Sub-chapter 59B holds the rules for owners of for-hire bases — the licensed companies that dispatch car services, black cars and limousines: base licensing, records, dispatching only affiliated vehicles and licensed drivers, advertising and base conduct. It replaced the base parts of old Chapter 6 in April 2011 and is still in force.
Base dispatched a car missing its three TLC decals
Paragraph 59B-29(a)(1) requires three valid TLC decals, plainly visible: one on the lower front right of the windshield and one on the lower rear corner of each rear quarter window (or on the lower rear window above the rear door if there are none), all applied by TLC staff.
Fine (published)
$500 for the first offense in 12 months; $1,000 for the second and later offenses within 12 months. Appearance not required.
Two of the required TLC decals must be on the lower rear corner of each rear quarter window. If the car has no rear quarter windows, they go on the lower rear window just above the rear door. A base must not dispatch a car without them.
Fine (published)
$500 for the first offense in 12 months; $1,000 for the second and later offenses within 12 months. Appearance not required.
Car not brought to TLC for new decals after a change
When a vehicle's license is renewed, or the vehicle is replaced, changes base affiliation or gets new plates, it must go to TLC's Safety and Emissions Division for new decals. A base must not dispatch it with outdated decals.
Fine (published)
$500 for the first offense in 12 months; $1,000 for the second and later offenses within 12 months. Appearance not required.
Base dispatched a car without a valid inspection sticker (8+ months left)
A base must not dispatch a vehicle unless it shows a valid New York State DMV inspection sticker with at least eight months left before it expires, clearly visible on the left side of the front windshield. The vehicle owner faces a separate charge for the same sticker.
No part of a for-hire vehicle may be painted any shade of taxicab yellow, so riders can't confuse it with a yellow cab. A base must not dispatch such a vehicle.
Fine (published)
$350 for the first violation; $500 for the second in 24 months; revocation for the third in 36 months. Appearance required.
Base dispatched a car with unauthorized advertising
A for-hire vehicle must not display advertising inside or outside unless TLC has authorized it and issued a permit showing it complies with the Administrative Code. A base must not dispatch a vehicle with unpermitted ads.
Fine (published)
2011–2018 texts: $50. Current text: $100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
A livery vehicle must show its affiliated base station's name, license number and phone number on the outside: on both side doors (letters at least 1.5 inches), on the rear (at least 1 inch), or both. Lettering must contrast and be legible. Black cars and luxury limousines are exempt.
Livery car didn't show its base's name, license and phone
Paragraph 59B-29(g)(1) requires a livery vehicle to show its base station's name, TLC license number and telephone number on the outside of the car, on the doors, the rear, or both, in the sizes the rule sets.
Under 59B-29(g)(1)(i), a livery vehicle may show its base name, license number and phone number on the outside of the doors on both sides, below the windows and at least six inches above the bottom, in letters and numbers at least 1.5 inches high.
Under 59B-29(g)(1)(ii), a livery vehicle may show its base name, license number and phone number in one place on the rear, below the rear window and at least six inches above the bottom, in letters and numbers at least one inch high.
Livery car base markings not displayed as required
Clause 59B-29(g)(1)(iii) is the option of marking both the doors and the rear of a livery vehicle with the base's name, license number and phone number. A charge under it means the required base markings were missing or not displayed as the rule requires.
Paragraph 59B-29(g)(5) exempts luxury limousines and black cars from the livery base-marking rule. A charge citing (g)(5) is unusual; it likely concerns whether the vehicle really was a black car or limousine rather than a livery that needed markings.
A clean-air for-hire vehicle must show TLC's clean-air vehicle signs on the outside of the C-pillars (sedans, SUVs) or D-pillars (minivans), on both sides, where passengers getting in can see them.
'Turning? People are Crossing' sticker missing or misplaced
Every for-hire vehicle must display TLC's internal safety sticker reading 'Turning? People are Crossing.' (3.5 x 2.5 inches). It goes inside the front windshield, centered at the top behind the rearview mirror, without blocking the driver's view.
Assault-warning sticker missing from the Livery Bill of Rights
Every for-hire vehicle (except black cars and luxury limousines) must display the internal sticker 'ATTENTION: Assaulting A Driver Is Punishable By Up to Twenty-Five Years in Prison', 8 x 2 inches, built into the Livery Passengers' Bill of Rights.
Fine (published)
$50 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $75 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Paragraph 59B-30(a)(1) requires a for-hire vehicle to carry its registration certificate and insurance card (or legible copies) on the right visor, on the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove box before a base dispatches it.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Base dispatched a car without its registration certificate
A for-hire vehicle may not be dispatched unless it carries its certificate of registration (or a legible copy) on the right visor, on top of the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove compartment.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
A for-hire vehicle may not be dispatched unless it carries its insurance card (or a legible copy) on the right visor, on top of the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove compartment.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Licenses not displayed in holder behind driver's seat
Paragraph 59B-30(a)(2) requires the driver's TLC license and the For-Hire Vehicle License to be in a protective holder on the back of the driver's seat before a base dispatches the car (black cars and limousines have a separate display rule).
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Driver's TLC license not in the holder behind the seat
A for-hire vehicle may not be dispatched unless the driver's TLC Driver License (For-Hire Driver's License before October 2016) is in a protective holder attached to the back of the driver's seat, where passengers can see it.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Black car or limo licenses not shown to passengers
Paragraph 59B-30(a)(3) sets the rule for black cars and luxury limousines: no holder behind the driver's seat is needed, but the driver's license and vehicle license must be clearly visible from the passenger seat and available for inspection.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Black cars and luxury limousines must carry the same documents as other for-hire vehicles, but are excused from the holder behind the driver's seat for the driver's TLC license. A charge under this clause relates to how the licenses were displayed in a black car or limousine.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
§59B-30(A)(3)(I)(A)Old rule — replaced by 59B-30(A)(3)(I)144 charges · 2014–2024
Black car or limo driver's license not displayed
In the 2014–2016 rules, black cars and luxury limousines were excused from mounting a holder behind the driver's seat for item (A), the driver's For-Hire (now TLC) Driver License, but it still had to be visible to passengers. A charge under (A) concerns the driver license display.
§59B-30(A)(3)(I)(B)Old rule — replaced by 59B-30(A)(2)(II)31 charges · 2015–2019
Black car or limo vehicle license not displayed
In the 2014–2016 rules, black cars and luxury limousines were excused from mounting a holder behind the driver's seat for item (B), the For-Hire Vehicle License, but it still had to be visible to passengers. A charge under (B) concerns the vehicle license display.
Black car or limo didn't display licenses for passengers
Black cars and luxury limousines get one break on license display: under the current rule they don't need the holder behind the driver's seat for the driver's TLC license (before about 2016, for the vehicle license too). But those licenses must still be displayed where they are clearly visible from the passenger seat and available for the passenger to inspect. A base must not dispatch a car that doesn't comply.
Fine (published)
$50 for each violation; no fine under this rule can exceed $100. Appearance required.
Base dispatched a car without the Passengers' Bill of Rights
Subdivision 59B-30(b) bars a base from dispatching a livery vehicle without the Livery Passengers' Bill of Rights, or a street hail livery without the SHL Passengers' Bill of Rights, in TLC's prescribed form and placement.
Livery dispatched without the Passengers' Bill of Rights
A base must not dispatch a livery vehicle unless it contains the Livery Passengers' Bill of Rights in TLC's prescribed format, in a protective holder on the back of the front passenger seat.
Bill of Rights missing (TLC format or street hail livery)
Under the 2011 numbering, (b)(2) said TLC posts the required Bill of Rights format on its website. In later versions, (b)(2) requires every street hail livery (green cab) to carry the Street Hail Livery Passengers' Bill of Rights before its base dispatches it.
§59B-30(B)(3)Old rule — replaced by 59B-30(b)(1)(iii)40 charges · 2013–2018
Passengers' Bill of Rights not in the holder behind the seat
Under the 2011 numbering, 59B-30(b)(3) required the Livery Passengers' Bill of Rights to be in a protective holder attached to the back of the front passenger seat. Later versions moved this to 59B-30(b)(1)(iii), but officers kept citing (b)(3).
Base vehicle equipment rules (section not specified)
Section 59B-31 bars a base from dispatching a for-hire vehicle with a roof light (except Staten Island cars and street hail liveries) or a taximeter (except street hail liveries). It also requires distress lights on liveries and limits electronic dispatch devices.
A base must not dispatch a for-hire vehicle with a roof light unless it is a Staten Island vehicle (operating mainly in Staten Island, with a Staten Island base, and a light meeting TLC's definition) or a street hail livery, which must have the required roof light.
Fine (published)
Staten Island roof light rule, 59B-31(a)(i): $350 first violation; $500 second in 24 months; revocation for the third in 36 months (appearance required). Street hail livery roof light, 59B-31(a)(ii): $100.
Base dispatched a livery without a distress signal light
A base must not dispatch a livery vehicle unless it has a working help or distress signal light system meeting TLC's specifications in 59C-03. Cars affiliated only with black car or luxury limousine bases are exempt.
Fine (published)
$175 and suspension of the vehicle license until corrected; respondent must provide a condition-corrected form from TLC's Safety and Emissions Division. Appearance not required.
Distress light rule: black car and limousine exemption
Paragraph 59B-31(c)(2) exempts vehicles affiliated only with a black car base or luxury limousine base from the distress signal light requirement. A charge citing it most likely concerns whether the vehicle qualified for that exemption.
Former section 59B-32 required livery vehicles dispatched by a base to have a driver partition, unless they had an emergency radio or phone, a distress light and an approved camera. Black cars and limousines were exempt. The section is now marked repealed in the rule book.
Base dispatched a livery without a required partition
The former 59B-32(a) required liveries dispatched by a base to have a driver partition meeting the specifications in 59C-02, unless the car qualified for the safety-device exemption. Black cars and limousines were not covered. The section has since been repealed.
Fine (published)
$350 and suspension until the condition is corrected. Appearance required.
Under the former partition rule, a base could not dispatch a livery vehicle unless it had a partition separating the driver from rear-seat passengers. Exempt were cars with an emergency radio or phone, a distress light and an approved in-vehicle camera. This section has since been repealed.
Fine (published)
$350 and suspension until the condition is corrected. Appearance required.
Under the former partition rule, (a)(2) said the partition required in livery vehicles had to meet the specifications in 59C-02. A charge under it means the partition was not an approved type or not installed correctly. The section has since been repealed.
Fine (published)
$350 and suspension until the condition is corrected. Appearance required.
Livery without partition lacked an approved camera
Under the former partition rule, a livery could skip the partition only if it had an emergency radio or phone, a distress light, and (clause (b)(1)(iii)) an approved in-vehicle camera system. A charge under it means the car had no partition and no approved camera. The section has since been repealed.
Fine (published)
$350 and suspension until the condition is corrected. Appearance required.
Under the former camera rule, a livery using an in-vehicle camera system to qualify for the partition exemption had to have a camera meeting TLC's specifications, working and in good order. The section has since been repealed.
Fine (published)
$350 if you plead guilty before a hearing and supply a condition-corrected form from TLC's Safety and Emissions Division; $450 if found guilty after a hearing; suspension until the condition is corrected. Appearance not required.
Under the former camera rule, a livery with an in-vehicle camera had to post signs on each rear passenger window, readable from outside, saying 'This Vehicle is equipped with camera security. You will be photographed.' in letters at least half an inch high. The section has since been repealed.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.