Troy, NY Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Article I of Chapter 195, adopted 7-6-2000 by Ord. No. 11 by the Troy City Council, regulates loitering through obstruction rather than a blanket ban on standing around. "Physical obstruction" means rendering impassable any public way or any ingress or egress from any public place, or rendering such passage unreasonably difficult or hazardous. "Interfere with" means to restrict a person's freedom of movement, and "public way" covers any street, sidewalk, roadway, park or other way traveled by the public (§ 195-1). "Public place" is any location which affords access to the general public.

Section 195-2 has three prohibitions. Subsection A: no person shall, by physical obstruction, interfere with any other person's use of any public place or public way. Subsection B applies the same standard to an entrance or exit to or from a public place, and says failure to maintain a reasonable distance from the threshold is a violation. Subsection C covers an entrance or exit to or from a dwelling, where failure to keep a reasonable distance from the threshold without the permission of the property owner or resident is a violation. Subsections B and C were amended 7-11-2002 by Ord. No. 11.

Minors have an added rule in § 195-3 (added 4-1-2004 by Ord. No. 4): a child under the age of 18 cannot remain on any public street, sidewalk, highway, vacant lot or public place within 2,000 feet of any school between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on days when school is in session. Exceptions apply when the child is accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or other responsible person who is 21 years of age or older and approved by the parent or guardian, or is going or coming directly from a school activity. The separate nighttime curfew sits in Article II of the same chapter, and Chapter 251 cross-references Chapter 195 for loitering.