Roslyn Harbor to hold public hearing for law regulating tents

Amelia Camurati
Roslyn Harbor Village Attorney Peter McKinnon, left, and Trustee Jeremy Rosof (Photo by Amelia Camurati)

The Village of Roslyn Harbor will consider in September a new local law regulating the use of tents in the village.

Village Clerk Marla Wolfson said at the July 24 Board of Trustees meeting that someone had recently filed for a tent permit, which is required under New York state law, and she realized the village had nothing in the code that regulated tents.

Building Inspector Stephen Fellman said he felt the law was a good one to have on the books since Cedarmere, Engineers Country Club and the Nassau County Museum of Art are all located within the village and often have events, including weddings and receptions, that could require a tent.

Village Attorney Peter MacKinnon said he had written a similar law for the Village of Old Westbury.

The Old Westbury law, which was approved May 23, 2012, defines a tent as “any movable structure or shelter consisting of material stretched entirely or partially over a framework of beans, rods and posts,” and that permanent tents are prohibited.

For the Old Westbury application a $300 fee is charged for each issued tent permit, and any violations of the tent law are punished with a fine of $250 per day.

No tent may be erected to store a vehicle, boat or mechanical equipment, according to the Old Westbury law.

According to the Nassau County Fire Prevention Ordinance, a tent larger than 200 square feet requires an additional $60 fee, a tent larger than 400 square feet require a $110 permit and any tent where cooking is performed requires a $150 fee.

“What the local law does is it defines what tents are regulated,” MacKinnon said. “It also defines that you cannot establish permanent tents, and it also sets a period of when permits are issued and when temporary tents have to be removed.”

Trustee Jeremy Rosof said he would be in favor of adding language to the village code that defined tents and prohibited permanent tents.

“My concern is that if we don’t have a local law, there’s nothing stopping people from putting a permanent tent on their property, so I’m in favor of it,” Rosof said during the meeting.

Trustees directed MacKinnon to draft a law similar to the Old Westbury version, and the village will hold a public hearing about the proposed law at the September meeting.

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