Port Authority Airport Rules for Drivers: The Fine Print

In short: The Port Authority, which runs JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, has its own Airport Rules and Regulations, separate from TLC's rules. For drivers, the key part is section V. Don't interfere with taxi dispatch. Don't solicit riders, on foot or from your car. Load and unload only at designated places. Every ride must be pre-arranged, except for taxis licensed for hails by the city the airport is in. Section VI adds roadway rules: no stopping on roadways or shoulders, obey Port Authority staff, and no handheld phone calls while moving. These rules apply on top of TLC's rules, and Port Authority Police enforce both.

The quotes below are from the Airport Rules and Regulations dated July 27, 2022, the version on the Port Authority's site when we checked on October 12, 2026. This page explains the rules. It is not legal advice.

Section V: the four ground transportation rules

Why yellow cabs have hail rights at JFK and LaGuardia but not at Newark

Rule V.D.2 allows service without pre-arrangement "by the operator of a vehicle licensed to carry passengers for hire in response to hails from prospective passengers on public streets of the municipality whose boundaries include the location within an Air Terminal at which the vehicle is located." The next sentence settles it for NYC: "A vehicle licensed by the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission as a 'taxicab' ... is a vehicle so licensed with respect to Air Terminal locations within the City of New York."

So a yellow cab can work the taxi line at JFK and LaGuardia, which are in Queens. Newark Airport is in New Jersey, so an NYC yellow cab has no hail rights there. Green cabs are licensed for hails in NYC too, but TLC's own rules keep them from taking hails at the NYC airports. See can green cabs pick up at JFK or LaGuardia?

What "specific pre-arrangement" means: the announcement card

For a passenger arriving by plane, rule V.D.3 says service counts as pre-arranged only when the driver (or the company's employee) shows, at the place designated for that provider, an announcement card listing:

1. (a) the name of the ground transportation company that dispatched the vehicle,
2. (b) the name of the person the ride was booked for, and
3. (c) the airline and flight number the passenger arrived on.

If the ride was booked at a counter run under a Port Authority permit or contract, the card may list items (a) and (b) and only the airline name. Black car and limo drivers should read airport meet-and-greet pickups for how this works in practice.

Section VI: driving and stopping at the airport

Section VI.B lists the requirements for vehicles in public areas. The parts that matter most for drivers waiting or picking up:

• No stopping (VI.B.15(c)). "No person shall stop or park a vehicle: on any shoulder if the vehicle is not disabled; in front of a driveway; within a bus stop safety zone or taxicab zone, unless the vehicle is authorized ...; on any roadway; within 15 feet of fire hydrant; within 10 feet of an AOA perimeter security fence."
• Park only where allowed (VI.B.15(a)–(b) and 16). You may park or stay stopped only in areas, and for times, the airport manager sets, and you must pay posted parking fees.
• Follow directions (VI.B.5). Every vehicle must obey "any lawful order, signal or direction of any authorized Port Authority representative".
• No handheld calls while moving (VI.B.6). "No person shall operate a motor vehicle at a Port Authority Airport while using a mobile telephone to engage in a call while such vehicle is in motion." There are exceptions for fear for your safety and for reporting emergencies or dangerous drivers.
• Losing airport access (VI.B.9). Breaking the vehicle operating rules "may result in revocation of permission for a vehicle to operate at the Airport."

So stopping on a shoulder or roadway to wait for a ping breaks the rules even if you never leave the car. Uber's own airport driver pages also warn that "idling on the shoulder may result in a citation".

How Port Authority rules stack with TLC rules

Many airport situations break a Port Authority rule and a TLC rule at the same time. TLC rules carry the fines you see on a TLC summons at OATH:

Port Authority Police can write TLC summonses. The rule pages are 80-19(a)(4)(i) and 80-12(a)(2). For who can ticket you, see can Port Authority Police give TLC summonses?

Enforcement: what the Port Authority reports

The 2025 annual report says Port Authority Police used CCTV cameras, license plate readers and BriefCam analytics against illegal for-hire operators ("hustlers"), and worked with TLC and the NYC Sheriff's Office on repeat offenders. Its driver flyer warns that "drivers who offer rides inside of the airport are breaking the law" and that first-time offenders face "a fine of $1,500 and a sentence of 15 days" in jail. The flyer lists Port Authority Police numbers to report solicitation: JFK (718) 244-4333, LGA (718) 533-3900, EWR (973) 961-6230.

The report doesn't say which laws those summonses were written under or how many went to TLC-licensed drivers, so they can't be compared with OATH's count of TLC summonses. Port Authority Police also write many ordinary TLC summonses:

The top codes are TLC driver rules. 80-13(a)(2) covers breaking moving-traffic laws, 80-13(a)(1) covers stopping, standing and parking laws, and 80-17(a)(1) is overcharging. Look each one up before assuming what it means. Airport solicitation data is on airport solicitation summonses, and all Port Authority summonses are on Port Authority TLC summonses.

For airport-by-airport details, see Port Authority crossings and tolls, JFK Airport, can Uber drivers pick up at Newark Airport? and the airports topic.