Can pilots fly circling approaches at non-towered airports? So the answer in my mind is "of course pilots can fly circling approaches at non-towered airports" (seriously, I could swear that I've done it before, but then again I can't think of any specific examples....).  

That is, until I ran across this little tidbit in the Air Traffic Control Order while researching another question:


  4-8-6. CIRCLING APPROACH
  
  a. Circling approach instructions may only be given for aircraft landing at airports with operational control towers.


So then the question becomes, why do they have circling minimums at non-towered airports??




No tower here.  
ATC can't clear me to circle.  
Why do we have circling minimums??
The way I understand that ATC order is that it is about "circling approach instructions" which is different than "(circling) approach clearance". They cannot tell you to enter a left downwind, do a right 360, or follow some other specific path to the runway. If they clear you to execute a circling approach to a given runway at a non-towered airport, then the path to the runway is for the pilot to determine, as necessary to separate yourself from other aircraft in the terminal area and land safely.