Islip, NY Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Chapter 4A, adopted April 21, 1987, applies whenever a skateboard is operated on any street, highway, sidewalk or place where pedestrians walk (§ 4A-1). Operators on a road must follow every law and rule of the road that applies to vehicles, including Town traffic ordinances (§ 4A-2), and a skateboarder emerging from an alley, driveway or building onto a sidewalk must yield to approaching pedestrians (§ 4A-3). Standing, parking or storing a skateboard on a highway, street or sidewalk, or against a building abutting a sidewalk, so that it obstructs or injures a pedestrian or interferes with vehicular traffic, is prohibited (§ 4A-4).

Under § 4A-5, no one may ride a skateboard on a sidewalk within any business district, and wherever sidewalk riding is otherwise permitted, the rider must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before overtaking or passing one. Nighttime skateboarding requires reflective clothing visible from 50 to 300 feet (§ 4A-6), and parents or guardians may not knowingly permit a minor to violate the chapter (§ 4A-7). Violations carry a fine of up to $25 per offense, and any skateboard operated in violation may be impounded; the Town charges a $2 per diem storage fee and a $5 impound fee, and an unredeemed board becomes Town property after 30 days (§ 4A-8). The ordinance took effect May 10, 1987 (§ 4A-9).