How Do Bicycle Tickets Work in New York City?

From April 28, 2025, the NYPD issued criminal summonses to many cyclists stopped for low-level traffic offenses. Since March 27, 2026, the city has handled those offenses as traffic tickets again, so most riders no longer face a criminal court date. Those offenses include red-light, stop sign, traffic control device and wrong way violations.

A few offenses can still bring a criminal charge. The NYPD says reckless driving still brings a criminal summons. Sidewalk riding that endangers a person or property is a misdemeanor. So is riding an e-bike while intoxicated or impaired by drugs, which officers can charge only after a crash involving you.

How Much Does a Bike Ticket Cost in New York City?

A first bike ticket for most traffic violations costs up to $150, and a first red light violation costs $150 to $450. Penalties rise for repeat violations within 18 months, to a range of $750 to $1,500 for a third red-light violation. Breaking a local traffic rule, such as the lane-use rule, costs no more than $50 unless another law sets a different fine.

Match the law printed on your summons to its row above before you decide whether to pay.

Does a Bike Ticket Add Points or Go on Your Record?

A citation issued while you ride a bike or a Class 1, 2 or 3 e-bike puts no points on your license, and you do not pay the $88 surcharge drivers pay. Paying still puts the conviction on your DMV record. It does not give you a criminal record, because a traffic infraction is not a crime. However, a misdemeanor is a crime, so a conviction for one can give you a criminal record.

What Should You Do and Document When an Officer Stops You?

If a police officer pulls you over on a bike, stop. Say as little as you can, because riding away can get you arrested and anything you say can be used against you.

No law requires you to carry a photo ID on a bike. However, CPL § 150.20 lets police arrest you instead of issuing a summons when they cannot verify who you are.

Before you ride away:

• Photograph or film the signal to show whether it was working
• Photograph where you and the officer were and the summons
• Note anything that blocked the officer’s view
• Get witnesses’ names and numbers

Should You Pay or Fight a Bike Ticket?

Start by checking which court or agency your summons names. That decides your options and your deadline.

How Do You Answer a Traffic Violations Bureau Ticket?

You can plead guilty and pay online, by mail or by phone, or plead not guilty and ask for a hearing, but there is no plea bargaining for a lesser charge.

• You have 15 days from receiving the ticket to answer. If you miss that deadline, the DMV can suspend your license, or your privilege to drive if you have none, and convict you by default.
• At a Traffic Violations Bureau hearing, the charge must be proved by clear and convincing evidence. You can take part in person, online or in writing.

What If You Got a Criminal (Pink) Summons?

A criminal summons, or pink summons, names a local criminal court and a date, so you must appear in court. If you fail to appear, the court can issue a warrant for your arrest.

How Do You Answer an OATH Sidewalk Notice?

Riding on the sidewalk without endangering anyone brings a notice to the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), not the DMV. You can respond online, by phone or by mail in most cases.

Can a Bike Ticket Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim After a Collision?

A citation issued after a crash does not decide fault in your personal injury case. Paying it is different, because payment is a guilty plea that the driver’s lawyer can use as your admission, although you can explain why you pleaded.

What If You Got a Bike Ticket Outside New York City?

Outside the five boroughs, a bike ticket goes to the criminal or traffic court of the city, county, town or village where you were ticketed, the DMV explains. Contact it by the date printed on it. The March 2026 change covers cyclists and e-bike riders within the five boroughs only. There, a first red-light conviction costs $75 to $225.

How Many Bicycle Tickets Does the NYPD Write?

E-bike summonses and criminal summonses to cyclists rose sharply during the 2025 crackdown, and the NYPD kept writing e-bike moving violations and reckless driving summonses after the March 2026 change. The rows count different things, so compare each one only with its own earlier period. For injury and crash numbers, see BALG’s NYC bicycle accident statistics.

Were You Ticketed After a Bike Accident?

If an officer ticketed you at the scene of a crash, call Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group at (888) 521-6377 before you plead. BALG handles bicycle accident cases on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fee unless BALG recovers compensation for you. Case costs and expenses are separate from that fee, and your written fee agreement explains how they are handled. BALG’s practice is limited to bicycle accident claims, so for a ticket with no crash, contact a traffic or criminal defense lawyer. 

Posted by Robert Goldwater

Robert Goldwater is a cyclist representing cyclists. He has practiced personal injury and wrongful death law for more than 20 years, graduating with Honors from Arizona State University Law School, and has helped recover over $1 billion for clients, including injured cyclists.

All articles by Robert Goldwater