With no shortage of film studios and productions in West Queens and North Brooklyn, residents of LIC, Astoria, Greenpoint or Williamsburg and park their cars on the street often see "no parking" signs posted in advance of the filming date. But what happens if you don't notice a sign, or if you're out of town and can't move your car? Well, your car will be relocated. Anyone who has had a car towed by the NYPD knows it's a bureaucratic headache (and often a long, frustrating day) to retrieve a vehicle from one of the NYPD tow pounds. So what happens to cars parked in temporary "no parking" zones on the day of filming? Not surprisingly, they're towed.
The surprise is that they're not towed by the NYPD at all, and they're usually not towed too far away. Instead of winding up in a tow pound, cars are relocated to the nearest legal parking space, at no cost to the vehicle owner. From the Office for Film, theater and broadcasting:
"Vehicles that are not moved by the times stated on the signs are relocated to the nearest available legal parking spot on the street. Any costs incurred by this program are paid for by the production. For your convenience, the production company keeps a log listing the locations of any relocated vehicle. Additionally, a copy of this log is furnished to your local precinct. If you require further assistance locating your vehicle, contact the Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting at 212-489-6710. "
Film studios must request a "tow permit" from the city before they are authorized to move cars. The posted "no parking" signs can be misleading. If a film studio has not received a "tow permit" then they cannot claim, on the sign, that parked cars will be towed. Instead, they typically state "no parking" and hold spots by placing cones in the street in otherwise-legal parking spaces.