Many communities across the Twin Cities are still under a snow emergency on Thursday following a spring storm that left nearly a foot of snow in some places.

Snow emergency rules can be confusing, so let's break down the protocols in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Minneapolis rules

Starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, you can't park on the even side of the street for any non-emergency snow routes. 

Friday starting at 8 a.m., don't park on the odd side of the street. 

Confused? Don't worry, some Minneapolis residents are, too. But some have figured out a way to keep it all straight.  

"We live on the odd side of the street so we are always on the third day of the snow emergency, so we've got at least a couple of days to make sure that we know what's going on," said Michael Haas. "So as soon as we see the neighbors across the street moving their cars, then we know the next day is our turn."

Also when in doubt, Minneapolis has its own snow emergency app, and there's also an interactive map to check out on the city's website. You can also use 311 for assistance.

People who left their vehicles on city streets overnight are likely making a trip to the impound lot.

"It looked like it was good. It looked the same out there as it did last night so I don't understand why it was towed," said Dre Simms of Minneapolis.

A frustrating morning. An unexpected inconvenience. That's what Minneapolis residents were saying as they showed up to retrieve their vehicles from the impound lot. Simms said it's the second time in two weeks that his SUV has been towed.

"Nobody wants to keep spending money just to get your car out and then it's a hassle just to … I don't know, I don't like it," said Simms.

"They plowed in front of our street already," said Ron Dumas of Minneapolis.

Just like Simms, Dumas thought the snowplows had already been by, so they left his wife's car on the street overnight. He says it cost them $138 to get their vehicle back.

"We thought we were good because they plowed already. They took it anyway," said Dumas.

As Thursday morning wore on, the impound lines got longer. Minneapolis plows are trying to clear 1,000 miles of city streets.

"His apartment building doesn't have a garage, so he does street parking," said Tyler Cohan.

Cohan's co-worker parked a work van on the street and woke up to find it gone. Cohan says it's happened to other workers, too, but in this case, they didn't just have to fork over a towing fee, they had to dig the van out of a snowy mess.

"And he's actually trying to get dug out right now because they brought him in the middle of the snowstorm. So, there's about two feet of snow around the van. He's over there trying to get it out," said Cohan.

St. Paul rules

In the capital city, which saw 8 inches of accumulation on Wednesday, it's a bit more complicated. Snow emergencies go by day and night plow routes. 

On Wednesday night, if you live on a night route plow street, you should have moved your car to a day plow route street. 

Starting Thursday at 8 a.m., those who parked on a day plow street need to move to a night plow street. 

There's also a pilot program happening in the Highland Park and Payne-Phalen neighborhoods, so those rules are completely different. Residents in those neighborhoods should still follow the pilot program rules, not the snow emergency rules. 

Resident Brenda Reuter says she's not sure if the new rules are working too well.

"So quick to ticket us when there's no snow. When there is snow, I don't see them out here," Reuter said. "This is supposed to be a pilot, I don't see them out here."

St. Paul Public Works, however, said only five cars were towed in the two pilot areas.

That pilot program runs through April 12. 

In total, 240 cars were towed and 954 tickets were issued in St. Paul overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

St. Paul's snow emergency lasts until Sunday at 9 p.m. The city's website also has an interactive map that you can check out to help you know where to park. 

Crystal and Eden Prairie have also declared snow emergencies, where parking on public streets is prohibited. West St. Paul also declared a snow emergency Wednesday morning.

In the Twin Cities, 9.5 inches of snow fell, according to the National Weather Service. According to WCCO's Weather Watcher Network, as much as 10 inches of snow was reported in the east metro in St. Paul, near Woodbury.

Here's more information on snow emergencies and closings.