Is it legal to change my oil (etc.) on the street?

I can't comment on the legality of it, but I do basic work (oil/fluids) on my motorcycle on the street without any issues.

With that: if you do go ahead and do the work yourself, just a reminder to safely dispose of the old fluids - a couple of them are pretty nasty!

Old oil - MUST BE DISPOSED OF IN AN APPROVED MANNER - take it to your local garage, they have contracts with professional disposal agencies to handle the stuff.

Old radiator fluid - DO NOT POUR IT OUT ON THE STREET! Radiator fluid usually contains ethelyne glycol, which is extremely toxic if swallowed. Dogs *love* to lick the stuff up because it tastes sweet, and it will kill them in horrific fashion.

Autozone, Pep Boys, etc... will dispose of the fluids for free. They've got a big tank set up usually in the back of the store for this, just ask.

Behold:
New York City Administrative Code -
§ 16–122 Vehicles and other movable property.
f. It shall be unlawful for any person to dismantle, or to remove any component part of any motor vehicle in any marginal or public street or any public area.
g. Any person convicted of a violation of the provisions of subdivision f of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, or imprisonment for not more than one year.

There's a guy on my block who has been doing full-blown restoration of a car on the street for more than a year. On any given weekend he'll have the whole dashboard torn apart, grinding away on patches in the body or parts of the engine out in the street with tons of tools, etc.

Of course, just because this guy and the other old guys who work on their cars in my hood get away with it doesn't mean anyone couldn't get busted at any time.

like i said earlier its all in who wants to complain... if youve got people whove nothing better to do than whine then youll surely get a ticket

Short Answer is Yes. It is illegal.

With that said, I've changed motor oil to motors, transmission oil to transmissions, steering fluid to steering assemblies, brake fluid, brake pads, rotors, drums, fuel lines to fuel tanks, wheels to drive trains, body panels, doors, gas, mig, tig, spot, gas and arc welded et al. Bondo'd, banged, primed and painted bikes, mini bikes, motorcycles, quads, dune buggies, cars, trucks in front of my house over the last 30 years or so.

Your mileage may vary.

Dispose of your waste properly.

You meant "change my oil" as a euphemism, right?

Based solely on what I've seen, if you are in a legal parking space, no one will bother you. If you are double parked, the cops may give you a hard time unless you can show them that you've broken down and are trying to get started again. Another option, at least here in the hood is to drive into a strip mall or the parking lot of a Autozone, Strauss, Pep Boys, go in buy your supplies and do your repairs in the parking lot. I see that all the time on Atlantic.