Mount Vernon's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In Mount Vernon, New York, there are 9 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

EV Charging

In Mount Vernon's MVW Transit-Oriented Development District near the Mount Vernon West train station, any parking lot with more than 150 spaces must include at least two electric vehicle charging stations, under the zoning code's off-street parking design standards for that district in Westchester County, New York.

Key details: Trigger threshold: Parking lots with more than 150 spaces. Required EV spaces: At least two per qualifying lot. Applies in: MVW Transit-Oriented Development District only. Governing law: City of Mount Vernon Code Section 267-19. Reviewing body: Planning Board site plan approval.

There is no separate citation or fine schedule for missing EV spaces because the rule is enforced through site plan approval rather than after-the-fact ticketing. The Planning Board, or on expedited-review projects the City Council and Architectural Review Board, will not approve a site plan for a covered MVW District parking lot that omits the two required electric vehicle charging spaces, and the Department of Buildings will not issue a certificate of occupancy for a project built without them.

RV & Boat Parking

Mount Vernon bans parking any trailer or house car used for living or sleeping quarters anywhere in the city, including private driveways and yards, unless it sits inside a City-licensed automobile trailer camp. Licensed camps are allowed only in industrial zoning districts, so there is effectively nowhere in a residential neighborhood to park one.

Key details: Rule: no living-quarters trailer parked outside licensed camp. Applies: citywide, including driveways and yards. Licensed camps allowed only in: industrial zoning districts. Camp license investigation fee: $25. Unit-to-unit spacing in camp: 20 feet minimum.

Chapter 246 does not set a fixed dollar fine for parking a living-quarters trailer outside a licensed camp; § 246-20 instead makes any owner, lessee, licensee, or occupant who violates the chapter liable for "the penalty therefor," with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Operating an unlicensed trailer camp is separately unlawful under § 246-4.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Mount Vernon actively enforces its rv & boat parking requirements.

Street Parking Limits

Mount Vernon's Traffic Code bars parking that blocks a driveway or obstructs a lawfully parked vehicle, and separately forbids parking in emergency access lanes and licensed taxicab stands. The Department of Public Safety and City Court enforce both provisions citywide, with fines that escalate for repeat offenders under the chapter's general penalty section.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 256-15. Related ban: § 256-9 emergency/taxicab areas. First-offense fine: up to $150 or 15 days. Fine after 30 days unpaid: doubles to $300. Fine after 60 days unpaid: triples to $450.

Violating § 256-15 or § 256-9 is punished under § 256-23: a first offense carries a fine of up to $150 or up to 15 days in jail, or both. An unpaid fine doubles to $300 after 30 days and triples to $450 after 60 days. Officers may also tow a vehicle obstructing a driveway at the owner's request under § 256-12.

Snow Removal Parking Rules

Once three or more inches of snow falls within 24 hours, Mount Vernon declares a public snow emergency and bans parking on any street being cleared. The Department of Public Works and Fire Department can tow vehicles that block plows, and fines for violators climb steeply with repeat offenses under § 256-10.

Key details: Trigger: 3+ inches of snow in 24 hours. Governing section: City Code § 256-10. Ends when: DPW Commissioner declares removal complete. First offense: fine up to $50 or 15 days. Third offense (18 mo.): up to $250 or 90 days.

§ 256-10D classifies a violation as a traffic infraction under the State Vehicle and Traffic Law. A first conviction draws a fine of up to $50 or up to 15 days in jail, or both; a second conviction within 18 months rises to up to $100 or 45 days; a third or subsequent conviction within 18 months reaches up to $250 or 90 days.

Abandoned Vehicles

Mount Vernon can tow any vehicle abandoned or illegally parked on a City street, and if it goes unclaimed for 15 days after towing, the Commissioner must notify the owner and sell it at public auction within 40 days. Vehicles abandoned under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1224 follow that state statute's own disposal process instead.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 256-12.2. Unclaimed period before notice: 15 days after towing. Auction deadline: within 40 days of notice. State cross-reference: VTL § 1224 abandoned vehicles. Redemption tow fee: up to $40 (vehicles).

Redemption before sale requires paying the towing contractor a charge of up to $40 (up to $100 for a trailer or semitrailer) plus storage of up to $5 per day for the first five days and $10 per day after that (up to $50 and $100 per day for trailers), plus a $25 administrative fee to the Department of Public Safety under § 256-12C.

Overnight Parking

On nine named commercial corridors, Mount Vernon bans all on-street parking between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. under City Code § 227-64.1, a rule the City Council enacted in 2016 over the Mayor's veto. It runs separate from the citywide 7 p.m.-to-6 a.m. commercial-vehicle curfew and the snow-emergency and cleaning-area rules elsewhere in the Code.

Key details: Restricted hours: 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Governing section: City Code § 227-64.1. Adopted: Dec. 14, 2016 (veto overridden). Streets covered: 9 named commercial corridors. Distinct from: § 256-11 commercial-vehicle curfew.

§ 227-65 makes any violation of Chapter 227's Street Cleaning provisions, including § 227-64.1, punishable by whatever fine or penalty the City Judge of Mount Vernon fixes for that offense, within the limits the Code sets for traffic infractions. Enforcement is handled by the Department of Public Works together with the Department of Public Safety.

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles

Mount Vernon bans commercial vehicles, including tractor-trailers, buses and heavy equipment, from parking on any City street between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless the vehicle carries a City Clerk-issued permit and sits in a designated commercial parking zone. Vehicles over 10,000 pounds face the same signed curfew at every City entrance under § 256-11.

Key details: Restricted hours: 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Governing section: City Code § 256-11. Permit issuer: City Clerk's office. Weight threshold: vehicles over 10,000 lbs. Loading exception: active loading/unloading exempt.

A violation is a traffic infraction under § 256-11E, and any vehicle found parked in violation may be ticketed, towed and/or booted. Penalties are set by the City Judge of Mount Vernon within the limits the Code establishes for the offense, on top of any towing and storage charges assessed under § 256-12C.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Mount Vernon actively enforces its commercial & oversized vehicles requirements.

Loading Zones

Only licensed commercial vehicles may stop in a Mount Vernon street space marked by official signs as a loading zone, and even they must yield to emergencies, police direction or the specific limits printed on the sign. City Code § 256-14 keeps the City's designated loading areas open for actual freight and passenger loading.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 256-14. Who may stop: duly licensed commercial vehicles only. Exceptions: emergency, police direction, sign terms. First-offense fine: up to $150. Enforcing agency: Dept. of Public Safety.

A violation of § 256-14 is treated like other parking offenses under Chapter 256 and is punishable under the general penalty in § 256-23: up to $150 for a first offense, doubling to $300 if unpaid after 30 days and tripling to $450 after 60 days. The Department of Public Safety issues the tickets.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Mount Vernon gives residents more flexibility on loading zones.

Driveway Rules

Mount Vernon requires access driveways serving one- and two-family homes to be at least nine feet wide, set back three feet from side and rear lot lines, and graded no steeper than 10 percent under City Code § 267-42A(1)(a). Every driveway surface must also be paved under § 267-43A, ruling out gravel or dirt.

Key details: Minimum driveway width: 9 feet. Setback from side/rear lot line: 3 feet. Maximum grade: 10% (12% with Planning Board approval). Curb cuts allowed: 1 (2 if frontage is 150+ feet). Required surface: Asphalt, concrete, paving stone, or brick.

Violating the driveway width, setback, grade, or paving standards is a zoning violation under § 267-56A: each conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both, and each day the noncompliant driveway remains is a separate violation. The Building Commissioner may also pursue an action to restrain or correct the condition, and unpermitted grading work can draw a stop-work order.

The Bottom Line

Mount Vernon is tougher than many cities when it comes to parking rules. Out of the 9 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Mount Vernon, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Mount Vernon can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.