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In short: TLC Rule 80-19(a)(4)(i) bars taxi drivers from soliciting or cruising for passengers at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark. In OATH's records, 867 summonses cited it as the first charge from 2016 to October 2026: 536 from TLC and 331 from Port Authority Police. Numbers were highest in 2017 (344). In 2024 and 2025 there were about 58 a year, and almost all came from TLC. The Port Authority separately reports over 2,800 unlawful solicitation summonses and 550 arrests at its airports in 2025, but that figure is not limited to this TLC rule.
These are summonses, which are allegations, not proof that anyone broke the rule.
The rule being counted
Rule 80-19(a)(4) in TLC Chapter 80 says a taxi driver "must not solicit or cruise for the purpose of soliciting Passengers" in four places. Item (i) is "At Kennedy, La Guardia or Newark Airports". The others are within 100 feet of a taxi stand, on Lincoln Center's private streets, and anywhere taxi cruising is banned. The fine is $100 if you plead guilty before a hearing and $150 if found guilty after one. This page counts only item (i).
The numbers at a glance
80-19(a)(4)(i) by year and agency
Three things stand out:
- 2017 was the peak, with 344 summonses, more than three times any other year.
- Port Authority Police almost stopped using this code after 2021. They wrote 36 in 2021, then 7 in total from 2022 to October 2026.
- TLC picked up again in 2024. TLC wrote 58 in 2024, 56 in 2025 and 56 by mid-October 2026, compared with 4 in 2022 and 14 in 2023.
The data doesn't explain these changes. A drop in one code can mean enforcement moved to other codes or other courts, not that soliciting stopped.
The agency split
Other airport rules in the same data
The other TLC rules written for the airports are charged far less often:
Port Authority's own count
The Port Authority's 2025 annual report says: "In 2025, we saw an enhanced focus on enforcement at the agency three major airports, with over 2,800 unlawful solicitation summonses and 550 arrests." At Newark, arrests for soliciting rose "from 84 in 2024 to 376 in 2025" and vehicles towed "from 53 in 2024 to 363 in 2025". The report credits CCTV, license plate readers and analytics, plus joint work with TLC and the NYC Sheriff's Office.
Port Authority Police wrote only 2 summonses under 80-19(a)(4)(i) in 2025. So almost all of the 2,800+ were written under other laws or rules. The report does not say which ones, or how many went to TLC-licensed drivers rather than the unlicensed "hustlers" it describes. Port Authority Police also write many ordinary TLC summonses:
Which TLC rules those are is shown in oath-port-authority-top-charges and on Port Authority TLC summonses.
What the data can't tell you
- Which airport. The rule covers JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, and OATH's location fields are not usable for taxi rows.
- First charge only. We count the first-listed charge. A summons citing this rule second is not counted.
- Live data. OATH updates the dataset daily, so totals can shift by a few rows between queries.
Related
The rule itself, with fines and defenses to discuss with a lawyer, is on 80-19(a)(4)(i). The Port Authority's rule book is explained in Port Authority airport rules for drivers, and the similar taxi-stand code is in taxi stand and cruising summonses. For the wider picture, see TLC summons statistics, airport fee trip statistics, TLC enforcement by NYPD precinct, the holding-area rule 80-19(e)(2) and the airports topic.
Frequently asked questions
How many airport solicitation summonses do taxi drivers get?
In the OATH data we queried on October 12, 2026, 867 summonses listed TLC Rule 80-19(a)(4)(i) (soliciting at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark) as the first charge from 2016 to October 2026. That is about 58 a year in 2024 and 2025.
Who writes them, TLC or Port Authority Police?
Over the whole period, TLC wrote 536 and Port Authority Police 331. Since 2022, almost all have come from TLC: Port Authority Police wrote 7 under this code from 2022 to October 2026.
Why does the Port Authority report 2,800 solicitation summonses for 2025?
Its annual report counts all unlawful solicitation summonses at its three major airports, and it describes the effort as aimed at "hustlers" and illegal for-hire vehicles. It does not say how many went to TLC-licensed drivers. The OATH figure counts only summonses heard at OATH that cite this one TLC rule first, so the two numbers measure different things.
Does a summons mean the driver was guilty?
No. A summons is an allegation. The OATH dataset leaves hearing results blank for taxi rows, so it cannot show how many of these summonses ended in a guilty finding.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi), queried Oct 12, 2026 data.cityofnewyork.us
- Port Authority Annual Report 2025 panynj.gov
- TLC Rule Book, Chapter 80 (Drivers), §80-19 (PDF dated June 5, 2025) 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.