Chapter 80 holds the rules for every TLC-licensed driver — yellow taxi, green cab (street hail livery) and for-hire vehicle including app-based drivers: licensing, traffic safety, passenger service, fares, refusals, required items, trip records and the critical driver and persistent violator point programs. It took effect on October 26, 2016, when the universal TLC Driver License replaced the separate taxi and FHV licenses, and it replaced Chapters 54 and 55.
One condition for an off-duty green-cab driver to pick up a passenger is that the driver is in the Hail Zone. This code says the pickup happened outside it, so the off-duty exception did not apply.
Fine (published)
$75 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $100 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Off-duty green-cab pickup without meeting all conditions
This code cites all four conditions an off-duty green-cab driver must meet before picking up: in the Hail Zone, heading to base or home, trip entry recorded, and the passenger's destination directly on the route.
Fine (published)
$75 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $100 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Off-duty green-cab pickup when not heading home or to base
One condition for an off-duty green-cab driver to pick up a passenger is that the driver is returning the car to their base or home. This code says that condition was not met.
Fine (published)
$75 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $100 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
FHV picking up without a prearranged trip (street hail)
A for-hire vehicle driver may pick up passengers only by prearrangement through a licensed base that can dispatch that vehicle, not from street hails or by soliciting. In Manhattan below East 96th / West 110th Streets and at the airports, §80-19(c)(2) carries higher penalties. App or base trip records showing the trip was dispatched are the key evidence.
Fine (published)
First violation: $200–$350. Second within 24 months: $350–$500 and up to 30 days' suspension. Third within 36 months: revocation. Appearance not required.
FHV street-hail pickup in Manhattan's core or at airports
If an FHV driver picks up or solicits passengers without a base dispatch in Manhattan south of East 96th and West 110th Streets, or at the NYC airports, enhanced penalties apply. A third violation within 10 years means revocation. Trip records proving a dispatch are the main defense.
Fine (published)
First violation: $500. Second within 24 months: $750. Third within 120 months: revocation. Appearance not required.
A for-hire vehicle driver must not require a prospective passenger to share the ride with another prospective passenger. Shared rides must be the passenger's choice.
Interfering with a driver's right to a taxi stand spot
A taxi driver has the right to take any open spot at a taxi stand, and green cabs may do so at stands in the Hail Zone, and no other driver may interfere with that right. Green cabs have no right to stands in the Hail Exclusionary Zone.
A for-hire vehicle driver must not pick up passengers at any taxi stand. Taxi stands are for yellow cabs (and green cabs in the Hail Zone). Repeat violations can lead to revocation.
Fine (published)
First violation: $350. Second within 24 months: $500. Third within 36 months: revocation. Appearance not required.
At a taxi stand (other than a relief stand), a driver must join at the back of the line and must not overcrowd the stand. These summonses are often written at airports and busy stands by Port Authority officers.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Leaving the vehicle at the front of a taxi stand line
The drivers of the first two vehicles at a taxi stand (other than a relief stand) must stay in the driver's seat, ready to take passengers. Other drivers on the stand must stay within 15 feet of their vehicles unless off duty.
Where an airport or terminal has a taxi holding area, drivers must park there before going on relief time, must rejoin the end of the feed line after relief, and must not bring passengers into the holding area.
FHV accepting a dispatch while at JFK or LaGuardia pickup areas
A for-hire vehicle driver must not accept a dispatch while parked or otherwise located at JFK or LaGuardia unless parked somewhere other than the airport's designated passenger pickup locations, such as an app waiting lot. It aims to stop FHVs from waiting at the curb for app trips.
Unless there are justifiable grounds listed in §80-20(b), a driver must not refuse, by words, gestures or any other means, to take a passenger (including a person with a disability and a service animal) to any destination in NYC, Westchester or Nassau counties, or Newark Airport. Service refusals carry TLC's mandatory penalties, which escalate quickly with repeats.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
Requiring a passenger with a disability to bring an attendant
A driver must not require a person with a disability to be accompanied by an attendant as a condition of the ride. It is treated as a service refusal and carries TLC's mandatory penalties.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
Refusing to carry luggage, a wheelchair or other mobility aid
A driver must not refuse to carry a passenger's luggage, wheelchair, crutches, other mobility aid or other property. Refusing a passenger because of their bags or wheelchair is a service refusal with mandatory penalties.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
Asking a passenger's destination before they are seated
A taxi driver, or a green-cab driver on a Hail Zone hail, must not try to learn a passenger's destination before the passenger is seated, even if the driver then agrees to take the trip. Drivers returning home or to the garage who followed the off-duty procedure, and Flex Fare trips, are excepted.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
A driver must not refuse to transport a passenger after accepting that passenger's hail through an e-hail app. Cancelling or refusing once you see the passenger or destination is treated as a service refusal with mandatory penalties.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
Section 80-20(a)(6) covers drivers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles: don't refuse a passenger after accepting an accessible dispatch or e-hail, keep the Technology System on, help wheelchair users and other passengers with disabilities in and out and secure them, handle their packages on request, accept service animals and companions, and help with payment on request.
Fine (published)
Paragraphs (i)–(iii) and (vi): mandatory penalties under §80-02(e). Paragraphs (iv)–(v): $50 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $150 if found guilty after a hearing, plus a suspension deferred 60 days and avoided by completing a Vision Zero and Accessibility Remedial course. Paragraph (vii): $50. Appearance not required.
Accessible-vehicle driver refusing after accepting a dispatch
While driving a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, a driver who has accepted an e-hail on the metered fare through the Technology System, a licensed e-hail app, or the Accessible Taxi Dispatcher must not refuse to transport the passenger. Not showing up after accepting counts as a refusal.
Fine (published)
Mandatory penalties (§80-02(e)): first violation $350 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $500 if found guilty after a hearing; second within 24 months $700 / $1,000 and possible suspension up to 30 days; third within 36 months $750 / $1,000 and revocation. Appearance not required.
Out-of-area driver not showing chauffeur's license in NYC
Drivers licensed by a neighboring 'issuing jurisdiction' (for example Nassau or Westchester) may do certain trips into and out of NYC without a TLC license. One condition is that while in NYC their valid chauffeur's license must be shown on request or posted in the vehicle. This code says it was not.
Drivers must follow the NYC Air Pollution Control Code, including the rule that an engine must not idle for more than three minutes. Idling while waiting in taxi lines or outside venues is the usual cause of this charge.
Even if you don't own the car, you must not drive it without ongoing personal checks that all equipment, including brakes, tires, lights, signals and passenger seat belts and shoulder belts, is in good working order. Inspectors write this charge when they find a defect such as a burned-out light or broken seat belt. A quick check at the start of each shift is the best protection.
Fine (published)
$50 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $75 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
During the shift, a driver must keep the inside of the vehicle clean. Trash, spills or dirt in the passenger area found during an inspection or reported by a passenger can lead to this charge.
During the shift, a driver must keep all exterior markings TLC requires (such as license numbers, decals and medallion or vehicle numbers) clean and unblocked so they can be seen at all times.
A driver must not operate a taxi or green cab that has, or uses, equipment or electronic devices not listed in TLC's rules unless TLC has approved them in writing. Examples include unapproved cameras, screens or wiring.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Besides the Technology System and any accessible-dispatch device, a taxi driver may use no more than one electronic device with an e-hail app. Having or using more devices (for example several phones running apps) leads to this charge.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Besides the Technology System and any accessible-dispatch device, a green cab may have only its base's dispatch equipment and one device for e-hails or base dispatches. That device must be mounted, not hand-held, and used only by voice or one touch while moving.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Besides the base's dispatch equipment, an FHV driver may use one extra dispatch device (or two, if the base's equipment can't take other bases' dispatches). Devices must be mounted, not hand-held, and used only by voice or one touch while moving.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
A driver must not put signs in a taxi or green cab that are not listed in TLC's rules, unless TLC has approved them in writing. Handwritten notes such as 'cash only' or 'no card' are common examples.
Taxi or green cab without a working Technology System
A driver must not operate a taxi or green cab unless it is equipped with the Technology System (the in-car trip-recording and payment system), or a written trip record when the rules allow one.
Fine (published)
$150 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
TLC license not displayed in the taxi license frame
In a taxi or green cab, the driver's TLC Driver License (or paratransit license for a paratransit driver in an accessible green cab) must be displayed in the license frame. Passengers use it to identify the driver.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Blocking the passenger's view of the meter, license or rate card
A taxi or green-cab driver must not block a passenger's view of the taximeter, the driver's TLC license or the rate card, or block access to the medallion or SHL number on the raised-letter and Braille plaques. Objects hung over the partition or license frame are a common cause.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
After sunset, a taxi or green cab must not be driven unless the meter face, the driver's TLC license and the rate card are lit so a passenger in the back seat can clearly see them.
FHV registration or insurance card not in the vehicle
An FHV driver must not drive without the vehicle's registration certificate and insurance card (or legible copies) kept on the right visor, on top of the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove compartment.
Fine (published)
$150 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
An FHV must carry its certificate of registration, or a legible copy, on the right visor, on the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove compartment. This code says it was missing.
Fine (published)
$150 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
An FHV must carry its insurance card, or a legible copy, on the right visor, on the right side of the dashboard, or in the glove compartment. This code says it was missing.
Fine (published)
$150 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
In a for-hire vehicle, the driver's TLC Driver License must be displayed in a protective holder on the back of the driver's seat. Black cars and luxury limousines are exempt from the holder, but the license must still be clearly visible from the passenger seat and available on request.
Fine (published)
$150 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $200 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
The Technology System is the in-car system that records trips and takes card payments in taxis and green cabs. A driver must log in and operate it for each trip, including trips that start through an e-hail app (green-cab prearranged trips are excepted, but Flex Fare trips are not). You must appear at the hearing.
Fine (published)
$250 and/or a 5- to 30-day suspension. Appearance required.
Off-duty code, or green-cab system log-in (depends on date)
This subdivision changed meaning. In the current rule book, §80-25(b) requires taxi and green-cab drivers to enter the correct off-duty code into the Technology System ($100 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $150 after). In the 2016–2019 texts, §80-25(b) required green-cab drivers to log in and operate the system (then called LPEP) on every trip, with $250 and/or a 5–30 day suspension and a required appearance. Check the date and description on your summons.
Not entering the off-duty code in the Technology System
When going off duty, a taxi or green-cab driver must enter the appropriate off-duty code into the Technology System, so the vehicle shows correctly as unavailable and trip records are accurate.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
Not marking 'unavailable' on a dispatch, or off-duty code (by date)
In the current rule book, §80-25(c) says that after accepting an accessible dispatch, an e-hail app trip or a prearranged trip, a taxi or green-cab driver must be logged on but set as unavailable for street hails. In the 2016–2019 texts, §80-25(c) was the off-duty-code rule (now §80-25(b)). The penalty box is the same in both.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
§80-25(C)(1)Old rule — replaced by 80-25(B)2 charges · 2018
Not entering the off-duty code (2016–2019 numbering)
In the 2016–2019 versions of Chapter 80, §80-25(c)(1) required taxi and green-cab drivers to enter the appropriate off-duty code into the trip system (TPEP/LPEP, later the Technology System). The rule is now §80-25(b). Charges here are from 2018.
§80-25(D)Old rule — replaced by 80-25(C)17 charges · 2017–2020
Not entering the on-duty unavailable code (2016–2019 numbering)
In the 2016–2019 versions of Chapter 80, §80-25(d) required a taxi or green-cab driver who accepted an accessible dispatch, an e-hail app trip or a prearranged trip to enter the on-duty unavailable code. That rule is now §80-25(c). The current §80-25(d) is a different rule about sending trip-record corrections ($25). Charges here run 2017–2020.
When the Technology System fails and a driver keeps a written trip record, corrections must be made by drawing a single line through the wrong entry and noting the date, time and reason. Entries must not be erased or made unreadable, and no blank lines may be left between entries.
Tampering with or adding devices to the Technology System
A driver must not connect any unauthorized device to the Technology System, must not tamper with or try to repair its seals, cables or wiring, and must not change the vehicle's mechanism or tires in a way that affects how the system works. In the 2016–2019 texts, §80-25(f) was instead the system-malfunction rule; this code was seen in 2024, under the current meaning.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance required.
§80-25(F)(4)Old rule — replaced by 80-25(E)(1)10 charges · 2022
Improperly correcting a written trip record (older numbering)
In the 2016–2019 versions of Chapter 80, §80-25(f)(4) set the rules for correcting a written trip record kept when the trip system is down: no erasing, correct only with a single line plus date, time and reason, and no blank lines. The rule is now §80-25(e)(1).
A taxi or green-cab driver must not pick up or carry a passenger when the vehicle's taximeter is defective. You must appear at the hearing, and the charge carries 1 point.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance required.
Not offering options when the meter breaks during a trip
If the taximeter breaks down during a trip so the fare can't be tracked, the driver must tell the passenger right away and offer to either continue at a mutually agreed reasonable fare, or end the trip and pay what the meter showed up to that point.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance required.
As soon as a passenger gets into a taxi, or a green cab on a hail trip, the driver must put the taximeter in the recording ('Hired') position and keep it there until arriving at the destination. Riding 'off the meter' or starting late leads to this charge, which carries 1 point.
Starting the meter while helping a passenger with a disability board
If the passenger has a disability, the driver must not start the meter while helping them into the vehicle or while handling their wheelchair or other mobility aid. The meter starts only after boarding is complete.
Meter running while helping a passenger with a disability exit
If a passenger with a disability needs help getting out, the driver must stop the meter before helping and keep it stopped until the passenger has paid and safely left the vehicle.
On a flat-fare trip between JFK Airport and Manhattan, the driver must key into the Technology System (or a written trip record) that it is a JFK flat-fare trip, including the trip's time and distance.
On arriving at the passenger's destination, the driver must put the taximeter in the non-recording ('Time Off') position, tell the passenger the fare, and leave the meter off until the fare is paid.
Right after the passenger leaves, the driver must clear the taximeter and set it to off or 'Vacant', and leave it there until the next passenger gets in.
Connecting an unauthorized device to the taximeter
A driver must not connect any unauthorized device to the taximeter. This is the meter-tampering rule, so you must appear and it carries 3 points. It is a defense if the driver did not know of or take part in the tampering and used due diligence to prevent it.
Fine (published)
$50–$350 and/or suspension up to 30 days. Appearance required.
A driver must not tamper with, repair or try to repair the taximeter's seals, cable connections or electrical wiring; only licensed meter shops may do that. It is a defense if the driver did not know of or take part in the tampering and used due diligence to prevent it.
Fine (published)
$50–$350 and/or suspension up to 30 days. Appearance required.
A driver must notify the owner (or, for a green cab, the base) and TLC by phone immediately and in writing within 24 hours on discovering an unapproved taximeter, a removed or tampered meter seal, an unauthorized device connected to the meter, or any splices or extra connections on the meter's wiring.
The roof light must be lit when the meter is not in use and the driver is on duty and available, and must be off when the meter is running, when the driver is logged off or unavailable, or when a green-cab driver is heading to a prearranged pickup. A misleading roof light confuses people trying to hail.
Fine (published)
$100 if you plead guilty before a hearing; $150 if found guilty after a hearing. Appearance not required.
TLC driver point program (Critical Driver or Persistent Violator)
Section 80-27(a) is a driver point program, and which one depends on the date. From October 2016 until June 2023 it was the Critical Driver Program, based on DMV points on your chauffeur's license. Since June 2023 it is the Persistent Violator Program, which counts TLC and DMV points together: 6–9 points within 15 months means up to 30 days' suspension, 10 or more means revocation. The charges under this exact code are from 2024, so the Persistent Violator meaning applies. A 3-point course before the hearing can reduce your total.
Point-based suspension or revocation (Critical Driver / Persistent Violator)
This code depends on the date. From 2016 to TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(a)(1) was the Critical Driver Program suspension: 6 to 9 DMV points on your chauffeur's license within 15 months meant a 30-day TLC suspension. Since 2023, §80-27(a)(1) is the Persistent Violator Program, which adds TLC and DMV points together: 6–9 points in 15 months means up to 30 days' suspension and 10 or more means revocation. Taking a Point Reduction or Defensive Driving course before the hearing can cut 3 points.
Persistent Violator Program — suspension (6 to 9 points)
Under TLC's Persistent Violator Program, a driver who collects at least 6 but fewer than 10 TLC points, DMV points, or both combined within 15 months (counted from conviction dates) has their TLC license suspended for up to 30 days. TLC takes off 3 TLC points for a Point Reduction Course (once every five years) or 3 DMV points for a Defensive Driving Course (once every 18 months), if finished before the summons is decided.
Fine (published)
Suspension of up to 30 days (6–9 points in 15 months). Revocation at 10+ points.
Persistent Violator Program — revocation (10 or more points)
Under TLC's Persistent Violator Program, TLC revokes the license of a driver who collects 10 or more TLC points, DMV points, or both combined within 15 months, counted from conviction dates. A Point Reduction or Defensive Driving course finished before the summons is decided can take 3 points off. It is a defense if the violation was beyond the driver's control.
Persistent Violator Program — revocation (10 or more points) — another spelling of §80-27(A)(1)(II) (Persistent Violator Program — revocation (10 or more points)).
§80-27(A)(2)Old rule — replaced by 80-27(A)(1)(II)41,740 charges · 2016–2025
Critical Driver Program revocation (10+ DMV points, 2016–2023)
From October 2016 until TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(a)(2) was the Critical Driver Program revocation: if a driver collected 10 or more DMV points on their chauffeur's license within 15 months, TLC revoked the TLC license. The Critical Driver Program was later ended, and DMV points now count under the Persistent Violator Program, §80-27(a)(1)(ii). In the current rule book, (a)(2) only explains how points from one incident are counted.
From October 2016 until TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(b)(1)(i) was the Persistent Violator suspension: a driver with 6 to 9 TLC-issued points within 15 months had the license suspended for up to 30 days. The program is now §80-27(a)(1)(i) and counts DMV points too.
From October 2016 until TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(b)(1)(ii) required TLC to revoke the license of a driver with 10 or more TLC-issued points within 15 months. The rule is now §80-27(a)(1)(ii). Charges under this code were written by the NYPD.
§80-27(B)(1)(III)Old rule — replaced by 80-27(A)(1)(I)6,387 charges · 2017–2024
Suspension for 6–9 combined TLC and DMV points (2016–2023)
From October 2016 until TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(b)(1)(iii) suspended for up to 30 days a driver who, within 15 months, had a total of 6 to 9 points combining Persistent Violator points for safety violations (§§80-13 and 80-14) and Critical Driver (DMV) points. The current §80-27(a)(1)(i) now counts all TLC and DMV points together.
§80-27(B)(1)(IV)Old rule — replaced by 80-27(A)(1)(II)8,172 charges · 2016–2024
Revocation for 10+ combined TLC and DMV points (2016–2023)
From October 2016 until TLC's June 2023 rule change, §80-27(b)(1)(iv) required revocation for a driver who, within 15 months, had 10 or more points combining Persistent Violator points for safety violations (§§80-13 and 80-14) and Critical Driver (DMV) points. The current §80-27(a)(1)(ii) now counts all TLC and DMV points together.
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