Cheektowaga, NY

No Cheektowaga premises may keep more than three dogs four months of age or older, and the Town Clerk cannot license a fourth dog there. The dog owner must also live on the licensed…

Cheektowaga's property maintenance code requires every residential premises to stay free of livestock, farm animals and captive wild animals unless the Town has specifically approved…

Cheektowaga's C Retail Business District allows dog grooming as a by-right principal use, but only inside a fully enclosed building and only if no animals are harbored overnight…

Cheektowaga requires every dog off its owner's premises to be restrained by leash, licensed or not. A peace officer or the state Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets' representative…

Cheektowaga bans feeding Canada geese, mallard ducks, and other wild waterfowl anywhere in town at any time of year. Town Code Chapter 252 targets the rat infestations, park damage…

A small-animal hospital is a by-right use in Cheektowaga's CM General Commercial District, but the code draws a hard line: no outside kennels. Any outdoor animal housing pushes the use…

Agriculture and Markets Law Article 15 establishes a uniform statewide apiary inspection program with mandatory disease control standards applicable to all hives in New York.

Agriculture and Markets Law section 107(5) preempts municipalities from enacting breed-specific dog regulations, ensuring uniform treatment regardless of breed across New York.

Environmental Conservation Law section 11-0512 universally prohibits possessing wild animals such as big cats, bears, wolves, and venomous reptiles as pets across New York.

Cheektowaga bans keeping a dog that unreasonably disturbs neighbors through frequent barking, howling or whining. The rule sits in the Town's dog control chapter and carries its own…

The Town of Cheektowaga caps noise at the real property boundary under Code § 166-6's Table I: 55 dBA from residential sources by day, 50 dBA at night, and up to 75 dBA where the…

Cheektowaga treats any sound audible beyond a property's boundary between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as automatic proof of a noise violation. The Town Code's Table I also drops the…

Cheektowaga bans playing a radio, stereo, loudspeaker, or musical instrument, whether stationary or in a moving vehicle, at a volume that carries across a property line or through a…

Cheektowaga's noise ordinance carves out aircraft, along with trains and buses, as sounds governed by state or federal regulation instead of Town rules. Chapter 166's general…

Cheektowaga's Noise Law bars any automobile, truck, motorcycle, motorbike, motorboat, or minibike from idling or running so as to create a noise disturbance, and requires a muffler on…

Cheektowaga's short-term rental law bars hosts from throwing parties, weddings, or other gatherings that draw more people or vehicles than the unit's maximum guest count, unless the…

Every Cheektowaga short-term rental host must carry property and liability insurance rated for short-term rental use and keep it active for as long as the permit is valid. Code…

Short-term rental guests in Cheektowaga cannot park an RV or camper in the driveway, and tent camping in the yard is off-limits too. Section 201-6J applies this ban to every registered…

Cheektowaga denies a new short-term rental permit to anyone whose permit was denied or suspended within the past year, unless they can show the Town the reasons no longer apply. It is…

Before renting a home short-term, a Cheektowaga owner must register with Erie County for occupancy tax purposes under § 201-3A, on top of the Town permit itself. Section 201-11 sets…

Cheektowaga requires every short-term rental owner to register with Erie County for occupancy tax purposes and obtain a revocable Town permit before renting a dwelling for less than 30…

A Cheektowaga short-term rental on a private septic system cannot sleep more than 10 people overnight, and the real ceiling can be lower if the septic system itself cannot handle that…

Cheektowaga requires a fire code permit for any liquefied petroleum gas installation over 500 gallons' water capacity, and for every permanent LP-gas installation regardless of size…

Cheektowaga allows recreational fires and campfires as long as only natural wood is burned, the fire follows the 2020 NYS Fire Code's Chapter 307 rules, and it doesn't become a…

Cheektowaga bans open burning of brush, wood, lumber, paper, plastic, tires, chemicals, trash, garbage and other refuse anywhere in town, with narrow exceptions for grills, fireplaces…

New York Penal Law bans most consumer fireworks statewide. Ground-based sparkling devices are legal by default outside New York City, though counties may opt out and about a dozen have…

New York's Environmental Conservation Law Section 9-1105 makes it unlawful to set any open fire burning brush, leaves, grass, or debris in a designated fire town without a written…

Cheektowaga's property maintenance code bars storing unlicensed, wrecked, partially dismantled or unregistered motor vehicles, or vehicles without properly mounted plates or a current…

Cheektowaga bars parking any vehicle on a Town or county road for more than 24 consecutive hours, a townwide standard that applies on top of any posted no-parking, no-standing or…

Cheektowaga's zoning code lets a residential property garage only one personal-use commercial vehicle, like a pickup or van, and only inside a fully enclosed building. All other…

Cheektowaga lets a homeowner keep a house trailer, camping trailer, utility trailer or boat on residential property as an accessory use, but only if the occupant owns it for personal…

Cheektowaga's zoning code sets no fixed loading-zone hours, but § 260-57 requires any loading or unloading platform or service entrance in a business or manufacturing district to be…

From November 1 to April 1, Cheektowaga bans overnight street parking between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on all Town and county roads outside the Villages of Sloan and Depew. Streets on…

In Cheektowaga's residential districts, open off-street parking generally cannot sit in the required front or exterior side yard, and where it's allowed there, it must be paved with…

Anyone plowing snow commercially in Cheektowaga outside Depew and Sloan needs a $25 Town Clerk permit, must carry liability insurance, and cannot pile or blow snow into the roadway…

New York has adopted statewide building code and Public Service Commission rules governing EV charging installation, accessibility, and utility interconnection that apply uniformly to…

New Yorkers outside New York City who get towed or booted from a private lot rely on General Business Law 399-v, not a statewide rate cap. The law applies only to lots with capacity…

Cheektowaga's old dedicated swimming pool chapter was repealed in 2004, so pool siting now runs through the zoning code: a private pool or pool deck must sit behind the front setback…

Residential pool safety in Erie County is governed by the New York State Uniform Code, which requires barriers, alarms, and safety covers. Public pools additionally meet Subpart 6-1…

In the RS Single Residential District, an accessory building like a storage shed must stand at least 10 feet from another structure, four feet from any lot line, no taller than 12…

Cheektowaga will not register a detached accessory building, trailer, tent, or mobile residential equipment as a short-term rental unit unless it qualifies as an authorized accessory…

A resident professional running an office out of an R District home may post only one wall sign, non-internally illuminated, no larger than four square feet, under Cheektowaga's zoning…

Cheektowaga requires a temporary, two-year Board of Appeals permit for a home-based business in the R District, capping it at 15% of the home's ground floor area, one non-resident…

Cheektowaga's home-based business permit lets residents run a small enterprise from a house in the R District, but the Town flatly forbids receiving clients or animals at the…

New York lets you sell home-baked and other shelf-stable foods without a food processing license through the Department of Agriculture and Markets Home Processing exemption, which…

New York Social Services Law preempts municipalities from imposing additional licensing on family or group family day care homes and requires the Office of Children and Family Services…

Cheektowaga's zoning code does not cap retaining wall height. Section 260-59F(1)(a) lists retaining walls of any necessary height as a permitted obstruction in required open space, and…

In Cheektowaga's rear and side yards, fences may not top out with barbed wire, razor ribbon or concertina wire. The Town's zoning code caps yard fences and walls at six feet and…

Town Code § 260-59F sets a 3.5-foot fence cap in any required open space (generally the front yard) but allows six feet in a rear or interior side yard, plus 12 feet for tennis-court…

New York's Town Law § 300 makes adjoining landowners split the cost of a division fence along their shared boundary, but only when the land is actually used to keep animals…

Cheektowaga requires a Building Inspector permit before removing or destroying any tree on land in the town, with narrow size exceptions for small residential and vacant lots…

Cheektowaga requires every property owner to cut grass, weeds, brush and plant growth once it exceeds six inches, and to keep curbs, gutters and sidewalks clear of the same growth.

Cheektowaga's own Bingo Licensing Law lets a bona fide religious, charitable or nonprofit organization run bingo only after obtaining a Town license under Chapter 63, capping single…

New York's Upstate Gaming Economic Development Act divides the state into two casino development zones. Zone One is New York City plus Nassau, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and…

New York's Penal Law never criminalizes playing a private card game or betting pool: it only criminalizes advancing or profiting from gambling. Penal Law § 225.00(3) protects anyone…

Sports betting is legal in New York only through operators licensed by the state Gaming Commission under Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law Section 1367-a. Nine mobile…

Cheektowaga bans closing a town street for a block party without a permit from the Town Superintendent of Highways, requires 75% resident consent, and limits permits to June through…

No parade, military march, or public meeting may take place in a Cheektowaga Town park without the Town Board's advance permission. The rule sits in the Parks chapter of the Town Code…

A group wanting exclusive use of a Cheektowaga park picnic area for up to one day can get a Town Board permit, and once issued, no one else may disturb or interfere with the permitted…

Cheektowaga only allows accessory outdoor dining in the C Retail Business District, and only after site plan approval. Section 260-48.1 caps seating at 26% of a restaurant's interior…

Cheektowaga bars cannabis establishments within 1,000 feet, on the same road, of a house of worship, school, or public youth facility entrance. Establishments also cannot be located in…

Cheektowaga requires every cannabis retail dispensary and on-site consumption business to obtain a Town special use permit before opening. The Town Board, not the state, controls where…

New York law lets adults 21 and over grow cannabis at home and preempts municipalities from prohibiting it, setting uniform plant limits and secure storage requirements statewide.

Beyond the two-foot residential freeboard standard, Cheektowaga requires flood-zone utility equipment and above-ground storage tanks to sit at least two feet above the base flood…

Cheektowaga caps land disturbance at five acres at a time on projects without an approved stormwater plan and requires erosion and sediment control practices in every plan the Town…

Cheektowaga requires a Town Engineer-approved stormwater pollution prevention plan before any land development activity application can even be reviewed. The Town Engineer inspects and…

Cheektowaga has no flat clock-based idling cap. Instead, its Noise Law bans stationary idling of any engine, car, truck, motorcycle or boat included, whenever the resulting sound…

Cheektowaga defines its flood zones using FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps and requires a Town Engineer-issued permit before any development, filling, or excavation in a mapped special…

New York Executive Law Article 42 and the Coastal Management Program require state and local agency actions in designated coastal areas to be consistent with statewide coastal policies…

Cheektowaga totes and recycling containers cannot go to the curb before 3:00 p.m. the day before pickup, and must be pulled back within 12 hours after being emptied, at least 10 feet…

Cheektowaga requires every household to separate recyclable rubbish, rinsed cans, glass, plastic, paper and cardboard, from garbage before it hits the curb, using Town-issued totes or…

Cheektowaga bans dumping solid waste on any street, public place or private property outside authorized collection, and unauthorized dumping carries a mandatory $1,000 fine. A separate…

The Town collects solid waste and recyclables placed in Town totes at the curb, will not enter private property, won't haul waste from outside the Town, and ownership of curbside…

Cheektowaga collects grass, leaves and self-generated brush and tree parts only if bundled to size and weight limits, or bagged in totes or biodegradable paper bags capped at 40 or 150…

Cheektowaga residents must bundle brush and tree parts and call ahead for large appliance pickup. Brush bundles cannot exceed 48 inches long, 12 inches thick or 40 pounds, and major…

New York's Solid Waste Management Act requires every municipality to adopt source separation recycling rules and bans certain recyclables from disposal statewide.

Cheektowaga makes property owners and occupants jointly responsible for clearing snow, ice and debris from the sidewalk in front of their premises. Failure to keep it safe can mean a…

Cheektowaga requires yards, courts and vacant lots to be kept clean and free of hazards, enforced the same way as every other property maintenance violation in the Town's Building…

Cheektowaga's Unsafe Buildings Law lets the Town order the repair or demolition of any building that's structurally unsafe, fire-damaged, unfit for habitation, or left vacant and…

Cheektowaga puts the duty to keep an abutting sidewalk in good repair on the owner and occupant jointly, and if they refuse after a Town Board order, the Town can do the work and bill…

Anyone excavating in a Cheektowaga town right-of-way needs written authorization from the Building and Plumbing Inspector and Town Highway Superintendent, a $200 fee, and a $5,000…

Cheektowaga bans placing a turn-off box, water meter, basketball hoop or any similar obstruction in the traveled part of a street, sidewalk, or the space between sidewalk and curb…

Cheektowaga licenses tow companies that respond to Police Department calls, charging a $2,500 annual fee under Town Code Chapter 241. Authorized Town towers must keep a 15-vehicle…

Cheektowaga restricts adult bookstores, cabarets, entertainment establishments and adult theaters to the M2 General Manufacturing District, requires a $50 Town Clerk registration, and…

Cheektowaga zoning flatly excludes auto repair from the list of businesses allowed as a home-based business, alongside small engine repair, mortuaries, beauty salons/barbershops, and…

Cheektowaga doesn't have a standalone massage-parlor license; instead it folds 'massage establishment' into its adult-use category under § 260-37, meaning M2-only zoning, 1,500-foot…

Every pawnbroker operating in Erie County must hold a dealer's license issued by the Erie County Sheriff under Local Law No. 1 of 2018. The law bars pawnbrokers from buying goods from…

Erie County requires every secondhand dealer to be licensed by the Erie County Sheriff under Local Law No. 1 of 2018, but exempts nonprofit thrift operations, occasional yard sales…

New York requires state retail registration for every tobacco and vapor product seller and bans online or mail-order shipment of vape products directly to consumers statewide.

Every Town park in Cheektowaga closes at sunset and reopens at sunrise, and remaining inside after closing is itself a violation. The only carve-out is a lighted baseball or softball…

Cheektowaga's only skateboard-specific rule sits in its bicycle trail law: skateboarders, along with cyclists and rollerbladers, are capped at 15 mph on the Town's Rails-to-Trails…

Cheektowaga has no stand-alone anti-loitering ordinance. Instead, its nuisance law counts a building or property used for loitering, as defined by the New York Penal Law, toward a…

Cheektowaga prohibits smoking anywhere on the grounds of the Cheektowaga Cultural Center, indoors and outdoors alike, covering the stage, bleachers, seating areas, and the fenced…

Cheektowaga's Parks Ordinance bars consuming alcohol or holding an open container meant for drinking anywhere inside a Town park or park approach. Anyone under 21 is barred outright…

Selling food from a truck, wagon or other vehicle in Cheektowaga makes you a "peddler" under Town Code Chapter 179, and peddling without a $100 Town Clerk permit is unlawful anywhere…

Going house to house in Cheektowaga to sell goods, take orders or solicit makes you a "peddler" under Town Code § 179-2, and § 179-3 requires a Town Clerk permit before you knock on a…

Every non-owner-occupied rental unit in Cheektowaga must carry a property owner registration certificate before it's rented or occupied, under Town Code § 194-3. Owners pay $20 every…

Cheektowaga ties its rental registration certificate to livability: the Town can deny or revoke a landlord's property owner registration certificate whenever the Office of Neighborhood…

Before filing a nonpayment eviction, a New York landlord must serve a 14-day written rent demand under RPAPL Section 711. The demand requires, in the alternative, payment of rent or…

New York's Good Cause Eviction Law (RPL Article 6-A) limits evictions and rent hikes for covered tenants in NYC by default, with optional adoption by other municipalities.

Real Property Law Section 238-a, added by the 2019 HSTPA, caps residential late fees at $50 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is less, and bars any late fee until rent is more than…

To end a tenancy or decline to renew, a New York landlord must give written notice scaled to how long the tenant has lived in the unit under Real Property Law Section 226-c: 30 days…

New York requires advance written notice before a landlord raises rent 5% or more, or declines to renew a lease. The notice window scales with how long the tenant has lived in the…

Since the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, New York landlords cannot collect a security deposit larger than one month's rent. Within 14 days after a tenant vacates…

New York's adverse possession period is 10 years of continuous, exclusive possession under RPAPL Sections 501 and 511. A 2024 budget amendment to RPAPL Section 711 clarified that…

Cheektowaga inspects permitted work throughout construction and again at completion before issuing a certificate of occupancy. Once the finished work matches the approved plans, the…

Cheektowaga requires a permit from the Inspector before any construction, alteration, demolition or occupancy change, except non-structural repairs that involve no plumbing…

Cheektowaga requires every electrical installation, alteration or repair of wiring for light, heat or power to conform to the Building Code of New York State and be inspected, and…

Cheektowaga adopts the Plumbing Code of New York State and requires anyone installing or altering plumbing to hold a Town-issued master plumber's, journeyman's or sewer contractor's…

Cheektowaga's Historic Preservation Commission, created under Town Code Chapter 134 in November 2024, can designate a monument, sculpture, or similar object as an individual landmark…

A bar, club, or other place of public entertainment in Cheektowaga cannot run a loudspeaker above 90 dB(A) without posting a hearing-impairment warning sign at least one inch tall near…

Running an air-conditioning unit, pump, fan, or other mechanical device so it creates a noise disturbance above Table I's sound limits violates Code § 166-5H. The rule reaches both…

Loading or unloading materials, equipment, garbage cans, bales, boxes, crates, or containers so loudly that it creates a noise disturbance above Table I's limits violates Code §…

Cheektowaga's noise law requires any exterior alarm on a building or motor vehicle to shut off within 15 minutes of activation. The rule sits in Chapter 166 of the Town Code and covers…

The Town of Cheektowaga taxes hotel, motel and boarding-house room rentals at up to 3% of the daily rate under Town Code Ch. 220, Art. XI, adopted in November 2025. Operators must…

Cheektowaga's site lighting law, Town Code § 260-48, forces every nonresidential and multifamily lighting plan reviewed at site plan review to use cutoff, dark-sky-compliant fixtures…

Town Code § 260-48C(7) sets a hard number on light trespass: outdoor lighting on a nonresidential or multifamily site can't exceed 0.2 footcandle at the property line facing a…

Town Code § 260-50G(1) caps lettered or neon window signs at 50% of the total glass area and requires them to be mounted behind the glass, part of a sign ordinance built on a Town-wide…

In New York, affixing a political sign, poster, or notice to property you neither own nor have permission to use, a utility pole, highway structure, or another person's land, is…

In the R Residence District, Town Code § 260-23D limits single- and two-family dwellings to 30 feet in height, with accessory buildings held to one story and 12 feet, while other…

In Cheektowaga's R Residence District, a single- or two-family home needs a 25-foot front yard, side yards equal to 10% of lot width (up to 10 feet each), and a rear yard equal to 25%…

In Cheektowaga's RS Single Residential District, a principal structure cannot cover more than 35% of the lot, and total lot coverage including accessory structures cannot exceed 40%.

Cheektowaga's property maintenance code requires every household to keep garbage and refuse in approved, waterproof, rodent-resistant storage containers, screened from public view by…

Any new or substantially improved home built in a Cheektowaga special flood hazard area must have its lowest floor, including the basement, raised at least two feet above the base…

Cheektowaga's open-burning law carves out outdoor grills and fireplaces used to cook food, along with indoor fireplaces and wood stoves, from its general burning ban. The fuel has to…

Erie County prohibits the sale of tobacco, vapor products, electronic cigarettes, liquid nicotine, and smoking paraphernalia to anyone under 21. Enforcement is by the Erie County…

New York prohibits the sale of flavored vapor products statewide under Public Health Law § 1399-mm-1, allowing only tobacco-flavored e-liquid for legal retail sale.

New York Labor Law §652 sets a tiered statewide minimum wage that leaves no room for local wage ordinances. As of January 1, 2026 the rate is $17.00/hr in NYC, Long Island, and…

New York mandates paid sick leave under Labor Law § 196-b and paid family leave under Workers' Compensation Law Article 9, with statewide coverage that applies to nearly every private…

New York requires a state-issued concealed carry license under Penal Law § 400.00, with mandatory training and a long list of statewide sensitive locations where carry is forbidden.

New York Penal Law treats a vehicle as a public place for firearm purposes, requiring a valid pistol license to transport a handgun and strict storage rules for long guns and…

New York has no comprehensive HOA act. Condominiums get a statutory common-charge lien under Real Property Law § 339-z that is foreclosable like a mortgage but junior to a first…

New York homeowners association boards answer to Not-for-Profit Corporation Law Section 621. A member of record for at least six months, or a holder of five percent of any voting…

New York voids HOA bans on solar power and EV charging. Real Property Law § 342 (Solar Rights Act) makes any restriction effectively prohibiting a solar system unenforceable and void…

New York's Electric Vehicle Rights Act, Real Property Law Article 9-D Section 343, bars homeowners' associations statewide from adopting rules that effectively prohibit or unreasonably…

New York Real Property Law Section 339-j strips condominium boards of managers of the power to enforce any by-law, rule, or resolution against a unit owner who displays a United States…

New York creates an assessment lien by statute only for condominiums. Real Property Law § 339-z gives the board of managers a lien on each unit for unpaid common charges that outranks…

New York condominiums have no inherent power to restrict unit leasing: under Real Property Law § 339-v(2)(a), by-laws "may also provide for" leasing restrictions only if the board…

No section of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law authorizes sobriety checkpoints by name. The practice rests on Court of Appeals case law, chiefly People v. Scott, applied against…

New York is one of the few states that put the right to record police into its own statute rather than leaving it to case law. Civil Rights Law § 79-p, headed "Recording certain…

New York has no stop-and-identify statute. Criminal Procedure Law § 140.50(1) lets a police officer who reasonably suspects a felony or a misdemeanor defined in the Penal Law stop you…

New York wrote an unusually specific rule into the Penal Law when it legalized adult-use cannabis: § 222.05(2) provides that no conduct made lawful by that section shall constitute the…

New York draws a hard line between a golf cart and a low-speed vehicle. A low-speed vehicle is defined by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 121-f as a limited use automobile with a maximum…

Agriculture and Markets Law Article 25-AA governs certified agricultural districts statewide and limits how local zoning can apply to working farms inside them.

NY Agriculture and Markets Law §301-309 protects sound agricultural practices in certified Agricultural Districts from local ordinances and private nuisance suits. The Commissioner…

The New York Bag Waste Reduction Law (Environmental Conservation Law §27-2801, enacted 2019, enforced March 2020) bans most single-use plastic carryout bags statewide. Counties and…

New York prohibits the sale and distribution of expanded polystyrene foam food containers and loose packing peanuts statewide under Environmental Conservation Law Article 27.

New York's Solar Rights Act, Real Property Law Article 9-C, section 342, voids any homeowners' association rule that effectively bans rooftop solar. A restriction counts as an illegal…

New York's Unified Solar Permit and Real Property Law section 342 limit how municipalities and HOAs may restrict residential solar installations, ensuring permit access statewide.

Vehicle and Traffic Law section 375(41) governs every light added to a New York vehicle beyond the lamps the law already requires, and it opens with a near total prohibition: no light…

New York grants a dash cam no designated place on the windshield. Vehicle and Traffic Law section 375(30) makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle with any object placed or hung in…

New York prohibits lane splitting outright. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1252(c) makes it illegal to operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of…

New York does not allow license plate covers of any kind. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 402(1)(b)(ii-a) states flatly that number plates shall not be covered by glass or any plastic…

New York does not ban radar detectors in private passenger cars. Vehicle and Traffic Law section 397-a prohibits using a radar or laser detector only in a motor vehicle with a gross…

New York allows studded snow tires, but only within a fixed season and only within precise dimensional limits. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375(35-a) makes it unlawful to drive a motor…

New York requires at least 70 percent light transmittance through the front windshield, both front side windows and the rear window under Vehicle and Traffic Law section 375(12-a)(b)…