If you are asking whether you can still get a jaywalking ticket in New York City, the short answer is no. New York City changed its law and rules so that what people commonly call “jaywalking” is no longer a violation that can trigger a city summons. The key legal changes were enacted in Local Law 98 of 2024, and the New York City Department of Transportation later updated the city’s traffic rules to match, with that rule change taking effect on June 26, 2025. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98; NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
That means the answer in 2026 is clear: jaywalking is not illegal in NYC under the city provisions that used to allow enforcement against pedestrians for crossing outside a crosswalk or against the signal. NYC DOT rules and regulations page; Local Law 98 legislative summary.
What changed in New York City
The most important change came from the City Council. According to the Council’s legislative record for Introduction 346-A / Local Law 98 of 2024, the law amended the Administrative Code in relation to “pedestrian crossing guidelines and right of way.” The Council summary states that the law would permit pedestrians to cross a roadway at any point, including outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk, and allow crossing against traffic signals. It also says those actions “can no longer be the subject of a summons.” NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98.
After that law passed, NYC DOT adopted a rule to conform the city’s traffic rules to the amended code. DOT’s official rules page says the adopted rule decriminalizes jaywalking, aligns the traffic rules with Administrative Code section 19-195 as amended by Local Law 98 of 2024, and goes into effect on June 26, 2025. NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
The same rulemaking appears in the City Record notice of adoption published on May 27, 2025. That notice says DOT amended Chapter 4 of Title 34 of the Rules of the City of New York to decriminalize jaywalking and align the rules with the amended Administrative Code. City Record notice of adoption, May 27, 2025.
So is jaywalking legal now?
In practical terms, yes: the behavior commonly described as jaywalking is now legal in New York City in the sense that it is not a city offense subject to a summons under the old pedestrian-crossing rules. Local Law 98 legislative summary; NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
That includes two core behaviors the Council specifically addressed:
- crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk, and
- crossing against a traffic signal. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98.
If your question is, “Can NYPD or another city agency still write a regular jaywalking summons just because I crossed mid-block or crossed on red?” the legal changes indicate no, not under those former city jaywalking provisions. NYC Council legislative summary; City Record notice of adoption, May 27, 2025.
Important limitation: legal does not mean safe
Even though jaywalking is no longer illegal in NYC, pedestrians still need to yield to vehicles when crossing outside a crosswalk. The Council bill was framed as changing crossing legality, not as giving pedestrians automatic right of way everywhere. The law concerns crossing guidelines and right of way, and the practical effect is that pedestrians may cross in more places without committing a summonsable offense, but that does not erase the real traffic-safety risks. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98.
In other words:
- You may no longer be breaking the city’s jaywalking rule.
- But stepping into moving traffic is still dangerous.
- Drivers may not expect a mid-block crossing.
- Visibility, turning vehicles, buses, bikes, and e-bikes still make uncontrolled crossings risky.
That is a common source of confusion. Decriminalized means the conduct is no longer punished as a city violation in the same way. It does not mean traffic laws stopped mattering for everyone else, and it does not guarantee that a pedestrian will be protected from the consequences of an unsafe crossing.
Why NYC changed the rule
The official sources focus on legal alignment rather than broad political commentary. The Council summary says the law would legalize commonly called jaywalking and prevent it from being the subject of a summons. DOT’s rulemaking says its adopted rule was to align the city’s traffic rules with the Administrative Code after the Council amended that law. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98; NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
So the cleanest way to understand the timeline is:
1. The Council changed the law in 2024
Local Law 98 of 2024 amended the city code on pedestrian crossing and made jaywalking non-summonsable. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98.
2. DOT updated the traffic rules in 2025
DOT then adopted a conforming rule, published in the City Record, with an effective date of June 26, 2025. NYC DOT rules and regulations page; City Record notice of adoption, May 27, 2025.
3. By September 1, 2026, the change is fully in effect
As of the current date for this article, September 1, 2026, that effective date is long past. The rule is not pending; it is already in force. NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
Can you still be stopped by police?
The law change means a person should not receive a standard jaywalking summons for crossing outside a crosswalk or against the signal under the city provisions that were changed. NYC Council legislative summary.
But that does not mean every street interaction disappears. If a person creates a hazardous situation, blocks traffic, ignores police directions during an emergency, enters a restricted roadway, or engages in some other separate conduct, different laws or enforcement powers could potentially come into play. That is an inference based on how law enforcement generally works and on the fact that the jaywalking change is specific to pedestrian-crossing violations; it is not the same thing as saying all pedestrian behavior is immune from enforcement. The official sources here confirm decriminalization of jaywalking, but they do not say all related street conduct is untouchable. NYC DOT rules and regulations page; City Record notice of adoption, May 27, 2025.
What visitors and residents should do in practice
Even though the legal answer is straightforward, the safest street behavior is still pretty traditional:
Use crosswalks whenever they are convenient
Crosswalks remain the most predictable place for drivers to expect pedestrians, and they are still the best option for visibility and safety.
Do not assume drivers will stop mid-block
A legal crossing outside a crosswalk does not magically give you physical protection. Cars, delivery bikes, mopeds, and buses may have limited stopping distance.
Be especially careful with turning traffic
Many pedestrian injuries happen when a walker and a turning vehicle both believe they have space. A legal right to cross is different from a safe chance to cross.
Treat larger roads differently
The legality change is citywide, but a calm residential block and a multi-lane arterial are not the same risk environment. Use judgment.
Follow on-scene instructions
Construction, police activity, parades, crashes, and temporary street closures can change what is safe and permitted at a specific location.
Common questions
Does this mean crossing on a red hand is allowed?
Under the Council summary, yes: the law allows crossing against traffic signals and says that behavior can no longer be the subject of a summons under the amended city code. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98.
Does this apply only to locals, or also to tourists?
It applies as a city law and rule change, so it is not limited to residents. Visitors are not subject to a separate jaywalking rule simply because they are tourists.
Did the law change in 2024 or 2025?
Both dates matter. The law changed in 2024 through Local Law 98 of 2024, and DOT’s conforming rule took effect on June 26, 2025. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98; NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
Is jaywalking now legal everywhere in New York State?
This article is about New York City, not the entire state. The sources cited here support the NYC change specifically. If you need an answer for somewhere outside the five boroughs, check the applicable local or state law for that place.
Bottom line
No, jaywalking is no longer illegal in New York City. The City Council’s Local Law 98 of 2024 legalized the conduct commonly referred to as jaywalking and said crossing outside a crosswalk or against a signal can no longer be the subject of a summons, and NYC DOT adopted a matching rule that took effect on June 26, 2025. NYC Council legislative file for Local Law 98; NYC DOT rules and regulations page.
The practical caution is just as important: not illegal does not mean risk-free. Crossing at a crosswalk and with the signal is still the safest choice in most situations.