New Rochelle, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 281-26 sits in Article II, Encumbrances and Obstructions, of Chapter 281, Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places. It gives the Commissioner of Public Works blanket authority to physically remove, or direct the removal of, any vehicle, article or thing blocking a street or public place, which under this article's scope covers sidewalks as well as roadways. The power applies on top of, not instead of, any separate penalty the article already imposes for causing the obstruction in the first place. Section 281-27 sets the redemption window: an owner whose vehicle or article is hauled away has 30 days to get it back, but only after paying the City's actual costs of removal and storage.

If nobody claims the item within that 30-day custody period, Section 281-28 lets the Commissioner of Finance sell it at public auction to the highest bidder; items held by the Police Department instead of Public Works get a longer, six-month unclaimed period before an auction sale under the same section. Any public auction the City runs under this article has to follow Section 281-29's procedural rules, including advertised notice in the City's official newspaper and selling each piece of property separately rather than in a lot.

This removal-and-redemption scheme is the mechanism behind New Rochelle's general obstruction rule: rather than leaving encumbered sidewalks and streets to sit while a violation is prosecuted, the Commissioner can clear the obstruction immediately and let the owner settle storage costs, or forfeit the property, afterward.