Is my Vehicle a Commercial Vehicle, Passenger Vehicle, or Truck?
Is my chariot a commercial vehicle?
Can you identify your motor vehicle as a commercial vehicle, truck, or passenger vehicle under the N.Y.C. Traffic Rules? If not, it will cost you and your company big bucks in parking fines.
Can commercial vehicles double park?
Can commercial vehicles double park?
Yes. While making expeditious pickups, deliveries, or service calls outside of Midtown.
No. Unless you are actively engaged in a business activity at the time the summons was issued; at the premises within three city blocks of where the ticket was issued (There is an exception to this parking rule for gas and oil heat suppliers or gas or oil heat systems maintenance companies or any public utility
Can I park my commercial vehicle overnight on a residential street between 9 pm and 5 am without being issued an N.Y.C. parking ticket?
No. Unless you are actively engaged in a business activity at the time the summons was issued; at the premises within three city blocks of where the summons was issued (There is an exception to this parking rule for gas and oil heat suppliers or gas or oil heat systems maintenance companies or any public utility)
Commentary:
Are these rules a little confusing? Sure they are. The following are essential points to remember:
Make sure your vehicle complies with 34 R.C.N.Y. 4-08(k)(1) before you risk an N.Y.C. parking ticket by parking an unaltered car in a commercial vehicle parking zone.
- It doesn’t matter that you think 2″ high letters are sufficient. They’re not.
- It doesn’t matter that you think it’s o.k. to remove the rear seats, but not the fittings. It’s not.
- It doesn’t matter whether you think it’s o.k. to put the seats down in an SUV to comply. It’s not o. k.
You are a sitting duck for a parking ticket if you guess about N.Y.C.’s commercial vehicle rules. Remember, parking fines are NOT tax-deductible.
Footnote: 34 R.C.N.Y. 4-08(k)(1) states:[/alert]
(A) it bears commercial plates; and
(B) it is permanently altered by having all seats and seat fittings, except the front seats, removed to facilitate the transportation of property, except that for vehicles designed with a passenger cab and a cargo area separated by a partition, the seating capacity within the cab shall not be considered in determining if the car is properly altered; and”
(C) it displays the registrants’ names and addresses permanently affixed in characters at least three inches high on both sides of the vehicle, with such display being in color contrasting with that of the car and placed approximately midway vertically on doors or side panels.”
Can a passenger van park in a residential neighborhood after 9 pm? Here’s the answer.
Hello,
We purchased a used 2006 Ford Freestar cargo van…. We use it for emergency repairs and registered it as commercial…
Did we make a mistake on commercial registration? It eats up a lot of time to perform these repairs and being restricted on highways…
Any thoughts…? the van is essentially a mini van and it came with only two front seats …never altered. It’s intended use is the name …cargo van.
Dear Alexis,
Good morning.
Commercial vs. passenger registration is a conundrum shared by many visitors to our website.
It really comes down to weighing and “can’s and can’ts” of each type of registration and deciding what’s best for your business.
For example, we represented a company with a fleet of 150 vans. Each van was assigned to a technician who took the van home with her each night. The tech went from home to their first stop in the morning.
The company weighed the relative merits of each type of registration and decided to register the vans as passenger vehicles because parking a commercial vehicle on a residential street is prohibited between 9P – 5A, which meant the techs couldn’t take the vans home with them each night.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
Hi,
I live in CT and travel to NYC often to pick up merchandise for my business. I usually go to Broadway between 29th and 26th street area. I own a SUV and I’d like to know if I got CT combination plates and had magnetic signs (meeting all size / color requirements) would I be able to park curbside in Commercial zones while I shop and load my goods.
Thanks for your help
Mike,
Good morning.
Great to hear from Connecticut.
I attended UCONN at Storrs in the early 1500’s.
Loved my time there. Played basketball, too (Freshman team…career ending injury…Oh well).
The draconian parking rules of our fair city require lettering to be permanently affixed. Magnets will attract warriors and parking tickets.
Good luck.
Best,
Larry
I got a ticket the other day for my van. The ticket said violation code 83 and the comment is “no porthole window”. Why do residential ford van needs a porthole window if there is a side window with seats in it? Thanks
Zita,
I am sad to report (after dedicating 6 years, 7-days-per-week, with two months off for my heart attack) that I will no longer be answering questions on Larry’s Blog. You’ll find a treasure trove of information in the 746 Blog Posts and growing, F.A.Q.’s, and comments.
If you need help, you may wish to check out of service offerings. Here’s a link
https://newyorkparkingticket.com/passenger-vehicles/
Hello,
I live in CT and I own a Chevy Silverado truck and have CT combination plates. I recently got a vehicle ticket when I parked my truck Westchester County, NY. I got a ticket saying that my truck was a “no parking commercial vehicle.” I would like to know if the parking ticket was reasonable because I only knew that combination plates from CT counted as commercial when driven on NY parkways. Another thing is that I was not using my truck for any commercial purposes or had anything in the back of the trunk.
Thanks
Dear Francisco,
I am sad to report (after dedicating 6 years, 7-days-per-week, with two months off for my heart attack) that I will no longer be answering questions on Larry’s Blog. You’ll find a treasure trove of information in the 746 Blog Posts and growing, F.A.Q.’s, and comments.
If you need help, you may wish to check out of service offerings. Here’s a link.
https://newyorkparkingticket.com/passenger-vehicles
Okay, so I have several vehicles in my companies Fleet that are Suburban’s or SUV’s. They have the rear fittings out and the seats , the correct lettering. However they have gotten tickets for not a commercial vehicle along with improper registration , could it be because it says in the area of body type as a VAN?
I appreciate you answering these common questions about commercial vehicles and trucks, especially with commercial vehicles being able to double park. It helps to know what you should keep in mind to avoid getting a ticket if you are looking at getting one. That way, you can make a more conscious decision when you buy the truck since you know some of the parameters you’ll have to stay in.
Thanks, Bernard. Regards, Larry
This is an awesome resource! Can a commercial vehicle get into a plan for discounted tickets?
What about vehicles with a Manufacturer plate? Can this vehicle park in the commercial metered parking?
Hi Kenny,
Good morning. Great question.
Here’s a definition of manufacturer plate:
“Manufacturer license plates may be used on any motor vehicle, other than commercial cars, owned by the manufacturer. The plates may be displayed on any motor vehicle owned by or lawfully in the possession of the manufacturer or the agent or employee of the manufacturer and shall be displayed on no other motor vehicle.
It appears that a manufacturer plate is not considered a “commercial” plate. Personally, I would not park your chariot with a manufacturer’s plate in a parking zone restricted to commercial vehicles.
Park safely.
Regards,
Larry
What is maximum height, width, length for a NON-commercial van?
Hi Anita,
Good evening.
I’m afraid I didn’t know there were any dimension restrictions for non-commercial vans.
Regards,
Larry