TLC Help
SearchLookupSign inScan my summons

Driver questionEnforcement & unlicensed activity

Can Port Authority Police Give Me a TLC Summons?

Yes. Port Authority Police wrote 36,397 taxi and FHV summonses heard at OATH from 2021 to 2025. The charges they write most and how to answer one.

  • Reviewed
  • 2 min read
  • 3 official sources
On this page (7)
  1. Why a police officer can write a TLC charge
  2. What they charge most
  3. The trend
  4. What to do if you get one
  5. Your options are the same as for any TLC summons
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

Yes. Port Authority Police officers write TLC summonses, and those summonses go to the same tribunal as any other: the OATH Hearings Division. In the official OATH record, Port Authority Police wrote 36,397 taxi and FHV summonses with violation dates from 2021 through 2025 — more than one in nine of all taxi/FHV summonses in that period. TLC inspectors wrote almost all of the rest.

  • 36,397Taxi/FHV summonses written by Port Authority Police, 2021–2025

    Source: NYC Open Data: OATH (jz4z-kudi)

  • 11.7%Share of all taxi/FHV summonses at OATH, 2021–2025TLC wrote 274,493; NYPD 294
  • 8,836Port Authority TLC summonses in 2025After 10,557 in 2024, the highest year since 2014

Why a police officer can write a TLC charge

TLC rules make traffic law part of your license. Rule §80-13(a) requires TLC drivers to obey all traffic laws and adds TLC fines and points for breaking them: 80-13(a)(1) for laws on stationary vehicles (standing, stopping, parking), 80-13(a)(2) for moving violations, and 80-13(a)(3) for hazardous moving violations such as running a red light. Officers can also charge TLC passenger-service rules like overcharging and refusal.

What they charge most

Top first-listed charges on Port Authority TLC summonses, 2021–2025

First-listed charge only. A summons is an allegation, not a finding of guilt; outcomes and fines are not published for these rows.

  1. 80-13(a)(2)11,971
  2. 80-13(a)(1)11,230
  3. 80-17(a)(1)1,349
  4. 80-20(a)(1)991
  5. 80-12(e)745
  6. 80-13(a)(3)(xii)722
  7. 80-15(i)703
  8. 80-13(a)(3)(vii)638
  9. 80-14(g)(1)588
  10. 80-12(c)524
Show data table
LabelSummonses (summonses)
80-13(a)(2)11,971
80-13(a)(1)11,230
80-17(a)(1)1,349
80-20(a)(1)991
80-12(e)745
80-13(a)(3)(xii)722
80-15(i)703
80-13(a)(3)(vii)638
80-14(g)(1)588
80-12(c)524

Source: NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi) · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Counts are summonses filed at OATH by the agency, dated by violation_date (the date on the summons). A summons is not a finding of guilt. hearing_status, hearing_result, penalty_imposed, paid_amount and the charge descriptions are blank for taxi rows in this dataset, so it cannot show outcomes or fines. Counts use the first-listed charge (charge_1_code) only. Later charge columns mostly repeat the first code, so they are not counted. Codes are normalised for case (80-13(A)(2) and 80-13(a)(2) are the same).

Two charges dominate: 80-13(a)(2) (11,971 summonses) and 80-13(a)(1) (11,230). Together they are almost two-thirds of all Port Authority TLC summonses in the period. Standing, stopping or parking where it is not allowed falls under the stationary-vehicle rule. The next tier is passenger-service charges: overcharging (1,349), refusal (991), threats or harassment (745) and discourtesy (703).

The trend

Port Authority Police TLC summonses by year

By violation year, as filed at OATH. The dataset does not say which airport or facility a summons came from.

Summonses

11K201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Show data table
LabelPort Authority Police (summonses)
20146,919
20157,281
20164,093
20175,327
20186,576
20196,524
20203,201
20213,470
20225,462
20238,072
202410,557
20258,775

Source: NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi) · Data as of Oct 12, 2026. Counts are summonses filed at OATH by the agency, dated by violation_date (the date on the summons). A summons is not a finding of guilt. hearing_status, hearing_result, penalty_imposed, paid_amount and the charge descriptions are blank for taxi rows in this dataset, so it cannot show outcomes or fines. 2026 so far: 1,314. The dataset does not say which airport or facility a summons came from.

The data cannot tell you where each summons was written, so it is not proof that enforcement rose at any one airport. It does show Port Authority summonses at their highest level of the past decade in 2023–2025.

What to do if you get one

  1. Read the hearing date and method on the summons — the deadline is the same as for a TLC inspector's summons. See what to do after a TLC summons.
  2. Check the charge code. 80-13(a)(1) and (a)(2) penalties grow with repeat violations within 15 months, and from the second one they add a TLC point.
  3. Gather evidence early: trip records, app screenshots showing where you were directed to wait, photos of signs. Airport layouts change, so take photos the same day.
  4. Cooperate at the stop. Rule 80-12(j) requires you to give officers your name, license number and required documents.

Your options are the same as for any TLC summons

A Port Authority summons is not a lesser or different kind of case. You can contest it at OATH, and the methods TLC lists for answering a summons (hearing by phone, online or in person on request) apply to it as well. If you are found guilty or plead guilty, the fine is paid to TLC, and the usual 30-day payment deadline applies. See how OATH hearings work and paying TLC fines.

For airport waiting rules see can Uber drivers wait at JFK or LaGuardia, and for the full data picture see Port Authority TLC summonses statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Port Authority TLC summons different from one written by a TLC inspector?

It goes to the same place. Summonses written by Port Authority Police appear in the official OATH Hearings Division record alongside TLC's own, with the issuing agency listed as Port Authority. You answer it at OATH by the hearing date on the summons, and any fine is paid to TLC.

What do Port Authority Police charge most often?

In 2021–2025 the top first-listed charges were TLC rule 80-13(a)(2) (moving traffic laws) and 80-13(a)(1) (stationary-vehicle laws, such as standing and parking rules), followed by overcharging (80-17(a)(1)) and refusal (80-20(a)(1)).

Do I have to give the officer my license?

Yes. Rule 80-12(j) requires you to cooperate with all law enforcement officers, including giving your name, TLC license number and any documents you are required to carry. The fine is $300 if you plead guilty before a hearing or $400 after.

Does the data show where the summons was written?

No. The OATH dataset has no usable location field for these rows, so it cannot show whether a summons came from JFK, LaGuardia, Newark or another Port Authority facility.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi) data.cityofnewyork.us
  2. TLC Rules, Chapter 80: Drivers (§80-12(j), §80-13(a)) nyc.gov
  3. TLC: Receive a Summons nyc.gov

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.

Related

Data & statisticsPort Authority TLC Summonses: Airport Enforcement DataPort Authority Police wrote 8,836 TLC summonses in 2025, more than in 2019. See their top charges, how they differ from TLC's, and what the data can't show.See the data Driver questionCan Uber and Lyft Drivers Wait at JFK or LaGuardia?Yes, but not at the pickup curb. TLC rule 80-19(f) bars accepting trips while parked in pickup areas, and airport street pickups risk $500 and revocation.Read GuidePort Authority Airport Rules for Drivers: The Fine PrintThe Port Authority's own airport rules on soliciting, pre-arranged pickups, the announcement card, loading and stopping, and how they stack with TLC rules.Read Data & statisticsAirport Solicitation Summonses: Taxi Data at OATHHow often taxi drivers get summonsed under TLC's airport solicitation rule 80-19(a)(4)(i), by year and agency, plus Port Authority's 2025 enforcement count.See the data GuideGot a TLC Summons? What to Do in the First 48 HoursJust got a TLC summons? Read it, check the hearing date, choose how to respond and start gathering evidence: a plain-English plan for NYC drivers.Read §80-13(a)(2)Moving traffic violation (non-hazardous)1st in 15 months: $200 (plead guilty before hearing) / $300 (found guilty after hearing).§80-13(a)(1)Stationary (parking/standing) traffic violation1st in 15 months: $100 (plead guilty before hearing) / $200 (found guilty after hearing).