Suffolk County does not enforce a sit-lie ordinance against people experiencing homelessness. State and federal constitutional rulings, including Martin v. Boise, limit local power to criminalize sleeping in public when no shelter is available. Town-level rules vary.
Suffolk County has not enacted a sit-lie ordinance. The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, the Continuum of Care lead agency for Nassau and Suffolk under HUD, advocates against criminalization and partners with Suffolk County Department of Social Services on outreach. The 2018 Ninth Circuit decision in Martin v. Boise and the 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, while not binding precedent in the Second Circuit, inform local prosecutorial discretion. Town codes in incorporated villages may include disorderly-conduct or loitering provisions, but New York Penal Law Section 240.35 (loitering) was substantially struck down by People v. Bright in 1989, limiting enforcement countywide.
Charging a homeless individual with sit-lie or loitering when no shelter bed is available risks dismissal under constitutional defenses and potential civil-rights actions under 42 USC Section 1983.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Islip, NY
During a declared snow emergency, Islip Traffic Code Section TC3-12 requires snow tires or chains and bans parking on residential streets and on the even sid...
Islip, NY
Retaining and other walls greater than 18 inches above average undisturbed grade must obtain a permit before construction and be set back from any property l...
Islip, NY
Islip prohibits electric fences and barbed, razor or concertina wire, requires any fence over 6 feet to be an open chain-link type, bars chain-link (cyclone)...
Islip, NY
A dog that attacks people or animals in Islip is adjudicated dangerous under New York Agriculture and Markets Law, and a court may order secure confinement, ...
Islip, NY
The Town of Islip prohibits any owner from allowing a dog, licensed or unlicensed, to be at large within the Town, and separately regulates how a dog may be ...
Islip, NY
The Town of Islip's fire code sets clearance distances for outdoor fires: recreational fires must stay at least 25 feet from any structure or combustible mat...
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