Riverhead considers overnight ban on commercial vehicles in neighborhoods
Riverhead is weighing an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. ban on commercial vehicles in residential districts, with exceptions for emergency and utility work. It would target work trucks and trailers parked on neighborhood streets.
Riverhead officials moved toward an overnight ban on commercial vehicles and trailers in residential neighborhoods, a proposal aimed squarely at work vans, trucks and equipment left on local streets after hours. The draft amendment discussed by the Riverhead Town Board at a Thursday work session would bar commercial vehicles and commercial trailers from being “parked, stopped, or left standing” on town highways, streets or roadways in residential zoning districts between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The proposal is built around a familiar suburban conflict in Riverhead: homeowners who want quieter streets and clearer sight lines versus contractors, landscapers, delivery operators and other small business owners who depend on those vehicles to work. Under the draft, the ban would not apply to vehicles engaged in emergency operations, utility work, municipal operations or other permitted activity.
The most immediate effect would fall on residential blocks where vans, trailers and work trucks now sit overnight in driveways, curbside spaces or along the street. Residents who have complained about clutter, noise and blocked visibility would gain a stronger tool to push back against what they see as neighborhood streets being used as storage space. Tradespeople and other working families would have to change how they stage equipment after hours, especially if they live in homes with limited off-street parking.
Riverhead has already shown it is willing to use parking rules to answer neighborhood complaints. In 2024, the Town Board approved rental dwelling code revisions that limited the number of commercial vehicles that could be parked in driveways on rental properties. In 2025, the town adopted a targeted ban on parking and idling by certain commercial trucks on a stretch of Youngs Avenue near Crown Recycling after residents complained that large trucks were obstructing the roadway.
The town has also kept working on its parking code more broadly, including a public hearing on Chapter 289 on Sept. 16, 2025. The latest proposal suggests Riverhead is now considering a wider residential-street rule, one that could reach far beyond Youngs Avenue if it is adopted.
Denise Civiletti reported the proposal on June 26, and News 12 also said work vans, trucks and other commercial vehicles could soon be prohibited from overnight parking on residential streets. If the amendment moves forward, Riverhead’s code enforcement officers would be the ones carrying out a rule that turns a neighborhood parking dispute into a townwide standard.
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