Schenectady, NY Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)

Section 248-44, Obstructing traffic, is the City's general rule against blocking a street: a vehicle cannot be stopped, stood or parked in a way that leaves insufficient roadway width for free vehicular movement. The only exceptions are a temporary stop to actually load or unload passengers, or a stop made in obedience to traffic regulations, signs, signals or a police officer. The rule sits alongside a detailed set of sign-based restrictions in the same chapter: § 248-40 bars parking where signs prohibit it, § 248-41 covers narrow streets, § 248-42 hazardous or congested places, and § 248-43 areas next to schools.

The City Council sets fines for each specific parking offense under § 248-2, and the schedule (last amended October 28, 2024) prices individual violations rather than a single flat fine: a meter violation, overtime parking, all-night parking, improper parking, wrong-way-to-curb parking, no-standing and double parking are each $50; blocking a driveway is $35; a priority street violation is $75; a fire hydrant violation is $115; a fire lane violation is $100; and handicapped parking or blocking a handicapped access aisle carries $150 plus a $30 state surcharge.

Any other Chapter 248 violation not separately listed defaults to $40. Under § 248-2(C), a ticket must be paid within 20 days of the violation date; miss that window and the fine doubles and a warrant of arrest may issue. The Police Department and civilian parking enforcement personnel write the tickets, and under § 248-51 the Police Department may have any vehicle parked in violation of the chapter towed. Six months of nonpayment adds the City's collection costs, including any outside collection agency's fees, to the amount owed.