Can You Legally Park On Your Lawn In Buffalo, New York

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I learn something new about New York's 2nd largest city every day.

I like to think of myself as a pretty well-informed person. I follow the meetings of our city council and county legislature; I make sure I am aware of any current events that might impact myself and/or my sons, and, of course, I make sure I participate in the political process.

Being in the know also usually means that others think of me as a go-to person when they have questions about city living and what to do when certain situations arise.

So imagine my surprise when I got a ticket in the mail from the City of Buffalo for something that never in a million years would I think was illegal.

So what was the ticket for, you may ask? Parking on my lawn.

What? Really? That's exactly what I said, so I had to ask the question.

Can You Legally Park On Your Lawn In Buffalo?

In my humble opinion, I should be able to. It's my property, I have the deed and my land survey. It clearly shows the land that I own, along with the land that is owned by my neighbors and what's owned by the City.

However, the City of Buffalo Charter does not agree.

No person shall park a vehicle in any unpaved portion of the area between the front lot line and the front building line or in any unpaved portion of the side yard of any lot on which any portion of the main structure is used for residential purposes.
-Article 3, Sec. 38, Ch 9 of the City of Buffalo Charter

Basically, any unpaved land in the front of your house cannot be used for parking, even though it's your land.

So beware if you park on your lawn because it seems to be against the rules in Buffalo.