Can You Make Your Own ‘No Parking Zones’ in New York State?
Are you tired of people parking in your spot or in front of your house? Can you take matters into your own hands and make your own zones legally?
Parking can be a total nightmare in many cities here in New York. Are you allowed to paint your own zones in front of your house?
New York is a crowded place. Parking is always a commodity. What if you don't want someone to park in front of your house? Can you ask the city you live in to make designated 'parking' or 'no parking' spots?
A post in a local Facebook group showed how a Beacon resident reportedly had city workers paint yellow lines in front of their driveway to show that there is no parking allowed in that spot.
The post appears to be real though we can't confirm who actually painted these lines. The homeowner could have painted them. If it is fake and your city or town won't paint parking zones for you are you allowed to make your own parking spots in New York? Would they even hold up? Who would enforce these parking rules even f they were real?
Can You Make Your Own 'No Parking Zones' in New York State?
I wouldn't advise anyone to do this on their own.
We asked local attorney Alex Mainetti if he thought these signs would hold up.
"Typically road signs, markings, traffic devices, etc. must be approved by the State or superintendent of highways and/or the Town/City Board. I find it very unlikely that a municipality would draw this no parking sign on the roadway simply because a resident made the request. By that logic every resident could make this request resulting in the roadway being completely full of these no parking road markings, which could be dangerous to certain motorists not understanding what they mean. As far as enforcement, it would only be a violation if the no parking road marking/sign was enacted or installed by the municipality. Law enforcement will not cite someone for violating a traffic device or road marking that was not sanctioned or created by a municipality." - Alex Mainetti, Mainetti & Mainetti
People seem to alter spots in commercial lots frequently. There are several tutorials on YouTube:
25 of the Worst Parking Jobs in Upstate New York
Gallery Credit: Nick Kessler