Parking near a fire hydrant in NYC: the 15-foot rule

Updated October 2, 2026

In New York City you can’t park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. There is no sign, no painted curb and no time of day when it stops applying — which is why hydrant tickets are so common.

How to measure 15 feet

The distance is measured along the curb, on both sides of the hydrant. 15 feet is roughly one average car length plus a little, so leave a full car-length of curb between your bumper and the hydrant. When in doubt, leave more: you can’t un-park a ticket.

Why it catches people out

Nothing marks the zone: no sign, and the curb is often unpainted.
It applies at night, on Sundays and on holidays.
Hydrants hide behind parked cars, bins and snow banks.

Very narrow exceptions exist in the rules, but they are not something to plan a parking spot around.

How CurbParker handles hydrants

CurbParker places every hydrant in the city’s open data on the map and draws a 15-foot (≈4.6 m) no-parking zone around it on the curb, so a space that looks free but is next to a hydrant shows up red even though there is no sign. Montréal uses the same idea with a different distance — 3 metres in Québec.

See the curb colours before you park — free to try.

Get it on Google Play

Quick answers

How many feet from a fire hydrant must you park in NYC?

At least 15 feet, measured along the curb on each side of the hydrant, at all times.

Does the hydrant rule apply at night and on weekends?

Yes. It is not tied to any hours.

Keep reading

Sources

NYC Traffic Rules §4-08 (Parking, Stopping, Standing)

The signs on the street always win. This page is general information, not legal advice; rules change, so check the posted sign and the official source.