Idling Vehicle

If you are aware of any activities or conditions which may violate the New York City Air Code, and you would like to potentially receive an award for your enforcement efforts, you can submit a Citizen's Air Complaint to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). You should first file an Idling Vehicle complaint.

To participate, you will need to login to DEP's Idling Complaint System to file and track your complaint.

Learn more about the Citizen Air Complaint Program and login to the DEP Idling Complaint System.

New York City Anti-Idling Law

In New York City, vehicle idling is illegal if it lasts more than 3 minutes or more than 1 minute when adjacent to a school. This includes buses and delivery trucks. There are a few exceptions: 

• When the temperature is less than 40 degrees F (for diesel-fueled vehicles only) 
• When the engine is powering a loading, unloading, or processing device 
• When the vehicle is a legally authorized emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance. 

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enforces the idling law. Fines range from $300 to $2,000.

New York State Anti-Idling Law

Under New York State law, heavy duty diesel trucks and buses may not idle for more than 5 minutes in a row unless the temperature is less than 25 degrees F and the vehicle is stopped for 2 hours. There are exceptions to the law, including: 

• When the engine is powering an auxiliary function such as loading cargo, unloading cargo, or mixing concrete
• When running the engine is required for maintenance
• When fire, police, utility, or other vehicles are performing emergency services

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) enforces this law. Fines range from $250 to $15,000.

When responding to an emergency, response agencies will attempt to position their idling vehicles in locations where the fumes will have the least impact on the surrounding neighborhood. Unless operating in response to an emergency, ambulances and first response vehicles are required to obey New York City and State environmental conservation laws.

The penalties for violation of these laws may include fines ranging from $250 to $15,000.