Last updated: October 11, 2026
Most New York City moves are won or lost at the curb. The truck needs a legal place to stand close to your door for the whole job, and in Manhattan that place is never guaranteed. Below are the city rules that matter on moving day, each with a link to the official page, and how to plan around them. For a free written estimate, call (646) 455-1930.
Can you reserve street parking for a moving truck in NYC?
Not the way you can in some other cities. NYC 311’s parking space request is only for government officials, diplomats, members of the press and hospital doctors (NYC 311). For a regular household move, the truck uses the legal curb space that is there on the day. That is different from Hoboken, Philadelphia or Boston, where a moving truck can get signs or a street permit; see our guides to moving from Manhattan to Hoboken, moving from NYC to Philadelphia and moving from NYC to Boston.
So in New York the plan starts early: read the signs in front of both buildings, ask the super or management about a loading dock, a service entrance or a freight door on a side street, and pick a start time when the curb is most likely to be free.
Double parking: the 100-foot rule
The city lets a commercial vehicle stand next to a parked car only for quick pickups, deliveries or service calls, and only if there is no parking space or marked loading zone on either side of the street within 100 feet (NYC Department of Finance, violation code 46). A move takes hours, not minutes, so double parking is a short fallback while a spot opens up, not a plan for the whole job. On a narrow one-lane street it also blocks everyone behind the truck.
Midtown has stricter rules
In Midtown Manhattan, from 14th Street to 60th Street between First Avenue and Twelfth Avenue, double parking of any vehicle is not allowed from 7 AM to 7 PM, every day except Sunday (NYC Department of Finance, codes 46 and 47). That area includes Chelsea, Gramercy, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Hell’s Kitchen and Midtown itself.
A second rule limits time at the curb. From 14th to 60th Streets between First and Eighth Avenues, a vehicle making pickups, deliveries or service calls may not stand or park for more than 3 hours between 7 AM and 7 PM, except Sundays, unless posted signs allow it (code 86). For a large apartment in that area, ask us how to time the loading: an early start, or a Sunday move, can make the day easier.
Where a truck can never stand
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant (code 40).
- On a sidewalk or inside an intersection (codes 51 and 52).
- In front of a driveway (code 98) or at a bus stop (code 19).
- Where a sign says No Standing (code 14). Signs that read “No Standing Except Trucks Loading and Unloading” are the exception made for this kind of stop (NYC DOT truck parking rules).
Commercial vehicles have their own limits
Where parking is allowed, a commercial vehicle may park for up to 3 hours (code 85). It may not park on a residential street between 9 PM and 5 AM unless it is doing business within 3 blocks (code 78). The city also expects a commercial vehicle to show the owner’s name and address on both sides in letters at least 3 inches high (code 82).
Street cleaning days
Alternate side parking signs apply to every vehicle, the moving truck included, so check the posted hours on both blocks. The city suspends alternate side parking on certain legal and religious holidays and sometimes for weather or emergencies, and on major legal holidays parking meters are suspended too (NYC DOT alternate side parking). Look at the suspension calendar when you pick your date.
Roads a moving truck cannot use
The FDR Drive, and the Henry Hudson Parkway north of 59th Street, are closed to commercial vehicles, and portions of Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue have signed commercial vehicle restrictions (NYC DOT). Trucks also pay the Congestion Relief Zone toll on Manhattan’s local streets from 60th Street south (MTA), and the Queens-Midtown and Hugh L. Carey Tunnels have a 12 ft 1 in height limit (MTA). We plan the route for the truck we send.
What we need from you
- Both addresses, the floor at each, and whether there is an elevator, a loading dock or only stairs.
- If you can, photos of the street in front of each building, with the parking signs.
- Your building’s move rules: allowed days and hours, the elevator booking and the certificate of insurance (COI). We send the COI your building asks for.
- Your date and a list of the big items.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to park a moving truck in NYC?
For a regular household move, the truck parks where the posted signs allow. NYC 311’s parking space request is only for government officials, diplomats, members of the press and hospital doctors (NYC 311). Oversize trucks have their own permit rules (NYC 311).
Can a moving truck double park in Manhattan?
Only for quick pickups or deliveries, when no parking space or marked loading zone is free within 100 feet on either side of the street, and never in Midtown (14th to 60th Streets, First to Twelfth Avenues) from 7 AM to 7 PM, except Sundays (NYC Department of Finance).
How long can a moving truck stay at the curb?
Where parking is allowed, a commercial vehicle may park up to 3 hours. In Manhattan from 14th to 60th Streets between First and Eighth Avenues, a vehicle making pickups or deliveries is limited to 3 hours from 7 AM to 7 PM, except Sundays, unless signs allow more (NYC Department of Finance). Meters and posted signs also apply.
Does the moving truck pay the congestion toll?
Yes, when it enters Manhattan’s local streets from 60th Street south. The FDR Drive, the West Side Highway/Route 9A and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are not in the zone (MTA). Ask us to include tolls in your written estimate.
Get your free written estimate
Call (646) 455-1930 or send the quote form on this page with both addresses, the floors, elevator or stairs, your date and your main items. You get a free written estimate before moving day, and we can come to see the job 7 days a week. A & A Alliance Moving Inc (Two Guys And a Truck NYC) is a family business since 1999, licensed by New York State for moves inside the state (NYSDOT 34875) and by the U.S. DOT for moves between states (U.S. DOT No. 967970, MC-432549). More about us: company facts.
City rules change. We checked every official link on this page on October 11, 2026; confirm on the linked page before moving day. This page is general information, not legal advice.