Last reviewed October 31, 2026.
Thursday afternoon, the roofer calls. The container lands Monday. Can the truck leave it at the curb, since the driveway slopes and the car has nowhere else to go?
That one question gets a different answer in almost every town on Long Island. Some towns forbid street placement outright. Some allow it with a highway permit. At least one cares about the driveway too.
Getting the house and the driveway ready is its own job, covered in getting ready for a tear-off. This page is about the container and the rules that follow it.
Town of Hempstead streets and the 14-day clock
In unincorporated Hempstead, Chapter 176 of the town code governs street containers, and most of the weight lands on the company that owns the container. The code calls it the owner-lessor. It needs an annual permit to put roll-offs on town roads, and every container has to display its permit. The owner-lessor gives the town written notice at least 48 hours before a container goes on a street, then notifies the town again within 48 hours of taking it away.
Not every street qualifies. A June 2022 PSEG Long Island filing with the state Public Service Commission quoted what Chapter 176 requires: a road at least 30 feet wide from curb to curb, the container parallel to the curb, and its street side no more than eight feet six inches out. It may not block the sidewalk. The town can refuse a spot on a narrow road, a curve or a busy stretch.
The clock runs 14 days in one location. Past that, the hauler renews in writing and pays another placement fee. Any damage to the curb, sidewalk or road goes on the hauler’s bill too. The town amended the chapter in December 2024, so confirm the street rules with the town before the drop.
Incorporated villages inside the town run their own streets. For roadway matters, the town’s Highway Department page sends village residents to their village’s Department of Public Works.
North Hempstead’s $5 highway permit
In the unincorporated parts of North Hempstead, Chapter 35 keeps a dumpster, trash bin or storage bin off any street, sidewalk or other public place unless the Superintendent of Highways has issued a permit. That permit has to be displayed on the container. The application describes the bin down to its maker, its capacity and its reflectors, and states how long it will stay, up to 30 days. The code sets the fee at $5.
Brookhaven keeps containers off the road
Brookhaven takes a harder line. The title of Section 45-7.5 says it plainly: “Roll-off containers/dumpsters on public roads prohibited.” The section reaches anyone who ordered, requested or placed the container, plus anyone who owns, rents or controls it.
Then come three presumptions. A company whose name is marked on the container is presumed responsible. So is a company holding a town permit for it. So is the owner or occupant of the property next to it. Each one can be rebutted, but until you show otherwise, a container in the road outside your house is presumed to be your responsibility. Plan for the driveway, or ask the roofer about a smaller container.
Babylon’s temporary permit for the driveway
Babylon’s rule reaches past the curb and into the driveway. Section 213-250.1 of the zoning code defines a dumpster as a refuse container over 100 gallons or half a cubic yard that is emptied or hauled away by machine. Every roll-off fits that definition. In residence districts, outside storage of dumpsters is prohibited. The Chief Building Inspector may grant a temporary permit for up to 60 days, after weighing why the container is needed, how long it will stay and how the neighbors will be affected.
Emergencies get a shortcut. After something like a house fire, the owner or an agent can place a dumpster right away and apply within three business days. The code also requires the container to be covered when not in use, and it may not sit on any street or sidewalk in the town. One left there can be treated as abandoned and removed.
The Building Division’s number on its permit application is (631) 957-3159. Villages within the town, such as Lindenhurst and Amityville, write their own rules.
Islip puts the duty on the hauler
Islip works through its solid waste licensing. Under Section 21-14, a company holding a town collection permit may not let a container sit on a public road, town property, a right-of-way or a sidewalk, or anywhere off the parcel the waste came from, without written approval from the town. Placing one closer than four feet to a public road takes written approval too. If the roofer has an eye on the apron by the curb, ask the hauler whether it has that approval.
What the villages already say
Several of our village and town pages already quote local container rules, so they stay there. Fees and street rules appear in the guides for Mineola, Floral Park, Garden City, Lynbrook, Long Beach and Rockville Centre. Valley Stream and Patchogue have their own sections, and the Town of Huntington page covers its hauler licensing and road permits. For the building permit side of a reroof, start with the Long Island roofing permits hub.
The state rule on hauling old shingles
Old shingles have a legal category. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation lists roofing shingles and other roof coverings as construction and demolition debris. On its permits page, the department says a transporter carrying that debris in loads over 10 cubic yards, picking up from or delivering to facilities in the state, needs a Part 364 registration.
Ask the dumpster company for its registration, and see the roof replacement cost guide for what Long Island roofers charge for the container. If the old roof might contain asbestos, read our asbestos shingle guide before anyone starts loading it.
