A Resident's Guide to Yonkers's Local Ordinances

Yonkers is a mid-sized city in Westchester County, New York, with about 212000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 128 ordinances across 41 categories that affect daily life in Yonkers.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: Yonkers is an MS4 community under NYS DEC SPDES General Permit GP-0-15-003. Illicit discharges to storm drains are prohibited; new development must meet NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual standards..

Also covered: Boat Dock Permits (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (restrictive), Vehicle Idling Restrictions (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Yonkers City Code § 59-45 bars anyone from setting fire to hay, leaves, wood, refuse or any other combustible material in a street or on any lot in the city. The Fire Commissioner can additionally shut down any burning found hazardous to life or property..

Also covered: Propane Storage (moderate), Brush Clearance (permissive), Wildfire Zones (permissive). See the full fire regulations guide for Yonkers for details.

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: Rooftop solar in Yonkers needs both a building permit and an electrical permit before installation at a one- or two-family home. Section 43-23 lets roof- and building-mounted solar collectors go up as a permitted accessory use in every zone without Planning Board approval, but ground-mounted panels are barred entirely on one- and two-family lots and need Planning Board sign-off everywhere else..

Noise from Specific Sources

Bar & Nightclub Noise: Yonkers' Zoning Ordinance imposes noise-containment standards on cabarets and nightclubs beyond the general Chapter 66 noise limits. City Code § 43-36D sets minimum setbacks from residential property, requires sound-insulated interiors, confines entertainment to fully enclosed buildings, bans outdoor PA and music systems, and requires a Chapter 23 cabaret license..

Also covered: HVAC & Mechanical Noise (moderate), Car Alarm Limits (moderate), Delivery Truck Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for Yonkers for details.

Parking Rules

Preferential Parking Districts: Yonkers runs three named residential parking permit districts under Chapter 109, Article XII: Tibbetts Brook Park (§ 109-128), Garrett Park (§ 109-129), and Yonkers Raceway/Empire City (§ 109-130). Each caps non-permit parking to a set window, requires a Parking Violations Bureau permit to stay longer, and carries its own fine..

Also covered: Abandoned Vehicles (restrictive), EV Charging (moderate), Loading Zones (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Home Business

Signage Rules: Yonkers City Code § 43-41G(4) bars any advertising display or identification sign for a home occupation, and prohibits displaying products where they are visible from outside the dwelling. A home-based business in Yonkers cannot post a sign at all..

Also covered: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (restrictive), Home Daycare (restrictive), Customer Traffic Restrictions (strict). See the full home business guide for Yonkers for details.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Yonkers City Code § 43-41E limits residential garage and yard sales to no more than twice per calendar year per property, and only for items not bought specifically for resale. The rule sits in the zoning code's accessory-use standards, not a separate permit ordinance..

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Yonkers Code § 91-38 bans dumping dirt, construction debris, household or commercial waste on any street, lot, park or public or private property unless authorized at that specific site under state law. Violators face a misdemeanor fine of $1,000 to $100,000, or up to $250,000 for repeat offenders or hazardous waste, plus up to a year in jail..

Also covered: Recycling Rules (moderate), Bin Placement Rules (moderate), Recycling Requirements (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Yonkers for details.

Building Safety

Fire Sprinkler Requirements: Yonkers requires automatic sprinkler systems throughout every hotel, dormitory, lodging house and rooming house, plus in the public corridors, lobbies, stairwells, basements and parking garages of apartment buildings. Hotels, dorms and rooming houses also need an approved standpipe system and an electrically supervised fire alarm connected to the Fire Department..

Also covered: Green Building Code (moderate), Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed (moderate), Carbon Monoxide Detectors (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Yonkers for details.

Gambling & Gaming

Charitable Bingo and Raffles: Yonkers licenses charitable, religious, veterans' and similar nonprofit groups to run games of chance under its own 1983 Games of Chance Licensing Law, adopted under General Municipal Law Article 9-A. Games are capped at 12 per year per organization, prizes cannot exceed $100 per game or $1,000 per occasion, and games are barred on Sundays, Easter, Christmas and New Year's Eve..

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Anyone acting as a hawker, peddler or solicitor in Yonkers must first obtain a license from the Director of the Office of Licensing. The annual solicitor's license costs $19.50 (rising 5% a year), and licenses cannot be transferred or lent to another person..

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Yonkers for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Digital billboards are barred everywhere else in Yonkers because § 43-33K(1) treats billboards as legally nonconforming uses and § 43-33Q(2)(c) bans moving or animated signs outright. The 2025 Casino Special District is the sole exception: § 43-256D permits digital display boards capped at 6,500 nits by day and 1,000 nits at night, with the Planning Board controlling size, location and refresh rate..

Also covered: Window Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Yonkers for details.

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: No parade may march along a Yonkers street without a permit from the Police Commissioner. The Commissioner limits routes through residential areas, restricts nighttime parades, and may confine events to local-area residents, with exceptions for the military and veterans' groups..

Also covered: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (moderate), Park Event Permits (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Yonkers for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Auto Repair on Residential Property: Yonkers zoning flatly excludes automobile repair from what counts as a lawful home occupation. Residents may run a quiet accessory occupation out of a dwelling under strict rules, but Section 43-8's definition of home occupation expressly carves out automobile repair servicing or body shop, so no home-occupation permit can ever cover fixing cars for pay at a residence..

Also covered: Pawnbrokers (restrictive), Tobacco Retail License (moderate), Secondhand Dealers (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Yonkers for details.

Tobacco & Vaping

Flavored Tobacco Bans: Yonkers Article XVII bars every retailer, including licensed cigarette dealers, from selling, offering for sale or distributing any flavored e-liquid or e-cigarette containing one. § 31-157 defines a covered flavor as any distinguishable taste beyond plain tobacco, from menthol and fruit to candy, chocolate and alcoholic-beverage flavoring, and no other tobacco-sales law can override the ban..

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Downtown Design Guide: New buildings and additions in Yonkers' Low- and Medium-Density Urban Residential Districts, UR-LD and UR-MD, are reviewed against the city's Downtown Neighborhood Design Guidelines for architectural standards and landscaping. The requirement sits inside the zoning code's downtown design standards, alongside specific numeric rules for single-family, two-family and townhouse construction in those same districts..

Also covered: Density Bonus Law (moderate). See the full zoning overlays & bonuses guide for Yonkers for details.

Animal Ordinances

Chickens & Livestock: Yonkers bars keeping backyard chickens or any other poultry, fowl or bird on a residential property. City Code § 65-23 carves out only live poultry markets and small caged pet birds like canaries, parakeets and lovebirds kept without becoming a health nuisance..

Also covered: Veterinary Clinic Zoning (moderate), Exotic Pets (restrictive), Wildlife Feeding (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Yonkers for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Yonkers can force the owner of a structurally unstable, fire-damaged or otherwise dangerous building to repair, remove or secure it, and if the owner refuses, the city will do the work itself and bill the property. The Commissioner keeps a public docket of every building found unsafe or dangerous..

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate), Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Yonkers for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Yonkers City Code § 43-41P(4) requires in-ground and partial in-ground pools to be enclosed by a fence at least six feet and no more than ten feet high. Every gate must self-close, self-latch, and have its release at least five feet off the ground..

Also covered: Pool Permits (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Yonkers for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Before altering, adding to, or demolishing a City-designated landmark or any building inside a designated historic district, an owner must first obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board. The Board reviews under federal Secretary of the Interior standards, must decide within 90 days, and can attach binding conditions to its approval..

Accessory Structures

ADU Rental Restrictions: Yonkers does not allow an accessory apartment to be rented on the open market. Section 43-22 restricts occupancy of any legal accessory apartment, whether pre-existing with a certificate of occupancy or legalized after the fact, to a short list of the owner's relatives: parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, and nieces..

Also covered: ADU Rules (restrictive), ADU Owner Occupancy (restrictive), Shed & Carport Rules (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for Yonkers for details.

Public Conduct

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions: Yonkers City Code § 68-12 bans smoking, including e-cigarettes and vaping, inside any playground or within 50 feet of play equipment run by the Department of Parks and Recreation. § 68-13 sets a flat $50 fine for a violation of the Article IV playground-smoking rule..

Also covered: Aggressive Panhandling (restrictive), Public Alcohol Use (restrictive). See the full public conduct guide for Yonkers for details.

Rental Inspections

Inspection Programs: Yonkers requires every owner of a multiple dwelling to file a building registration statement with the Department of Housing and Buildings, naming the owner, a local responsible person over 21, and a confidential 24-hour phone number. Owner-occupied one- and two-family homes are exempt..

Also covered: Tenant Complaint Process (moderate). See the full rental inspections guide for Yonkers for details.

Curfew Laws

Park Curfew: City parks in Yonkers carry a nighttime loitering ban. Unlighted parks and playgrounds are off-limits from sunset to 8 a.m., and lighted ones close to loitering between 10 p.m.

Also covered: Juvenile Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Yonkers for details.

Noise Ordinances

Leaf Blower Rules: Yonkers bans gasoline-powered leaf and garden blowers citywide from June 1 through September 30 each year under City Code § 91-31. The Commissioner of Public Works can lift the ban temporarily after storm emergencies, or issue a $35 special permit for work like cleaning up abandoned properties.

Also covered: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate), Decibel Limits (moderate), Barking Dogs (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Yonkers for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Cutting, removing, or even climbing a tree in any Yonkers public highway or public place is unlawful without a written permit from the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Permit applications are referred to the city's Shade Tree Commission for approval..

Also covered: Composting (permissive), Tree Trimming (moderate), Weed Ordinances (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: Yonkers controls exactly where and how trees go into the strip between curb and sidewalk. City Code § 80-12 bars planting any tree where less than 36 inches separates the curb from the sidewalk without the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation's written permission, and § 80-21 layers on spacing, soil and clearance rules..

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Yonkers prohibits any property owner from encroaching on a City street within the projection of their own lot lines to the street's center line. Encroachments that already existed when the article took effect are grandfathered unless the City later finds them hazardous or a neighbor's enjoyment of their property is unduly disrupted..

Also covered: Sidewalk Repair (moderate), Obstruction Rules (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Setback Rules: When a Yonkers residential lot is narrower than 50 feet or shallower than 100 feet, required side and rear yards shrink proportionally, but City Code § 43-33K and § 43-33L set hard floors: no side yard may drop below 3 feet and no rear yard may drop below 15 feet, no matter how substandard the lot..

Also covered: Lot Coverage Limits (moderate), Structure Height Limits (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Yonkers for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Yonkers City Code § 43-41D bans electrically charged fences, barbed wire and any fence built of sharp materials on residential lots. Fences must also sit inside lot lines and meet height caps: four feet in front yards, six feet elsewhere, or eight feet if at least 75% open in nonresidential districts..

Also covered: Height Limits (moderate), Retaining Walls (moderate), Fence Permit Requirements (limited). See the full fence regulations guide for Yonkers for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Selling food from a truck, trailer, or pushcart in Yonkers requires a food vendor license from the Director of the Consumer Protection Bureau. Full-term licenses are capped at 50 citywide, with a waiting list once that ceiling is reached..

Also covered: Vending Zones (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Yonkers for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

E-Bike Classes: Yonkers regulates electric bikes and scooters under City Code § 109-71, effective February 11, 2025. The ordinance defines Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes and electric scooters using New York Vehicle & Traffic Law definitions, caps their speed, and holds riders to the same duties as bicyclists.

Also covered: Red-Light Cameras (moderate), Bike Lane Rules (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Outdoor Cooking

BBQ & Propane Rules: Yonkers City Code § 59-41H lets the Fire Department order the elimination of any barbecue apparatus or cooking appliance used on a building's terraces, fire escapes, halls or cellars, or anywhere else it creates a fire hazard, reaching exactly where propane grills end up in multifamily buildings..

Also covered: Smoker Rules (restrictive). See the full outdoor cooking guide for Yonkers for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Yonkers Code Chapter 76 makes it illegal to let any building, structure or property become rodent- or insect-infested. The Director of the Bureau of Housing and Buildings inspects on complaint, orders owners to correct infestations, and separately bans dumping garbage or rat-attracting debris on any lot, alley or street..

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Yonkers City Code § 58-21 bars occupying or renting any dwelling unit that falls short of its space rules: at least 150 square feet for the first occupant plus 100 more per additional occupant, a 70-square-foot minimum for a single sleeper, and a 7-foot-6-inch ceiling over at least half of every habitable room..

Invasive Plant Rules

Bamboo Restrictions: Yonkers outlaws planting running bamboo anywhere in the city and requires a $25 permit plus a confinement barrier for clumping bamboo. City Code § 82-1 makes owners keep any bamboo from spreading onto neighboring property, with a 30-day cure notice before a violation is charged..

Also covered: Prohibited Species (limited). See the full invasive plant rules guide for Yonkers for details.

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Yonkers property owners connected to the city water main must fix any leak in their service pipe within 48 hours of written notice from the Commissioner of Public Works, or the city repairs it and bills the owner, with unpaid costs becoming a tax lien on the property..

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Yonkers imposes a 5.875% tax on the rent charged for every hotel or motel room occupancy in the city, collected by the operator and remitted to the Commissioner of Finance. Permanent residents of 30+ consecutive days and certain publicly assisted occupants are exempt..

Privacy & Surveillance

Security Camera Rules: Yonkers doesn't regulate home security cameras, but it does mandate them for certain businesses: alcohol sellers, anything open between midnight and 4 a.m., check-cashers, precious-metal secondhand dealers, licensed pharmacies and pawn shops. City Code Chapter 84 sets minimum camera placement, recording, retention and Police Department access rules..

Hurricane Preparedness

Flood Elevation: Building or substantially improving a structure in a mapped Yonkers flood zone requires filing the proposed lowest-floor elevation with the City Engineer up front, then a certified as-built elevation once the lowest floor is set. A licensed professional engineer or land surveyor must prepare that certificate, and no further work may proceed on the strength of an unapproved one..

Single-Use Items

Plastic Straw Rules: Restaurants, bars, grocery stores and other food and drink sellers in Yonkers can only hand out plastic straws when a customer asks. City Code Chapter 37, the Plastic-Straw-Free ordinance, exempts medical need and pre-packaged items like juice boxes, and penalizes repeat violators through the Consumer Protection Bureau..

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in Yonkers, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.