Schenectady, NY Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Under City Code Section 264-43A(1), a driveway or parking area in the Residential Districts R-1, RH-1, R-2, RH-2 and R-3 cannot be built anywhere in the area bounded by the extension of the principal structure's side building lines out to the front property line, unless that driveway leads into a garage that is attached to or built into the house. In practice, that confines front-yard pavement to a defined driveway lane rather than letting an owner pave the whole front yard for parking. Subsection A(2) extends the same limit to the paving material itself: brick, asphalt, concrete, gravel, shale, or stone in a front yard may only be used for a driveway or parking area permitted under A(1), or for a walkway.

Walkways are capped at five feet wide and can only connect a driveway or sidewalk to the front door, porch or deck steps, and gravel, shale or stone surfaces are allowed only where the ground is level. Getting a driveway approved also means clearing the access standard in Section 264-43B(1): every driveway needs a curb cut approved by the City Engineering Department, must be set back at least two feet from any abutting property line, and must be at least 8 1/2 feet wide, except where the driveway was legally established before this amendment took effect, in which case it is grandfathered in its existing location, or where neighboring owners have filed a shared-driveway easement with the Schenectady County Clerk, in which case the two-foot setback is waived.