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New York Criminal and Traffic Charge Guide
If you are holding a ticket, a desk appearance ticket or an accusatory instrument, it has a charge code on it — something like VTL 511 or PL 155.25. This guide explains what each one means, what it carries, and how these cases are actually defended in Nassau and Suffolk County District Court. Every page below is written for the charge as it is filed on Long Island. If you have been charged, call Hochhauser Criminal & DWI Defense at 516-939-1529.
Not sure which charge you are facing?
Read the code off your paperwork and find it below. If it is not here, call 516-939-1529 and we will tell you what you are looking at.
Driving and license charges
| Charge code | What it is |
|---|---|
| VTL 340(a), 318(7), 510(7) | Failure to surrender a suspended license, registration or plates |
| VTL 511 | Aggravated unlicensed operation |
| VTL 512, VTL 355 | Driving on a suspended registration |
| VTL 306, VTL 319 | Inspection and insurance card charges |
| VTL 600 | Leaving the scene of an accident |
| VTL 1212 | Reckless driving |
Impaired driving
| Charge code | What it is |
|---|---|
| VTL 1192(3) | Common law DWI |
| VTL 1192(2) | Per se DWI, BAC .08 or more |
| VTL 1198 | Ignition interlock violations |
Criminal charges
| Charge code | What it is |
|---|---|
| PL 155.25 | Petit larceny |
| PL 220.03 | Criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th |
| PL 215.50, PL 215.51 | Criminal contempt / order of protection violation |
| PL 145.00, 145.05, 145.10 | Criminal mischief |
| PL 120.00 | Assault in the third degree |
| PL 240.26, PL 240.30 | Harassment and aggravated harassment |
| PL 170.20, PL 170.25 | Criminal possession of a forged instrument |
| PL 120.14 | Menacing in the second degree |
| PL 121.11 | Criminal obstruction of breathing |
| PL 140.05, 140.10, 140.15, 140.20 | Trespass, criminal trespass and burglary 3rd |
| PL 265.01, PL 265.02 | Criminal possession of a weapon |
| PL 260.10 | Endangering the welfare of a child |
| PL 195.05 | Obstructing governmental administration |
| Educ. Law 6512 | Unauthorized practice of a profession |
How to use this guide
Charges rarely arrive alone. A single traffic stop routinely produces three or four counts — a suspension charge, a surrender charge, an insurance charge — each with its own penalty and its own defense. A domestic incident can generate an assault count, a harassment count and a contempt count from one set of facts. Read every code on your paperwork, not just the most serious one.
Two things are worth knowing before your first appearance. Many of these charges are crimes rather than tickets, including several that carry small fines and look minor — reckless driving, driving on a suspended registration, and possessing a fictitious inspection sticker among them. And a number of them turn on what you knew, which is an element the prosecution has to prove rather than something you have to disprove.
Speak with a Long Island criminal defense lawyer
Richard Hochhauser has defended these charges in Nassau and Suffolk County District Court for years, from traffic infractions to felonies. Our office is a short walk from the Hempstead courthouse. See our criminal defense, DWI defense and traffic ticket practices, or the counties we serve in Nassau and Suffolk.
Free consultation — 516-939-1529
Hochhauser Criminal & DWI Defense
164 Jackson Street, Hempstead, NY 11550
516-939-1529 · RH@Hochhauserlaw.com
This page provides general information about New York charge codes in New York and is not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Contacting our firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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