Alternate side parking in NYC is the block-by-block schedule, posted on street signs, that requires you to move your car during set hours so mechanical sweepers can clean the curb. Most residential side streets are cleaned once per week on each side, tickets run $65, and the city suspends the rules on more than 30 days in 2026 for holidays, religious observances, and weather emergencies.
How the Schedule Works
The Department of Sanitation runs street sweepers along the curb, and ASP exists to clear parked cars out of their path.1New York City Department of Sanitation. Street Cleaning and ASP Since a 2020 reform, most residential side streets are cleaned once per week on each side. Commercial streets, metered areas, and zones with “No Standing” or “No Stopping” signs may still have more frequent schedules.
The days and hours for your block are controlled by the signs on that block. Whatever the general rule says, the posted sign is the authority. The city’s online Parking Sign Locator can preview regulations for an address, but it may not reflect recent or temporary changes, so check the physical signs before you walk away.2NYC311. Parking Signs and Rules
Reading the Signs and the Grace Period
An ASP sign shows a “P” crossed by a broom icon and lists the days and hours when parking is prohibited. A typical sign might read “No Parking 8:30AM–10AM Mon & Thu.” An arrow indicates which direction along the curb the restriction applies.2NYC311. Parking Signs and Rules
City law gives you an extra five minutes past the posted start time before a ticket can be issued. If the sign says “No Parking 8:00 AM,” you have until 8:05 AM.3NYC311. Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Dispute The grace period applies only to ASP signs, not to meters or “No Standing” zones. Enforcement agents know about it too, and they are often writing tickets at 8:06. Treat it as emergency margin.
What Still Applies During ASP Hours
The restriction runs for the entire posted window, even if the sweeper has already come and gone. You cannot park at 9:15 just because the truck passed at 9:00. The sign controls, not the sweeper.4NYC311. Alternate Side Parking and Street Cleaning
Double parking is illegal during street cleaning even if you sit in the car with the engine running. The city states that “an occupied illegally parked vehicle causes the same safety hazard and congestion as an unoccupied vehicle.”5NYC Department of Transportation. Parking Regulations It’s a common ritual on many blocks, but the fine for double parking is steeper than the ASP ticket itself.
2026 Suspension Calendar
The city publishes an annual calendar of dates when ASP is lifted. The 2026 calendar includes over 30 suspension days covering federal holidays, religious observances from multiple faiths, and civic dates like Election Day.6NYC Department of Transportation. Motorists and Parking – Alternate Side Parking Suspensions On these days, you don’t need to move your car for street cleaning.
Some of the 2026 suspension dates:
- January 1: New Year’s Day (Major Legal Holiday)
- January 6: Three Kings’ Day
- January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
- February 16–17: Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year
- February 18: Ash Wednesday and Losar (Tibetan New Year)
- March 3: Purim
- March 20–21: Eid al-Fitr
- April 2–3: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and first days of Passover
- May 25: Memorial Day (Major Legal Holiday)
- May 27–28: Eid al-Adha
- July 3–4: Independence Day (Major Legal Holiday)
- September 7: Labor Day (Major Legal Holiday)
- September 12–13: Rosh Hashanah
- September 21: Yom Kippur
- November 8: Diwali
- November 26: Thanksgiving Day (Major Legal Holiday)
- December 25: Christmas Day (Major Legal Holiday)
The full calendar, which includes additional dates for Shavuot, Sukkot, the Assumption, and other observances, is on the NYC DOT website.7NYC Department of Transportation. Alternate Side Parking Rules 2026 Suspension Calendar
Major Legal Holidays Get Broader Relief
Not all suspension days work the same way. On the six Major Legal Holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), parking meters are not enforced, and you can park at “No Stopping,” “No Standing,” or “No Parking” signs as long as the sign’s restriction is not in effect seven days a week.6NYC Department of Transportation. Motorists and Parking – Alternate Side Parking Suspensions A sign reading “No Standing 8AM–6PM Except Sunday” would be relaxed on Christmas, but a “No Standing Anytime” sign would not.
On every other suspension day, only ASP street cleaning rules are lifted. Meters still run. “No Parking,” “No Standing,” and “No Stopping” rules remain fully in effect.7NYC Department of Transportation. Alternate Side Parking Rules 2026 Suspension Calendar Parking at a hydrant or in a bus stop on Purim will still get you a ticket.
Weather Suspensions and How to Check Today’s Status
The city also suspends ASP on short notice for snow, severe storms, and other emergencies. During major snowstorms, DSNY redirects its crews to plowing and salt spreading, so street sweeping stops.7NYC Department of Transportation. Alternate Side Parking Rules 2026 Suspension Calendar These suspensions can last a day or a week depending on conditions, and they’re announced the same morning or the night before.
Before leaving your car on the street, verify status through one of these official channels:
- @NYCASP on X posts daily status updates and is the fastest source for same-day changes.
- NYC311: call 311 (or 212-639-9675 from outside the city) or check the NYC311 website.4NYC311. Alternate Side Parking and Street Cleaning
- The NYC311 app (free on iOS and Android) shows ASP status alongside trash and school schedules.8NYC311. NYC311 App
- SweepNYC at sweepnyc.nyc.gov tracks street sweepers in real time.9NYC Department of Sanitation. SweepNYC
- Notify NYC sends phone, email, or text alerts about emergency suspensions.10NYC311. Notify NYC
Notify NYC is the most useful option for people who forget to check. Once you register, alerts come to you automatically.
Fines and Late Penalties
A street cleaning ticket (violation code 21) carries a flat $65 fine.11Department of Finance. Violation Codes, Fines, Rules, and Regulations Manageable on its own. Ignored, it compounds fast:
- 30 days unpaid: $10 penalty added
- 60 days unpaid: additional $20 penalty (total penalties $30)
- 90 days unpaid: additional $30 penalty (total penalties $60)
- 100 days unpaid: the ticket enters judgment and interest begins accruing12NYC.gov. NYC Parking or Camera Tickets
A $65 ticket that sits for 100 days becomes a $125 judgment with interest still climbing. Once tickets enter judgment, the city can boot your vehicle. Boot removal is $185, and you must pay off all outstanding judgments, penalties, and interest before it comes off.13NYC311. Booted Vehicle If you don’t pay within 48 hours and your judgment debt exceeds $350, the city tows. Now you’re paying the boot fee, a tow fee, storage, and every outstanding ticket. One forgotten street cleaning ticket can spiral into a four-figure problem.
How to Dispute an ASP Ticket
You can dispute online through the NYC Department of Finance, by mail, through the “Pay or Dispute” mobile app, or in person at a Department of Finance business center.14NYC.gov. Dispute a Ticket The deadline that matters is 30 days from the ticket date. Request a hearing inside that window and you avoid late penalties even if you lose the dispute.3NYC311. Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Dispute
The strongest defenses usually involve sign problems. If signs on the block were missing, knocked down, or unreadable, you can fight the ticket by submitting overlapping photographs of the entire block from corner to corner, images clearly showing the street name and the address on the ticket, and photos of every sign on the block, including the front and back of any illegible ones.3NYC311. Parking Ticket or Camera Violation Dispute Diagrams, witness statements, and maps are also accepted.
Other common grounds for dismissal: being ticketed during a confirmed suspension (screenshot the @NYCASP post or 311 confirmation for that date), being ticketed during the five-minute grace period (the timestamp on the ticket is your evidence), or errors on the ticket itself such as a wrong plate or incorrect street. An administrative law judge reviews each case. Miss the 30-day window and you can still request a hearing up to about 100 days out, but any late penalties assessed will stick even if the ticket is dismissed. After 100 days, the ticket enters judgment, and you have one year to request a hearing before the option disappears entirely.14NYC.gov. Dispute a Ticket