NYC Speed Limits in 2026: 25, 20, 15 & 10 MPH Streets

In short: in New York City the speed limit is 25 mph unless a sign says otherwise. Since Sammy's Law (2024), NYC DOT can post 20 mph on individual streets and in Regional Slow Zones — the first covers Manhattan south of Canal Street — and 10 mph on redesigned Shared Streets. DOT also planned 15 mph limits at 47 School Slow Zones. For a TLC driver, a speeding summons costs $300 or $400 and 3 to 8 TLC points, while speed camera tickets go to the vehicle owner and carry no points.

Lower limits change the math: driving 32 mph is 7 over on a 25 mph street but 12 over on a 20 mph street, which moves you into a higher points band. This guide explains each kind of limit, where to look them up and what a ticket costs.

The four limits you will see on NYC streets

25 mph: the default

NYC DOT says it led the effort to lower the city's default speed limit from 30 to 25 mph, a legislative change made in 2014 (NYC DOT). "Default" means the limit that applies when no sign says something else. Plenty of streets have their own posted limit, higher or lower, and the posted sign always wins.

20 mph: Sammy's Law streets

Sammy's Law, passed in the 2024 state legislative session, lets the city lower limits to 20 mph with proper signs on individual streets, and to 10 mph on roads that have been redesigned for safety. DOT's October 9, 2024 announcement named the first locations:

• Prospect Park West, Brooklyn — 19 blocks from Grand Army Plaza to Bartel-Pritchard Square, the first corridor signed at 20 mph;
• Audubon Avenue, Manhattan — 1.4 miles from West 165th Street to Fort George Avenue;
• a Lower Manhattan Regional Slow Zone covering the area south of Canal Street.

DOT said it would lower limits at 250 locations by the end of 2025, prioritizing schools, Open Streets, Shared Streets and new Regional Slow Zones, and that it was setting up one Regional Slow Zone in each borough. That was a plan. We have not found an official list showing every street finished, so don't assume a street is still 25 mph because it was last year — read the signs and check the map below.

Regional Slow Zone: what it means

A Regional Slow Zone is an area where DOT sets 20 mph on the streets throughout the zone, instead of one corridor at a time. The Lower Manhattan zone, south of Canal Street, was the first; DOT said implementation would begin in October 2024. If you work downtown, watch for 20 mph signs south of Canal Street.

15 mph and 10 mph

DOT's 2024 release also planned 15 mph limits at 47 School Slow Zones and 10 mph at 13 Open and Shared Streets. Shared Streets are designed to slow cars with their layout. Expect people walking in the roadway.

Speed cameras run 24/7

NYC DOT says its speed cameras are on 24/7 and the State authorizes them in 750 school speed zones, all year. The State may also use mobile cameras in some highway and parkway work zones (NYC DOT). DOT's speed camera FAQ says a violation is issued when a vehicle goes more than 10 mph over the limit in a school speed zone.

A camera ticket is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle and is paid or disputed with the NYC Department of Finance. It adds no points to anyone's license. Whether you or the owner pays depends on your lease or rental agreement. Details are in speed and red light cameras for TLC drivers.

What a speeding summons costs a TLC driver

A speeding summons written by a police officer or a TLC inspector is different. TLC rule 80-13(a)(3) treats speeding as a hazardous moving violation: the fine is $300 if you plead guilty before the hearing or $400 if you are found guilty after a hearing, plus TLC points by how far over the limit you were. If the ticket is a state traffic ticket instead, the DMV adds its own points.

Sources: TLC Chapter 80; NY DMV point system. The 11–20 mph band has its own page: 80-13(a)(3)(i)(B).

Why the new 20 mph limits matter for points

Points count miles over the posted limit, not over 25. Some examples:

• 27 mph on a 25 mph street is 2 over (3 TLC points if you are ticketed). On a 20 mph street it is 7 over — the same band, but much easier for an officer to notice.
• 32 mph on a 25 mph street is 7 over (3 points). On a 20 mph street it is 12 over: 4 points.
• 27 mph where a School Slow Zone is signed 15 mph is 12 over: 4 points — and over the camera threshold.

Points matter because TLC's Persistent Violator Program suspends or revokes licenses when points add up, and TLC also counts DMV points (see DMV points for TLC drivers). Very fast or dangerous driving can also be charged as reckless driving under 80-14(a): $350–$1,000 and/or up to 30 days' suspension, and 4 points.

If you already have a speeding summons

The rule book marks 80-13(a)(3) as appearance not required, so you can plead guilty before the hearing for the lower $300 fine, or contest it at an OATH hearing, where the fine is $400 if you lose. Pleading guilty still adds the points. Before you decide, check the posted limit at the exact place on the summons, take photos of the signs, and note whether a new 20 mph or 15 mph sign was recently installed there. Our fight-or-pay tool walks through the choice.

Where to check the posted limit

• NYC DOT's posted speed limit layer. DOT says it publishes current posted speed limits "as a layer in Open Data and for public viewing on the Vision Zero View website", and offers downloadable speed limit maps on its Vision Zero safe driving page.
• The signs. The posted sign is what you are judged against.
• Your navigation app. Useful, but apps can lag behind new signs. When the app and a sign disagree, the sign is the law.

Driving within the limit for a full year can also earn recognition — see the Vision Zero Safety Honor Roll. Bus lanes have their own cameras and rules: bus lanes, busways and ACE cameras.