NewsPublished: Jan. 01, 2026, 6:30 a.m.
A view of the Empire State Building and Midtown Manhattan from Climb NYC in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)AP
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As we bid farewell to 2025, it’s time to look forward to 2026 and all the new laws slated to go into effect in the new year.
Here’s what you need to know to step confidently into 2026:
New York’s minimum wage boost Starting Jan. 1, 2026, minimum wage workers in New York City — plus Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties — will make $17 an hour, up from the $16.50 an hour they made in 2025. The rest of the state will also see a minimum wage hike to $16 from $15.50. Updated points system for drivers Kicking off in February of 2026, drivers will need to be especially wary of how many points they can get on their license. The DMV is downgrading the number of points needed to have a license suspended (11 points to 10 points), while increasing the point worth of some driving violations, like: Driving recklessly: Five points to eight pointsUsing a cellphone while driving: Five points to six pointsSpeeding from 10 miles-per-hour over the speed limit: Three points to four points Say goodbye to gas-powered homesA good chunk of new residential and commercial buildings will be required to install electric appliances and heating over the gas-powered most New Yorkers are familiar with. There are exemptions, and ongoing legal cases delayed exactly when the law will go into effect, but it is anticipated to be in 2026. These types of construction will be affected, according to the New York Assembly:most new construction of buildings in New York that are seven stories or shorter must be built with electric heat and appliances.larger commercial buildings of 100,000 square feet or more.LLCs new requirementLimited liability corporations will be required to disclose their “beneficial owners” to a new, secure database “that can be accessed by federal, state and local government law enforcement across New York state,” according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office. That means there won’t be any more unnamed figures controlling LLCs from the shadows. Street vendors Starting in March, street vendors — be it for food, clothes or otherwise — will no longer face misdemeanor charges for repetitive violations like working without a license and not posting health grades to carts or having permit plates, etc.
Jillian Delaney is an award-winning journalist with a master’s degree in Journalism Innovation from Syracuse University. She is a native Staten Islander who reports on local news, national politics, and climate… more