Brookhaven, NY Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 10-24, titled simply "Loitering," sits in Chapter 10, the Town Park Local Law, which governs all parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, pools, beaches, boardwalks and marinas the Town owns or controls under § 10-2's definition. The rule is narrow but concrete: it does not ban loitering generally across the Town, only within park property, and only after the posted closing hour or time of day for closing that particular park area has passed. It also covers a person who "remains" in a vehicle in a lot or roadway inside the park after hours, not just someone on foot, closing off the common workaround of staying parked after gates or lots are supposed to be cleared.

The prohibition lifts if the person has "general or special permission" to be there, which in practice covers permitted events, maintenance crews, contracted concessionaires, or Town-issued after-hours access for programs like night fishing or lighted-field athletics where the Town has extended hours for that activity. Because the posted closing hour is what triggers the offense, the actual cutoff time varies park by park and is set by signage the Town Board, Trustees or Parks Department post at each location rather than by a single Town-wide curfew hour written into the statute itself.