North Hempstead, NY Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required from
- Town Clerk
- Loading/unloading exception
- Maximum 1 hour
- Sidewalk sale duration cap
- 3 consecutive days
- Sidewalk sale permit limit
- 5 per location per year
- Sidewalk sale permit fee
- $100 plus $25/extra day
- Sidewalk sale hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. only
Summary
North Hempstead bars abutting owners, occupants and lessees from placing goods, merchandise, boxes or displays on a sidewalk, or otherwise obstructing it, without a Town Clerk permit. A limited exception covers temporary loading and unloading of no more than one hour.
No person, firm, association or corporation who is owner, occupant or lessee of any premises abutting on any street, road, highway or parkway in the unincorporated area of the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, shall place, keep, permit or suffer to be kept on any sidewalk in front of, adjoining or adjacent to such premises any goods, wares, merchandise, boxes, barrels, display signs or material things of any kind or description or in any manner obstruct any such sidewalk or in any manner obstruct or interfere with the use of any such sidewalk without first obtaining a permit from the Town Clerk under this section; provided, however, that nothing contained in this section shall prevent persons from placing goods, wares, merchandise or household furniture on the sidewalk temporarily while loading or unloading the same, provided that it be done without unnecessary delay and provided that such goods, wares or merchandise are not allowed or permitted to remain on such sidewalk within the prohibited area for a period longer than one hour.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4892187; v82 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
L. No. 19-2009, prohibits any owner, occupant or lessee of premises abutting a street, road, highway or parkway in the unincorporated Town from placing or permitting goods, wares, merchandise, boxes, barrels, display signs or similar items on the adjoining sidewalk, or otherwise obstructing or interfering with its use, without first obtaining a permit from the Town Clerk. The only built-in exception is for temporary loading and unloading: goods may sit on the sidewalk briefly while being loaded or unloaded, but not for longer than one hour.
Beyond individual obstructions, §§ 48-11(B) through (E) regulate organized sidewalk sales: a permit application must go to the Town Clerk between 30 and 180 days before the sale, and a permit is issued only to a chamber of commerce, a Business Improvement District, or a majority of merchants on a street, never to an individual merchant. , and prompt litter cleanup. The permit fee is $100 plus $25 for each additional day. 1 bars welding and any business activity, such as auto repair or car washing, conducted directly in the public street, sidewalk or right-of-way, except for authorized utility or government work.
Violations & Fines
Obstructing a sidewalk without a permit, or violating the conditions of a sidewalk sale permit, is punishable under § 48-12 by a fine of up to $250 for a first offense, $250 to $500 for a second offense within a year, and $500 to $1,000 for a third or later offense within a year, with each day of continued obstruction counted as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a store put merchandise displays on the sidewalk in North Hempstead?
Who can get a permit to hold a sidewalk sale?
How many sidewalk sales can one location hold per year?
What does a sidewalk sale permit cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Hempstead
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