There are more than three dozen legal and religious holidays in New York City in 2019 when alternate side parking (ASP) rules are suspended, and you don’t have to move your car.
Note that No Stopping, No Standing, No Parking and parking meter regulations remain in effect on all but six of those holidays.
They are suspended only on what are called major legal holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Alternate Side Parking rules also may be suspended because of snow emergencies or other emergencies.
It’s important to know NYC parking rules, since a parking ticket could cost you $100 or more.
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Alternate-side parking rules
Alternate-side parking refers to the clearing of parked cars on New York City streets, usually once or twice a week, to accommodate the Department of Sanitation street-sweeping. It’s also a way of forcing owners to move their cars on a regular basis, and not turn parts of public streets into personal free garage space.
You risk a parking ticket if you don’t follow the rules and move your vehicle for the time prescribed on the street sign nearest to where you had been parking.
Additional parking rules
In addition to alternate-side parking rules, be aware of other parking signs and rules. Violating any of these during the times listed on the signs also could mean you are ticketed, or ticketed and towed away.
- No Stopping: You cannot stop to drop off/pick up passengers, load/unload packages or luggage, or wait with your car.
- No Standing: You can stop to drop off/pick up passengers, but cannot load/unload packages or luggage or wait with your car.
- No Parking: You can stop to drop off/pick up passengers or load/unload packages or luggage, but you cannot wait with your car.
On major legal holidays, standing, stopping, and parking sign rules are generally suspended except where the signs say they are in effect seven days a week. A sign that says No Standing Anytime means exactly that, legal holiday or not.
Temporary Suspensions. Alternate side parking regulations may be suspended temporarily in parts of the City in order to post new regulations. When the Department of Sanitation must change street cleaning rules, regulations are suspended temporarily to allow DOT to update signs in the affected area. These suspensions do not affect parking rules other than alternate side parking rules.
When the new signage has been posted, the Department of Sanitation provides a week long grace period while crews clean streets according to the newly posted schedule, but will not issue summonses. At the conclusion of the grace period, enforcement of the new rules begins.
Hydrants. The rule is to give 15ft from either side of the hydrant, to allow adequate room for emergency vehicles including fire engines, EMS and ambulances.
Double parking. It’s illegal at all times, including during street-cleaning days, even though just about everybody does it and vehicles double-parked for alternate side parking are rarely ticketed.
Legal holidays. On major legal holidays, standing, stopping, and parking sign rules are generally suspended except in cases where the signs say they are in effect seven days a week, i.e. “No Standing Anytime.” (See below for a full distinction between legal and religious holidays.)
Towing. In addition to getting a ticket, your car can get towed in New York City if it is parked or operated anywhere illegally or has missing or expired inspection or registration stickers. Expect to spend most of a day getting your vehicle out of the Tow Pound, plus paying mightily for the privelege, plus the price of the ticket.
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