Chicopee, MA Environmental Rules: Vehicle Idling Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Where it applies
- Entire length of Thaddeus Street
- Time limit
- More than five minutes idling or standing
- Vehicles covered
- Trucks or any vehicles
- First offense
- $50
- Second and third offense
- $100, then $200
- Enacted
- 6-18-1996 by Ord. No. 96-38
Summary
In the City of Chicopee, the Code sets a five-minute limit on trucks and any other vehicles idling or standing on the entire length of Thaddeus Street. Fines are $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second and $200 for a third under Chicopee Code § 260-30.1A, added 6-18-1996 by Ord. No. 96-38.
A. On the entire length of Thaddeus Street, trucks or any vehicles idling or found standing for more than five minutes will be subject to the following fines for each violation: (1) First offense: $50. (2) Second offense: $100. (3) Third offense: $200.
Full Breakdown
The idling language in the Chicopee Code sits in § 260-30.1, Standing prohibited, in Chapter 260 (Vehicles and Traffic). Subsection A reads on the entire length of Thaddeus Street: trucks or any vehicles idling or found standing for more than five minutes are subject to fines for each violation. The wording reaches both trucks and any other vehicle, and it counts idling and standing alike, so a vehicle that sits at the curb past five minutes is covered whether or not the engine is running. The section was added 6-18-1996 by Ord. No. 96-38.
The provision is tied to one street. It names Thaddeus Street and no other, and the text prints no exemption for delivery stops, traffic queues or weather. It also does not name an enforcing officer, so the general penalty and towing sections of Chapter 260 sit behind it. Section 260-30.4, added 8-2-2022 by Ord. No. 22-15, opens with "Unless otherwise stated in this chapter" and prints the same $50, $100 and $200 ladder. Section 260-30.3 allows towing on the third violation when two parking citations for the same violation land in a seven-day period.
Subsection B of the same section is a separate standing rule: standing is prohibited on both sides of Newbury Street at the intersection of Gilbert Avenue for a distance of 25 feet, added 6-20-2000 by Ord. No. 00-53. The parking schedules add one more idling reference. In § 260-65, Schedule VI: No Parking Any Time, a Carew Street entry added 2-6-2024 by Ord. No. 24-65, on the West (Even) side from East Main Street to a point 630 feet southerly thereof, carries the note "(no truck idling)". That note is a schedule annotation attached to a no-parking entry, not a standalone rule.
Violations & Fines
Section 260-30.1A fines each violation on Thaddeus Street $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second and $200 for a third. Because the section says fines apply for each violation, a vehicle that is cited again on a later occasion moves up the ladder. Section 260-30.3 allows towing on the third violation when two parking citations for the same violation fall within a seven-day period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a five-minute idling limit on every street in Chicopee?
Does the Thaddeus Street limit apply to cars or only trucks?
What are the fines for idling on Thaddeus Street?
Is standing restricted anywhere else under the same section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chicopee
Compare Chicopee to another location·View the Massachusetts environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.