Clifton, NJ Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)

Section 461-61 of the Clifton Code, titled "Prohibited parking in residential districts," lists five categories of vehicles that cannot be parked or left standing in any yard area or on a driveway in a residence district: unregistered motor vehicles of any type or design; buses; trucks, tractors and commercial trailers (defined as vehicles designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles); trucks designed, used or maintained primarily for transporting property and having a capacity of more than 1,000 pounds; and trailers used for dwelling purposes or exceeding 18 feet in length, except recreational vehicles.

The 1,000-pound-capacity truck restriction carries a built-in carve-out: it does not apply to trucks being used in the rendering of services to the premises, so a contractor's or delivery truck actively servicing a home is not swept in. The code separately preserves a narrower exception for storage: nothing in the section prohibits storing or garaging a commercial vehicle with a capacity of half a ton (1,000 pounds) or less inside an enclosed garage, meaning the ban targets open-air yard and driveway parking, not indoor storage of smaller commercial vehicles.

The trailer restriction was amended twice in 1990 (Ordinance No. 5420-90 on June 19, 1990, and Ordinance No. 5445-90 on October 2, 1990) to set the current 18-foot length threshold and the recreational-vehicle carve-out. This section sits in Article X of Chapter 461 (Zoning), the same chapter that sets Clifton's off-street parking, loading and bulk standards, and is enforced as a zoning violation applicable citywide in every zone classified as a residence district.