(Albany, NY) Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 – The City of Albany has concluded its first Snow Emergency in six years. Regular alternate parking rules will be back in effect as of 8pm, Jan 29. The official Snow Emergency Response might be concluded, but the work is far from over for the Department of General Services. They will continue to work through the weekend and into next week on their regular schedule, clearing sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the City.
DGS’s work on the first night of the Snow Emergency was delayed significantly following mass parking noncompliance in some of Albany’s busiest neighborhoods, such as Center Square and Mansion Area. These neighborhoods rely heavily on street parking, not only by residents, but by out-of-town visitors who might not have been aware that the City was in its Snow Emergency response. Mayor Applyrs, DGS, APD, Traffic Engineering, and Albany Parking Authority had multiple meetings throughout the weekend to discuss tackling problem areas in the City, check in on DGS’s status, and strategize how to ensure better compliance going forward, such as bringing back physical messaging signs in 33 locations throughout the City.
Parking compliance is a critical aspect of the City’s efforts to remove snow and make the City accessible again for pedestrians, CDTA riders, and vehicles alike. The Albany Police Department works in coordination with DGS to ensure that cars are off the streets so removal crews can make their way through. The City of Albany towed 302 cars in the two nights of the Snow Emergency response. Snow-buried cars that owners did not clean or move to off-street parking further slowed down the towing and snow removal process. “It’s about civic responsibility and doing the right thing,” said Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox, “When we band together as a community to alert our neighbors, share important information, or lend a shovel to someone in need of assistance, we can all aid the City in its shared goal of snow removal. The level of parking noncompliance we saw on the first night only frustrates residents and impacts our DGS workers and officers, who work around the clock to serve our City in times of emergency.”
Residents can sign up for APD Nixle alerts about Snow Emergencies and other important information by going to APD’s page on the City’s website and entering their phone number, email, and zip code. APD will continue to coordinate with DGS over the weekend and into next week as they target problem areas that still need to be addressed. The City asks that residents please adhere to posted parking rules, as APD will be ticketing cars that are parked illegally and potentially towing vehicles that are in the way of DGS snow removal. APD will be putting Emergency No Parking restrictions on a series of locations to assist with removal. Residents can sign up for Nixle alerts for the full list.
DGS will continue to have inspectors out with snow removal machines for walkways and crosswalks in the coming days. The Department focuses on snow removal for walkways in the daytime, to prioritize safety from ice and poor visibility for workers and residents alike. Since Sunday, DGS crews have been working in mandatory 12-hour shifts to clear the City as fast as possible. In two days, they removed over 28,000 tons of snow. This was in addition to the salting of roads, as freezing temperatures caused some streets to slick on the second night. “Poor compliance significantly impacted us on the first night of the City’s Snow Emergency, which delays our whole process,” said DGS Commissioner Sergio Panunzio, “We will continue to clear off snow every day until our crews are done. We have a strong workforce and a dedicated team, working 24/7 to keep the City clear and safe, but we can’t be everywhere at once.” DGS had a successful second night of its Snow Emergency response, removing 253 total truck loads of snow.
Mayor Applyrs commended the hard work and partnership of APD and DGS to get the City’s streets as cleared as possible during the Snow Emergency. “Our DGS workers are the unsung heroes of a clean, accessible City,” said Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs, “They have been working around the clock to ensure the City is accessible for all residents. These are real people that go out and do this work with the aid of complex machines that must be driven, maintained, and monitored. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”
The City of Albany commends the vast number of residents who showed up for their City and neighbors by shoveling sidewalks, clearing off cars, and reminding people of temporary parking rules. It is through civic collaboration, across City departments and residents, that shared success can be realized in times of emergency.
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