Schenectady, NY Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Section 248-38 lets the Mayor declare a snow emergency whenever accumulated snow and ice tops three inches and expedited plowing, sanding or traffic flow requires restricting parking citywide. Once declared, the emergency suspends the city's normal alternate-parking and priority-street rules and replaces them with a strict schedule: starting at either 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. on the Mayor's declaration, vehicles must move to the even-numbered side of the street, and parking on the odd side is banned for the next 24 hours; after that period, the ban flips to the even side for the following 24 hours. The whole cycle runs 48 hours unless the Mayor extends it, and the Mayor must notify radio, television and newspapers so the public learns which side is prohibited.

Beyond moving cars, the ordinance requires vehicles operated during a snow emergency to be properly equipped for winter driving, and it is separately unlawful to let a vehicle stall on a snow-, sleet- or ice-covered street with a parking prohibition in effect because of dead tires or an empty tank (§ 248-38(C)). A driver whose vehicle stalls for any reason must get it towed or pushed into the nearest legal parking space immediately rather than abandoning it in the roadway (§ 248-38(D)). Certain locations stay off-limits no matter what: fire hydrants, crosswalks, driveway aprons and turning lanes can never be used for emergency parking, and vehicles left there get ticketed and towed (§ 248-38(E)(2)). The City Traffic Commission can exempt specific streets from the emergency rules, and any vehicle towed and left unclaimed for 60 days is sold at public auction after one week's published notice (§ 248-38(F)).