What you need to know about NYC Alternate Side Parking

It’s hard enough to find parking in NYC without the added burden of parking rules and regulations. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil all NYC drivers have to deal with. Out of all of them, NYC Alternate Side Parking (ASP) is one of the hardest to navigate. However, you needn’t worry too much; we’ve broken down everything you need to know about it in this post.

There are a million reasons why NYC is famous worldwide, but there are also quite a few for which it is infamous. Anyone who’s been in New York City for more than a day can testify that it’s one of the most traffic-ridden cities in the world. Unfortunately, this also has a knock-on effect on all things car-related, including finding convenient NYC parking. In fact, the most common complaints from drivers are about NYC alternate side parking regulations, which they say are a tough act to follow.

The concept of alternate side parking has been a topic of contention for quite some time now. It has been in place in the city since the mid-1950s. While some see it as an efficient way to keep the city clean, others feel it has significantly affected traffic. As of today, ASP regulations are enforced over 2,300 miles of New York City streets.

What is NYC Alternate Side Parking (ASP)?

NYC Alternate Side Parking (ASP) is a regular feature in New York City. It refers to removing parked vehicles from specific streets so that the Department of Sanitation can conduct its regular street-cleaning drives. This happens once or twice a week in all NYC neighborhoods. It’s common to see NYC street sweepers spraying water and cleaning the streets.

Since the Department of Transportation oversees it, violators are often slapped with a hefty NYC alternate side parking ticket.

NYC Alternate Side Parking: A history 

Before you curse your luck for living in a city with such bizarre rules, you must understand why they were created in the first place. The reason is simple – waste management! In the 1950s, New York City officials were aghast at the amount of garbage collected on the streets. The Department of Sanitation had already deployed mechanical street sweepers to clean the streets. The only obstacle to this was the parked cars that remained on the street.

Since some cars remained in a spot for days on end, it was almost impossible for them to clean the streets in a logical manner. Enter Alternate Side Parking (ASP) – a new innovation. It is said to be the brainchild of either Paul Rogers Screvane (a sanitation commissioner in Queens) or Isidore Cohen (a Department of Sanitation employee who later became the Manhattan Borough superintendent). Either way, it was such a novelty that it was hailed as one of the department’s greatest innovations.

What should you know about NYC Alternate Side Parking (ASP)?

• The law is in effect year-round. It is only suspended for holidays or certain specified events.
• The ASP signs are posted on all affected streets with the scheduled street sweeping times.
• It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure their vehicles are on the correct side of the street. If they violate this rule, the cars could be towed or fined.
• Most visitors are often confused by the ASP regulations and prefer to park in off-site garages or choose valet parking to avoid the hassle.
• Even the most experienced NYC residents have fallen victim to NYC ASP parking tickets, mostly because of working late or oversleeping, which leaves their car parked too long on the wrong side of the street.
• Street cleaning usually runs like clockwork – so don’t count on street sweepers not turning up! If you’ve parked overnight or on days when street cleaning is scheduled, it’s much more convenient to move your car than risk a parking ticket.
• NYC street cleaning timings are clearly mentioned on most NYC parking signs, so you can’t excuse yourself by saying that you were unaware.

How does NYC ASP work?

Let’s take an example: When ASP rules are in effect on a street running east to west, cars should be moved from the south side every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for a few hours each day. Owners must move them from the north side of the street on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. They can be left in their current location on Sundays and certain holidays. The ASP timings depend on where you live in NYC. Additionally, ASP rules may be suspended on different days in different neighborhoods.

Recent reforms to NYC ASP rules

In June 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced new reforms to the Alternate Side Parking (ASP) program. According to the reform, non-metered side streets with multiple ASP days will be cleaned once per week – the most significant change to ASP rules in a few decades.

The new rules apply only to non-metered residential “side streets,” not to commercial areas. All streets with multiple ASP days will be cleaned on the last day of the week, as posted on the parking signs.

For example, if the street parking sign indicates that ASP would be implemented on Tuesdays and Fridays, then under the new rules, the street would be cleaned on Fridays only. However, the daily sweeping rules pertaining to NYC streets will not change. The Department of Sanitation will continue to clean streets and enforce No Stopping, No Standing, and No Parking regulations as required.

How big are these reforms?

Pretty big, considering that the last time such a significant change was implemented was way back in 2000. At that point, the city had reduced the time required to sweep windows from 3 hours to 90 minutes. Several neighborhoods were singled out for reduced sweeping frequency, such as Brooklyn Community Board 6 (Park Slope & Red Hook), Brooklyn Community Board 7 (Sunset Park), and Manhattan Community Board 12 (Washington Heights & Inwood).

Can you park at a spot after the street sweeper passes?

That’s a common question that several drivers have attempted to answer, only to fail every time. You cannot park at a spot during street cleaning times, even if you saw the sweeper go by. Sometimes, the sweeper might go around the block twice.

What happens if you don’t move your car for street cleaning in NYC?

If you don’t move your car before the street-cleaning times, you can be slapped with a hefty NYC parking ticket. In extreme cases, your car could also be towed! Keep an eye on the parking signboards – they usually mention alternate side parking timings. Move your car out of the parking space during these times to avoid the hassle of a parking ticket.

How much will an NYC ASP ticket cost you?

Tickets from street cleaning are the number one source of parking violation revenue in most of NYC’s five boroughs, so expect them to cost you a lot. Generally, tickets range between $45 and $65 across NYC.

On which days are NYC Alternate Side Parking rules suspended?

Thankfully, you won’t have to deal with ASP on certain federal and national holidays. Here are a few holidays when alternate side parking is suspended in NYC. More details for 2026 are available on the DOT website.

• New Year’s Day
• Three Kings’ Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Lunar New Year’s Eve
• Lunar New Year
• Lincoln’s Birthday
• Ash Wednesday
• Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day)
• Purim
• Holy Thursday
• Good Friday
• Idul-Fitr (Eid Al-Fitr)
• Passover
• Passover (7th/8th Days)
• Holy Thursday (Orthodox)
• Good Friday (Orthodox)
• Solemnity of the Ascension
• Memorial Day
• Shavuoth (2 Days)
• Idul-Adha (Eid Al-Adha)
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Tisha B’Av
• Feast of the Assumption
• Labor Day
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Columbus Day
• Succoth (2 Days)
• Shemini Atzereth
• Simchas Torah
• Diwali
• All Saints’ Day
• Election Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Immaculate Conception
• Christmas Day

Keep track of NYC alternate side parking updates through X (formerly Twitter)

A nifty little trick to keep track of NYC ASP timings is to check their live updates on X. Follow @NYCASP, and you’ll be alerted whenever they make an announcement or when the schedule changes. This is also handy when the City of New York suspends street cleaning during severe weather or snowstorms

Is there an NYC Alternate Side Parking map you can follow? 

Yes. You can find active alternate parking locations using the DOT’s online NYC parking map. However, it’s not quite the smoothest technology and occasionally glitches. We also recommend looking at other options that don’t require a map. For example, you can use a parking app to book cheaper garages instead.

Use  parking apps to beat Alternate Side Parking headaches

ASP is only a worry if you intend to park on the street. To be honest, you could easily avoid the hassle and book an off-site NYC parking garage instead. We recommend using parking apps like the Way app for finding the top-rated garages nearby.

Once you’ve chosen your garage, you can book a spot with just a few simple swipes. That’s much more effective than driving around searching for spots and navigating the maze of street-cleaning schedules. Having a garage spot also means you can avoid getting hefty parking tickets and instead invest that money in keeping your car safe and secure at an indoor location. Besides, most discounts and deals can save you 40-60% off your drive-up rates. Overall, these apps offer great value for money compared to street parking.

What other NYC parking rules should you know?

Keep in mind the following general rules when navigating ASP schedules.

Keep an eye out for the following parking signs:

• No Stopping: In these locations, you cannot stop to drop off/pick up passengers, wait in your car, or load/unload anything.
• No Standing: These signs indicate where you can stop to drop off/pick up passengers, but cannot load/unload anything or even wait in your car.
• No Parking: You can stop to drop off/pick up passengers or load/unload packages or luggage, but you cannot wait with your car.

More tips

• Always park at least 15 feet from either side of a fire hydrant.
• Do not double-park – this is illegal at all times, no matter what anyone else says or does.
• Authorities will suspend all parking rules on all major legal holidays (standing, stopping, and parking sign rules). The only exceptions are when the signs explicitly mention they are in effect seven days a week.
• Towing is fair game for any car that violates parking regulations.

NYC Alternate Side Parking Rules: A Ready Reckoner for 2026

• Regulations will only be in effect on the last day posted on the sign.
• NYC ASP signboards depict a sanitation broom symbol.
• If one side of the street has ASP rules enforced on Tuesday and Friday, it will be swept only on Friday.
• When the other side has ASP rules enforced on Monday and Thursday, it will be swept on Thursday only.
• There will be no change in the schedule for streets on which ASP is enforced only one day a week.

More on NYC Alternate Side Parking

Do these rules apply to metered areas?

No, they do not. Daily sweeping in metered areas will continue to be in effect. This also includes the 30-minute parking restrictions in effect from Monday through Saturday in metered areas. Parking meters will also remain in effect.

Does this affect other parking regulations?

No, this change in ASP rules only affects street-sweeping regulations. It will not affect other restrictions, such as “No Stopping” or “No Standing” rules.