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NYC Sets Record for Tickets Over Illegal Parking Cones as Queens Leads Violations

Citations hinge on owners admitting the cones are theirs, limiting enforcement.

Overview

  • New York City issued 533 summonses in 2025 for cone-related street obstructions, the highest annual total on record.
  • Residents filed 7,208 cone complaints to 311 last year, continuing a multiyear surge in reports.
  • Tickets climbed from roughly 60 in 2022 to 287 in 2023 and 470 in 2024 before hitting last year’s record.
  • Queens accounted for about 380 of the 2025 summonses and roughly 1,000 of 1,376 tickets citywide since 2020.
  • Officials classify cones and similar objects as illegal obstructions punishable by administrative summonses, with repeat fines up to $200, yet only just over 5% of more than 25,000 complaints since 2020 resulted in violations as parking scarcity fuels disputes.