STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10507
IN SENATE
May 15, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. BOTTCHER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to enacting the
New York State Parking Modernization and Housing Affordability Act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York
2 State Parking Modernization and Housing Affordability Act".
3 § 2. Legislative Findings and Intent. The legislature finds that:
4 Excessive off-street parking requirements increase the cost of housing
5 construction and contribute to New York's housing shortage.
6 Mandatory parking minimums reduce the number of homes that can be
7 built, particularly in transit-rich and walkable communities.
8 Parking mandates undermine the State's climate goals under the Climate
9 Leadership and Community Protection Act.
10 Local zoning rules requiring parking often do not reflect current
11 transportation patterns, including increased transit use, walking,
12 biking, and ride-hailing.
13 Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to remove unnecessary
14 barriers to housing production, reduce costs, and align land use policy
15 with climate and mobility goals.
16 § 3. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 72-s
17 to read as follows:
18 § 72-s. Prohibition on minimum parking requirements. 1. For purposes
19 of this section, "transit-accessible area" means any area within one-
20 half mile of:
21 (a) a subway, rail, or ferry station; or
22 (b) a bus stop with service intervals of fifteen minutes or less
23 during peak hours.
24 2. (a) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this subdivision,
25 no city, town, or village shall require a minimum number of off-street
26 parking spaces for:
27 (i) residential development of any kind, including multifamily and
28 mixed-use buildings;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15846-01-6
S. 10507 2
1 (ii) adaptive reuse or conversion of existing buildings to residential
2 use; or
3 (iii) commercial or community facility uses located within designated
4 transit-accessible areas.
5 (b) A municipality may adopt a local law to require limited parking
6 minimums only if:
7 (i) the municipality conducts a parking utilization study demonstrat-
8 ing a clear and persistent shortage;
9 (ii) the municipality holds at least two public hearings regarding the
10 proposed parking limitation; and
11 (iii) the requirements are narrowly tailored and reviewed every three
12 years.
13 (c) A local law adopted pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision
14 shall not:
15 (i) apply to affordable housing developments;
16 (ii) apply to buildings with fewer than fifty units; and
17 (iii) require more than one-half parking space per residential unit.
18 3. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit a municipality
19 from:
20 (a) imposing maximum parking limits;
21 (b) requiring accessible parking spaces in compliance with federal and
22 state law; or
23 (c) regulating parking design, safety, and curb cuts.
24 4. The department of transportation, in consultation with the metro-
25 politan transportation authority and other regional transit providers,
26 shall publish and update maps identifying such areas.
27 5. This section shall supersede any inconsistent local law, ordinance,
28 or zoning provision that mandates minimum off-street parking require-
29 ments in violation of this section.
30 6. The New York state department of state shall issue model zoning
31 guidance to assist municipalities in implementing this section, includ-
32 ing best practices for:
33 (a) parking maximums;
34 (b) shared parking strategies; and
35 (c) transportation demand management programs.
36 § 4. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision,
37 section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent
38 jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or
39 invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation
40 to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof
41 directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have
42 been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature
43 that this act would have been enacted even if such invalid provisions
44 had not been included herein.
45 § 5. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
46 law.
