I’ve had a car in New York City for nearly 8 years, and parking is not as complicated as you think. It just takes some creative planning and care.
I’ll discuss how to find inexpensive and free spots, what to look out for, tips, and what to do if you get towed. The Outer Boroughs
Consider the outer boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island for free New York City parking.
* Parking in Dumbo or Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn is a viable and relatively easy process if you’re planning to explore the financial district, Tribeca, or Chinatown.
* Try parking in Long Island City, Queens for midtown Manhattan accessibility.
* Park in the Bronx for a quick subway or bus ride into the northern Manhattan area.
* Park in Brooklyn or Staten Island and hop on the free ferry over for areas near Battery Park and The Statue of Liberty,
* Keep in mind you will have to pay a toll to cross over the Verrazano Bridge to get into Staten Island, however, there is no return toll.
* I personally do not find Staten Island to be a cost effective, or time effective, alternative to parking in Manhattan. The exception is if you’re going to explore Staten Island’s attractions like the Staten Island Yankees or the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden.
GARAGES
You can find any number of expensive New York City parking lots ranging from $15 for 1/2 an hour of parking to $10 a day for early bird specials.
* Look for garage in competitive tourist areas. Don’t dismiss Times Square or the Financial District as too expensive.
* Garages compete against each other for customers, and you can find spots for as low as $12 for the day.
* Arrive early. Most garages offer discounts if you park before 9:00am, or even 10:00am.
* You may find parking lots in the outer boroughs are more scarce than you can in Manhattan. The lack of garages and public lots will also mean higher price tags when you find one. It’s relatively easy to find free street parking in the outer boroughs, so skip ahead to the Street Parking section.
STREET PARKING
Street parking is the lifeblood of New Yorkers with cars. Remember that not all street parking is metered parking, there are numerous streets in all boroughs that are completely free to park.
Look for alternate side parking rules
* Street cleaners in the city typically come one to two days a week for each side of the street. The signs are clearly marked for the day and block of time the city will clean.
* You are not permitted to park your car on that side of the street at any time during the designated time block, even if you know the street cleaners already came. You could end up with a ticket and possibly an oversized sticker from the sanitation department on your window marking you as an offender.
* Be careful of overnight street cleaning. It’s not that common, but drivers have been known to think the street cleaning was occurring at noon instead of midnight.
* Get the alternate side parking suspension calendar
* The New York City Department of Transportation posts a yearly calendar of dates when alternate side parking is suspended. When it is officially suspended, you can park on the street even on designated street cleaning days.
* New York’s alternate side parking typically occurs on all religious and banking holidays. To see when alternate side parking is officially suspended, check the NYC DOT website.
Is it snowing? Call 311
* Dial 311 for New York’s own information line for the city’s government and services. When it snows, or when snow is on the ground, alternate side parking is frequently suspended.
* Call ahead and listen to the recording to find out if you can freely park. If you don’t hear a recording, you can check with a live operator to make sure.
NEW YORK CITY PARKING TICKETS
Parking tickets in New York are costly and annoying. You can avoid them with a few tips:
* Make sure you plugged the correct meter with sufficient time and don’t overstay your allotted time.
* Avoid parking in a fire lane, in front of a garage or service entrance.
* Carefully study the parking signs around you to make sure you are legally allowed to park.
* Don’t assume a police officer won’t ticket you if you’re just a foot over into a no parking zone. They will definitely give you a ticket.
New York City Parking Tips
Here are some tips and tricks to make New York City street parking a little easier.
Side Streets
In Manhattan, look for street parking on side streets, and stay away from major through streets like Broadway and 6th Avenue. 10th and 11th Avenues near the West Side Highway typically have more empty spaces than other avenues.
The outer boroughs also have major through streets with shops, bars, and recreational areas. Look for side streets with residences for free parking. Be careful not to block garages or service areas or you might get towed.
Don’t Park Just Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
Many tourists don’t realize that locals have their own parking systems down. Sometimes they pay someone to move their car when the street cleaners come. Other times they watch out the windows and wait until the street cleaners leave, and risk a ticket by moving their car when they’re finished.
* Don’t leave your car without studying the parking signs first. Just because everyone else is parked doesn’t mean it’s safe to do so for the rest of the day.
New York City Meters
* Not all of New York’s streets, especially outside of Manhattan, have meters. Did you find a spot on the street with a meter? Check to see if there is a time limit to park, even if you did plug the meter.
* Police are notorious for patrolling streets where drivers abuse time limit policies, don’t assume they won’t notice.
Is it Sunday?
* Many public meters are suspended on Sundays.
* Make sure to check the parking signs for any suspended rules before you plug the meter.
Watch Out!
You’re sharing the road with bikers and pedestrians, so be a courteous driver.
There are countless tragic stories of drivers who opened their car door without looking and bikers being injured, or worse, thrown under oncoming traffic.
DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?
Did you get towed? It happens to the best of us, but isn’t as common as you would think if you’re consistently careful about parking. I’ve been towed once in the 8 years I’ve had a car in New York.
* Visit the New York Government website to locate your towed vehicle.You can also call 311 for assistance. Make sure to locate your car before showing up at a pound, it might be the wrong location.
* Bail out your car from the Tow Pound as quickly as possible. Not only do you incur daily fines, but the registered owner has 10 business days to redeem the car before the city has the legal right to auction it off.
* If you have numerous outstanding tickets, you may need to pay them off in advance to the Department of Finance. Depending on the fines and judgements against you, you may also need to pay the fines at a separate location than the tow pound. Visit the NYC government website for more information on redeeming your towed vehicle in New York.
* Redeeming your towed vehicle is a detailed process. If you are not the registered owner, you will need a notarized letter from the owner along with the original title and registration card.
* Bring cash. Most city tow pounds accept debit cards only, but only if the name on the card is the same as the name on the vehicle registration. It’s always safe to bring cash.
* Check your car before you leave the impound lot. When I was towed in New York, my back window was cracked and I had to fill out a damaged property form. I then paid to get the window fixed myself and turned in the receipt, photos of the damage I took, and a notarized letter from a witness who came with me to pick up the car from the pound. I was reimbursed about 2 months later.
Unfortunately, the New York City Tow Pound is not necessarily a helpful or expedient place of business.
I do know people who have had quick and relatively painless experiences, but that is generally not the norm. Be careful when you park in NY so you don’t have to pay a visit to the pound.
In my 8 years of owning a car in New York, I’ve had less than 5 tickets and 1 tow. Every one of those infractions was from not paying close enough attention to the parking rules like how close I was to a fire hydrant.
Plan ahead, take your time, don’t let other drivers intimidate you, and above all else respect the parking rules.
What’s your New York City parking experience? And favorite streets? Horror stories? Scores? I want to hear it!
