause is not unique to Ohio. When I wrote the Ohio guide I described Ohio’s requirement that a mini-truck “was not originally manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards” as something no other state does. Minnesota has the same clause, in nearly the same words, with the same 900–2,200 lb band and the same “resembles a pickup truck or van” test. These two states share a template, and it is a good one. I have corrected the Ohio page accordingly.
Road Use: Ordinance Plus Permit
Minn. Stat. § 169.045 is the operating provision, and it is stricter procedurally than most opt-in states.
A county, home rule charter or statutory city, or town may by ordinance authorise the operation of motorized golf carts, all-terrain vehicles, utility task vehicles or mini trucks on designated roadways under its jurisdiction. The ordinance must designate the roadways, prescribe the form of the permit application, and require evidence of insurance complying with § 65B.48, subdivision 5.
Then the sentence that separates Minnesota from Ohio: “Authorization to operate a motorized golf cart, all-terrain vehicle, utility task vehicle, or mini truck is by permit only.”
In Ohio a qualifying ordinance opens the streets to any compliant vehicle. In Minnesota the ordinance opens a process, and you still have to be granted a permit for your specific truck. Permits may run up to three years with renewal, and may be revoked on safety grounds. An ordinance may also require, as a condition, a certificate signed by a physician that the applicant can safely operate the vehicle.
One provision worth knowing: operators may cross any street or highway intersecting a designated roadway, which prevents the network from being cut into disconnected pieces.
The daylight and weather question
Read this part carefully, because the statute and the county practice can differ.
Section 169.045 provides that “motorized golf carts, all-terrain vehicles, and utility task vehicles may only be operated on designated roadways from sunrise to sunset, unless equipped with original equipment headlights, taillights, and rear-facing brake lights,” and that those same three types “shall not be operated in inclement weather.”
Mini trucks are not named in either sentence. That makes sense — a kei truck has factory headlights, tail lights and brake lights, and a heated enclosed cab, so the reasons behind those restrictions do not apply to it.
But the statute also lets an ordinance “prescribe conditions,” and counties use that power. Clearwater County’s mini truck ordinance applies the restrictions anyway, as we will see. So the honest answer is: the state does not impose daylight or weather limits on mini trucks; your county may. Ask before you plan winter work around it.
A Real Ordinance, in Detail
Abstract advice about “checking your county” is only useful if you know what to expect. Clearwater County’s ordinance is published in full and shows what a permit process actually involves.
Where you may drive: all gravel and paved County State Aid Highways and County Aid Roads, by permit. You must operate on the extreme right-hand side and make left turns across the road only when safe.
What the permit requires:
- Application on a county form, issued for a specific mini truck
- Proof of liability insurance, with a certificate submitted at application and carried at all times when operating
- Make, model number, serial number and year of the truck
- A current valid driver’s licence, photocopied for county records
- An inspection by the Sheriff’s Office to confirm the equipment required under § 169.045
- A permit number, and self-adhesive numbers at least three inches tall applied to the front and rear of that specific truck
- Annual renewal on a calendar year, with the fee set by the County Board — no pro-rating and no refunds
What it restricts: no operation from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise; none in inclement weather or when visibility is impaired by weather, smoke or fog, or when you cannot clearly see persons and vehicles at 500 feet. Violation is a petty misdemeanour with a penalty up to $300.
Clearwater is one county of eighty-seven and its conditions are its own. But the shape is instructive: the questions to ask your county are the permit fee, who inspects, what the equipment list is, whether daylight and weather restrictions are imposed on mini trucks, and whether numbers must be displayed.
Insurance and Cost
Minnesota requires $30,000 for injuries to one person, $60,000 for two or more, and $10,000 property damage, plus $40,000 of no-fault personal injury protection — $20,000 for medical and $20,000 for non-medical — and both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. That is a fuller stack than most states, and § 169.045 makes evidence of it a condition of the ordinance itself.
The import friction is the usual one: a Japanese chassis number is not a 17-character VIN, so online quote forms will reject it and this becomes a telephone call. Ask for an agreed-value policy rather than actual cash value.
On the county side, budget the permit fee (set locally), the sheriff’s inspection appointment, and the annual renewal. None of these is large individually; the point is that they recur and that the permit is tied to one specific truck, so selling the vehicle does not transfer it.
What Minnesota Owners Actually Do
- Use it on their own land, which needs no ordinance, permit or inspection. Minnesota has a great deal of farm, lake and woodlot property, and this is the default use.
- Check whether the county has an ordinance before buying, not after. Many counties have one; many do not, and the answer is genuinely local.
- Ask specifically about daylight and weather conditions for mini trucks, since the state statute does not impose them but counties can.
- Keep the truck standard and well lit. The sheriff’s inspection is an equipment check, and a truck with all its original lighting intact is the one that passes without a second visit.
For Reference: What These Trucks Cost
This is the Japan-side market, measured August 19, 2026 — every eligible truck listed publicly in Japan, at ¥159/USD:
| Model | Listings in Japan | Median price in Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Subaru Sambar | 78 | ¥364,000 (≈$2,289) |
| Mitsubishi Minicab | 64 | ¥394,000 (≈$2,478) |
| Honda Acty | 80 | ¥398,000 (≈$2,503) |
| Suzuki Carry | 99 | ¥399,000 (≈$2,509) |
| Daihatsu Hijet | 60 | ¥453,000 (≈$2,849) |
Landed cost runs about $4,800–6,700 depending on specification, itemised in the cost guide, with the raw dataset published so you can recount any figure.
Two Minnesota notes on specification. Buy 4WD — it is ordinary equipment on this supply rather than a rare option, and on gravel county roads and snow it is the entire point; the off-road guide has the measured shares by model. And Minnesota salts heavily with long winters, so the underbody advice from the Michigan guide applies without modification: prefer a truck from a warm, dry Japanese prefecture, read the auction sheet for C codes rather than paint grade, and undercoat it in the first month. Confirm the heater works before you bid — it is standard equipment on these trucks and it is the thing you will care about most from November to March.
Minnesota wrote a real class for these trucks; the work is at the county counter rather than in the statute. Once the permit question is answered, condition is the decision — CAR FROM JAPAN publishes the inspector’s auction sheet with each vehicle, which is also what you want in hand for a sheriff’s equipment inspection. My referral code takes $100 off a first purchase: enter KEITRUCK at the order step (referral link).
FAQ
Are kei trucks legal in Minnesota?
Minnesota defines mini trucks in statute and allows counties, cities and towns to authorise them on designated roadways by ordinance — but authorisation is by permit only. Without a local ordinance and a permit for your specific truck, road use is not available. Private-property use needs neither.
Does my truck fit Minnesota’s definition?
Almost certainly. The requirements are four wheels, 660cc or less, a total dry weight between 900 and 2,200 lb, an enclosed cabin with an operator’s seat, a pickup or van resemblance with a rear bed, and — as a positive requirement — that the vehicle was not originally manufactured to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards. There is no length or width limit.
What does a permit involve?
It varies by county. In Clearwater County: a county application form for one specific truck, an insurance certificate, the truck’s make, model, serial number and year, a photocopied driver’s licence, a Sheriff’s Office equipment inspection, three-inch identifying numbers on the front and rear, and annual renewal with a locally set fee.
Can I drive it after dark or in snow?
The state statute imposes daylight and inclement-weather limits on golf carts, ATVs and UTVs, and does not name mini trucks. But counties may prescribe their own conditions, and Clearwater County applies both restrictions to mini trucks. Ask your county before relying on either answer.
What insurance does Minnesota require?
30/60/10 liability, $40,000 of no-fault personal injury protection, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. The ordinance itself must require evidence of insurance.
Can I use one on my own land?
Yes, with no ordinance, permit, inspection or numbers. Everything on this page concerns public roadways.