TLC Stop Sign Summons 80-13(a)(3)(viii): Fine & Points

In short: §80-13(a)(3)(viii) is TLC's charge for a stop sign violation. It is a hazardous moving violation: $300 if you plead guilty before the hearing, $400 if you are found guilty after one, plus 3 TLC points each time. It is the second most common first charge on taxi and FHV summonses at OATH, so the facts that win or lose these cases are worth knowing before your hearing date.

What the rule says

TLC rule §80-13(a) makes every taxi, green cab and for-hire vehicle driver obey the traffic laws and lets TLC add its own penalty. Paragraph (3) lists hazardous moving violations with a point value for each; item (viii) is "Stop sign violation — 3 points" (TLC rule book, chapter 80). The fine is the same for the whole list: $300 before a hearing, $400 after. Appearance is not required.

Because the TLC rule borrows the traffic law, the hearing turns on a simple question: did you stop as the law requires at that sign? The TLC rule book does not define a "full stop" itself.

Where this charge sits among all TLC charges

The chart below shows the 15 rule codes most often listed first on taxi and FHV summonses from 2021 to 2025. Stop sign summonses are second only to the general moving-violation code 80-13(a)(2). Remember: these are summonses written, not violations proven.

And the yearly trend for this code alone:

We can't tell you why the count peaked in 2021–2022: the OATH data has no usable location or outcome fields for TLC rows. Read the numbers as "how often this charge is written," nothing more. More context is on most common TLC violations.

Who it applies to

All TLC-licensed drivers, in any type of TLC vehicle, plus authorized paratransit drivers while driving an accessible street hail livery.

Penalty and points

The points matter most. TLC's Persistent Violator Program adds TLC points and DMV points within 15 months (counted from conviction dates). Six to nine combined points means a suspension of up to 30 days; ten or more means revocation. Two stop sign convictions in 15 months already reach six. If the same incident also produced a DMV ticket, the program counts multiple violations from one incident as a single violation — the one with the highest point value (§80-27(a)(2)).

Common situations

• Rolling stop at a quiet corner, often while looking for a pickup address.
• Stopping past the line — beyond the stop line or crosswalk — and then moving.
• Obstructed or missing sign: hidden by a tree, a truck, scaffolding or a bent pole.
• New sign at a familiar corner, for example after a street redesign.

What to do and defenses to discuss

Defenses to discuss with a lawyer or OATH-registered representative include whether the evidence really shows you failed to stop, the officer's line of sight, a missing or hidden sign, and mistakes in the summons. See what TLC must prove at a hearing and evidence for a TLC hearing. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Plead or contest: the real trade-off

The money gap is $100: $300 if you plead guilty before the hearing, $400 if you lose after a hearing. The points are the same either way — 3. So the decision is mostly about whether you have a real chance of avoiding the points, and how close those points would push you to the Persistent Violator lines.

• If this would be your first points in the last 15 months, pleading may be a reasonable cost-control choice.
• If you already have 3 or more TLC and DMV points combined in the last 15 months, these 3 points could reach the 6-point suspension line. Contesting, or finishing a point-reduction course before any Persistent Violator summons is decided, matters much more.
• If you have video, contesting costs you at most $100 extra and could save you all 3 points.

TLC also mails some drivers settlement offers for certain charges; a settlement is offered by TLC, not OATH, and comes with its own terms. Our fight-or-pay tool puts these factors side by side.

After the decision

A TLC fine is due within 30 days of a guilty finding (§80-02(c)). If you don't pay, TLC notifies you in writing that your license will be suspended 10 business days later until you pay. If you think the hearing officer got it wrong, OATH appeals must be filed within 30 days of the decision (35 if it was mailed); see appealing an OATH decision.

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