Company record · #20 most-fined
Merchants Automotive Group
Merchants Automotive Group has 2,018 idling violations on record from citizen-era DEP summonses heard at NYC OATH (2020–2025), totaling $993,040 in penalties imposed, 0.4% of all idling penalties citywide in that period.
By Mario Bailey · Data updated November 2026
Violations by year
Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of November 2026 · methodology
What sets this record apart
The measures on which Merchants Automotive Group differs most from all 362,855 DEP idling summonses in the same period.
- OATH records show $3,430 still due on Merchants Automotive Group's cases, about $2 per summons, against a citywide average of $382 per summons.
- 1% of Merchants Automotive Group's summonses were decided by default, meaning nobody answered or appeared for the respondent, against 35% of all summonses citywide.
- 4% of Merchants Automotive Group's cases ended with the respondent admitting the violation, no hearing held; citywide, respondents admit 31%.
- Merchants Automotive Group's decided cases took a median of 91 days from violation to decision; the citywide median is 419 days.
How the cases ended
| Outcome | Cases | Share | Citywide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settledresolved by stipulation | 1,908 | 94.5% | 8.5% |
| Admittedthe respondent admitted the violation without a hearing | 74 | 3.7% | 31.0% |
| Decided by defaultthe respondent did not answer or appear | 21 | 1.0% | 34.9% |
| Dismissedcontested, and the charge was thrown out | 9 | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| Lost at a hearingcontested, and the hearing officer sustained the charge | 4 | 0.2% | 16.0% |
| Still opennot yet decided, or adjourned | 2 | 0.1% | 6.4% |
Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of November 2026 · outcome = OATH hearing result · methodology
Offense tier and penalties
Tiers and amounts follow DEP's penalty schedule (15 RCNY 43-02, explained in the NYC idling law guide). Merchants Automotive Group's summonses by tier as charged: first offense 787, second offense 211, and third or subsequent 1,020. 167 were for idling more than one minute next to a school.
The penalty amounts OATH most often imposed on its upheld cases, and what each one means on the schedule:
- $600 1,015 casesthird or later
- $350 760 casesfirst offense
- $440 211 casessecond offense
- $1,000 18 casesfirst offense, default
- $2,000 3 casesthird or later, default
Median time from violation to decision: 91 days (citywide 419). Outstanding balances on its cases: $3,430.
Where and when
Violations were recorded in 44 ZIP codes. The five with the most: 10002 (497, 24.6%), 10009 (303, 15.0%), 10003 (243, 12.0%), 10012 (159, 7.9%), 10013 (137, 6.8%).
The record in detail
- First violation in the data: 2020-11-17; most recent: 2025-07-26.
- Of 2,016 decided cases, 2,007 were upheld (including defaults, admissions, and settlements) and 9 dismissed.
- Most violations were recorded in Manhattan (1,997, followed by Brooklyn with 14).
- Average penalty when upheld: $494 (median $600).
A summons records an alleged violation; cases marked pending have no final outcome. “Paid” reflects payments recorded in OATH case data, which can lag or include fees.
Respondent names behind this record
OATH records name respondents inconsistently. This page aggregates the following source spellings (violation counts in parentheses):
MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC (1,979) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IN (24) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LLC (4) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUPS IN (3) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE (3) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP DBA (2) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP (1) · MERCHANTS AUTOMOTIVE INC (1)
Source: NYC Open Data, OATH Hearings Division Case Status · DEP idling summonses · as of November 2026 · company grouping documented in methodology · methodology
Cite this record: DashcamBounty, “Merchants Automotive Group: NYC Idling Enforcement Record, as of November 2026,” analysis of NYC Open Data OATH Hearings Division records. dashcambounty.com/data/company/merchants-automotive-group/ (underlying tables on the data hub).
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