Citizen enforcement, by the numbers
New York pays people to report idling trucks.
Here is the actual math.
We maintain the only continuously updated dataset of NYC idling enforcement — 326,209 hearing records and counting. No hype: real fines, real win rates, real payout figures, sourced from city data.
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Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of June 2026 · methodology
Enforcement has exploded
Since the 2018 law change let any New Yorker file an idling complaint and keep 25% of the fine, violations heard at OATH grew from 9,031 in 2019 to 119,102 at the 2024 peak — $225.2M in penalties imposed overall.
Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of June 2026 · methodology
The most-fined companies
| # | Company | Violations | Fines imposed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | 12,539 | $15,743,860 |
| 2 | Con Edison | 23,009 | $14,911,920 |
| 3 | Verizon | 15,966 | $8,899,640 |
| 4 | Brink's | 3,597 | $4,653,140 |
| 5 | Garda CL Atlantic | 2,236 | $2,326,380 |
Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of June 2026 · methodology
Start here
The definitive guide
Eligibility, evidence rules, filing steps, hearings, and getting paid — with the failure modes that get complaints dismissed.
Earnings calculator
Complaints per month × real average penalty × 25% share × real upheld rate. Seeded from the dataset, not guesses.
Got an idling ticket?
The other side of the bounty: what defaulting, admitting, or contesting actually costs, from the same records.
Evidence hardware
What a recording needs to survive an OATH hearing, and which cameras meet the bar.