Brookhaven, NY Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Section 85-176 sets maximum sizes for both the house you can build and the driveway you can pave in Brookhaven's residential zoning districts. Subsection B targets the front yard specifically: the combined area of asphalt, gravel, stone, dirt, or any other nonvegetative surface used mainly for vehicle parking or as a driveway cannot exceed 35% of the primary front yard's area, and separately cannot be wider than 24 feet, with whichever limit is more restrictive controlling. The section grandfathers driveways that already existed before the rule was enacted, so simply repairing or replacing an existing nonconforming driveway is not treated as a violation.

Flag lots get a carve-out too: when calculating front yard area for an interior flag lot, the portion of the lot 20 feet wide or less is excluded from the math, which keeps the narrow access strip from artificially shrinking the allowable paved area. Religious institutions are exempt from these size limits altogether. This driveway-coverage cap works alongside § 85-855A, which bars parking in any required front yard except in a driveway in a residential district, meaning the driveway itself is the only front-yard area where a car may legally sit, and that driveway still has to fit inside the 35%/24-foot ceiling.

Anyone who wants a bigger driveway than the formula allows has to apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals for an area variance rather than simply paving over the limit.