Glen Cove, NY Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

City Code § 187-1 splits loitering into three distinct prohibitions. Subsection A bars loitering in or around public buildings, or obstructing corridors, stairways or doorways, in a way that prevents free access by the public, officers or employees, and separately bars interfering with or interrupting the conduct of business inside those buildings. Subsection B extends the same access-based ban to public sidewalks, streets, bridges and other public places or buildings, again keyed to preventing free and reasonable access by other members of the public or blocking public officers and employees from carrying out their duties.

Subsection C addresses a different situation: loitering or prowling in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding people, under circumstances that would warrant alarm for the safety of persons or property nearby. The subsection lists factors relevant to that alarm determination, including whether the person flees at the approach of a peace officer, refuses to identify themselves, or tries to conceal themselves or an object, and it builds in a due process check: unless flight or other circumstances make it impractical, an officer must give the person a chance to identify themselves and explain their presence before any arrest, and a conviction cannot stand if the officer skipped that step or if the explanation given turns out to be true. Enforcement runs through § 187-2, which ties any violation of the chapter to Chapter 1's General Penalty provision.