2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 7 - Rules of the Road › Article 32 - Stopping, Standing, and Parking › 1204 - Officers Authorized to Remove Illegally Stopped Vehicles.

§ 1204. Officers authorized to remove illegally stopped vehicles.  (a)
Whenever  any police officer, or in a city having a population in excess
of one million any person designated by the commissioner of  traffic  of
such  city  or  on highways under the jurisdiction of the New York state
thruway authority, the office of parks and  recreation,  a  county  park
commission,  a  parkway  authority,  a  bridge authority or a bridge and
tunnel authority any person designated by  such  office,  commission  or
authority,  finds  a vehicle standing upon a highway in violation of any
of the foregoing provisions of  this  article  such  officer  is  hereby
authorized  to  move such vehicle, or require the driver or other person
in charge of the vehicle to move the same to a position off the paved or
main-traveled part of such highway.
(b) 1. Whenever any police officer, or in a city having  a  population
in  excess  of  one million any person designated by the commissioner of
traffic of such city or on highways under the jurisdiction  of  the  New
York  state  thruway  authority,  the  office of parks and recreation, a
county park commission, a parkway authority, a  bridge  authority  or  a
bridge  and  tunnel  authority  any  person  designated  by such office,
commission or authority finds a vehicle unattended where it  constitutes
an  obstruction  to  traffic,  or  any place where stopping, standing or
parking is prohibited, such officer is hereby authorized to provide  for
the  removal  of  such  vehicle,  semitrailer  or  trailer  to a garage,
automobile pound or other place of safety.
2. In any city with a population of one million or more, whenever  any
police officer, or any person designated by the commissioner of traffic,
finds  a  semitrailer  or  trailer  without  a tractor or towing vehicle
attached, parked or unattended on  any  city  street,  such  officer  or
person designated by the commissioner of traffic is hereby authorized to
provide  for  the  removal  of  such semitrailer or trailer to a garage,
automobile pound or other place of safety.
(c) The owner or other person lawfully entitled to the  possession  of
such  vehicle  may  be  charged  with  a reasonable cost for removal and
storage, payable before the vehicle is released.
(d) No police officer or other public,  state  or  municipal  employee
shall  release  a  motor  vehicle  impounded  because  of any traffic or
parking violation to any person who does  not  have  a  currently  valid
driver's   license   and  an  insurance  identification  card  or  other
acceptable  evidence  indicating  current  insurance  coverage  on  such
vehicle.  The  provisions  of this subdivision with respect to insurance
coverage shall not apply to a motor vehicle  which  will  not  be  moved
under  its  own  power  but  will  be transported by a tow truck or upon
another vehicle, provided  that  the  registration  for  such  impounded
vehicle  has  been  surrendered  to  the  commissioner and proof of such
surrender is presented to the police officer or other public,  state  or
municipal employee.