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TLC summons guides, in plain English
Step-by-step guides written for TLC-licensed drivers. Each one explains the rule or process in plain English, links to the official source, and tells you what to do next.
How TLC cases are heard at OATH: phone, online and in-person hearings, evidence, rescheduling and appeals.
OATH hearingsAppealing an OATH Decision on a TLC SummonsHow TLC drivers appeal an OATH decision: the 30-day deadline (35 if mailed), why TLC fines needn't be paid first, extensions, and what gets reviewed.Read OATH hearingsDocuments for a TLC Hearing: A Practical ChecklistThe records, photos and statements that help at an OATH hearing on a TLC summons, by type of charge, with where to get each one and how to send it in.Read OATH hearingsEvidence at a TLC Hearing: What Counts and How to Send ItOATH evidence rules in plain English: why a sworn summons is prima facie proof, what can answer it, and how to get photos and records to the judge by method.Read OATH hearingsFree Interpreter at an OATH Hearing: How to Get OneOATH gives TLC drivers a free professional interpreter at every hearing. How to ask by phone or in person, sign language, and writing in your own language.Read OATH hearingsGot a TLC Summons? What to Do in the First 48 HoursJust got a TLC summons? Read it, check the hearing date, choose how to respond and start gathering evidence: a plain-English plan for NYC drivers.Read OATH hearingsHow to Check the Status of a TLC SummonsCheck a TLC summons hearing date and charges with our free OATH data lookup, then confirm the result and the balance with OATH, TLC UP or LARS.Read OATH hearingsHow to Prepare for a TLC Hearing: A Week-by-Week PlanA dated plan from summons to OATH hearing: picking a method, the one free reschedule, asking TLC for its evidence 5 business days ahead, the hearing order.Read OATH hearingsHow to Reschedule an OATH Hearing for a TLC SummonsOATH lets you reschedule a TLC summons hearing once, with no reason needed, if you ask before the hearing. How to ask, adjournments, and using the time.Read OATH hearingsIn-Person OATH Hearings: Locations, Hours & How to AskAll five OATH Hearings Division offices with addresses and hours, the 5-business-day email rule for TLC drivers, what to bring, and what happens in the room.Read OATH hearingsMissed Your OATH Hearing? Defaults and New HearingsWhat an OATH default means for a TLC driver, the 75-day, 1-year and TLC 2-year windows to ask for a new hearing, what OATH weighs, and what to do now.Read OATH hearingsOATH Hearings for TLC Drivers: Phone, Online, In PersonHow OATH hearings work for TLC summonses: the deadlines to request a phone or in-person hearing, sending a written defense, and what the judge decides.Read OATH hearingsOATH Phone Hearing for TLC Drivers: What to ExpectHow a TLC phone hearing at OATH really works: the request window, the PIN email, the 90-minute rule, sending evidence mid-call, and what happens after.Read OATH hearingsWhat TLC Must Prove at Your OATH HearingThe burden of proof in TLC cases: preponderance of the evidence, why a sworn summons is prima facie proof, what a summons must contain, and when cases end.Read OATH hearingsWitnesses at an OATH Hearing: Your Rights as a TLC DriverBringing your own witnesses, questioning TLC’s, the rule that TLC must produce a complaining passenger, inspector adjournments, subpoenas and statements.Read OATH hearingsWritten Defense for a TLC Summons: Online or by MailFight a TLC summons in writing: who qualifies, OATH's 3-file online limit, the mail address, why you must answer every charge, and what a judge can do next.Read
Paying TLC fines, settlement offers, defaults, and what happens to your license when a fine goes unpaid.
Fines & suspensionsHow to Lift a TLC License Suspension: Step by StepStep-by-step: lift a TLC suspension for an unpaid fine, missed drug test, DMV license problem or missing course, with the papers to bring and how to confirm.Read Fines & suspensionsMotion to Vacate an OATH Default: How to Write ItAsk OATH for a new hearing after a TLC default: the 75-day rule, the TLC two-year limit, what the request must say, excuse factors and the one-chance rule.Read Fines & suspensionsPaying TLC Fines: The 30-Day Rule and SuspensionsWhere to pay a TLC fine, the 30-day deadline after a guilty finding under rule 80-02(c), how an appeal defers it, and how unpaid fines lead to suspension.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC Fine Payment Options: LARS, In Person & PlansEvery way to pay a TLC fine compared: LARS online, the Long Island City cashier, payment plans and settlements — plus what paying early means for points.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC Fitness Hearing: Grounds, Process & What CountsWhat a TLC fitness hearing is, the grounds TLC can use, how the OATH judge's recommendation goes to the Chair, and the 8 factors weighed on convictions.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC License Revocation: Causes, Appeals & ReapplyingHow a TLC license gets revoked — mandatory, discretionary, fitness and points — your rights, the 30-day surrender rule, and when you can reapply.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC License Suspended? First Steps for NYC DriversYour TLC license is suspended. Find out which of six suspension types you have, why you must stop driving now, and the exact next step for each one.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC Penalties Explained: How to Read Any Penalty BoxDecode any TLC penalty box: plead-early vs after-hearing fines, ranges, points, repeat windows, suspension until compliance, and revocation.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC Settlement Offers: How They Work and How to AskTLC, not OATH, sometimes offers a reduced fine to settle a summons without a hearing. How settlement offers arrive, how to ask for one, and what to weigh.Read Fines & suspensionsTLC Summary Suspension: Hearing Deadlines & RightsA TLC summary suspension starts before any hearing. Learn the three types, the 10- and 15-day windows to ask for a fast hearing, and what TLC must prove.Read
Traffic rules, DMV and TLC points, the Persistent Violator Program, accidents and camera tickets.
Safety & pointsAssaulted or Threatened as a Driver: What to Do NextAttacked, robbed or threatened in your cab or app car? What to do in the first hour, how to save camera video before it's erased, and who pays if you're hurt.Read Safety & pointsCrash in a TLC Vehicle? Who You Must Tell, and WhenAfter a crash in a taxi or FHV you have duties at the scene, to the vehicle owner, to the DMV within 10 days and sometimes to TLC. A step-by-step timeline.Read Safety & pointsDMV Points vs TLC Points: How Both Add Up for DriversOne bad month can put points on two records. See which tickets give DMV points, which give TLC points, how the two counts differ, and where they add together.Read Safety & pointsMental Health Help for NYC DriversFree, confidential mental health help for NYC taxi and app drivers: 988, counseling in 8 languages, the TLC Wellness Room and virtual doctors. Who qualifies.Read Safety & pointsNYC Speed Limits in 2026: 25, 20, 15 & 10 MPH StreetsNYC speed limits now: the 25 mph default, Sammy's Law 20 mph streets and slow zones, 15 mph school zones, and what speeding costs a TLC driver in points.Read Safety & pointsPre-Shift Checklist for TLC Drivers: Papers, Car, AppsA printable 5-minute check before each TLC shift: fitness, hours, papers on display, brakes and lights, E-ZPass mounting and phone rules, each tied to a rule.Read Safety & pointsScams Targeting NYC Drivers and How to Spot ThemFake Uber support calls, payout card swaps, toll texts, health-plan pressure and identity theft: how scams hit NYC drivers, the red flags, where to report.Read Safety & pointsSerious Crash Rule: When TLC Can Suspend Your LicenseTLC rule 80-14(h): what counts as a Serious Crash, when TLC can suspend your license at once, when revocation is automatic, and how to ask for a hearing.Read Safety & pointsSpeed and Red Light Cameras: What TLC Drivers OweCamera tickets go to the owner, carry no points and skip OATH. See who pays when you lease, what a garage may charge you, and when they matter to TLC.Read Safety & pointsStorms, Travel Bans & Emergencies: A TLC Driver GuideCan you drive during a NYC travel ban or curfew? What the 2026 blizzard order said about for-hire vehicles, past TLC notices, and how to get official alerts.Read Safety & pointsTaxi Safety Gear: Partitions, Trouble Lights & CamerasWhich NYC taxis, green cabs and livery cars need a partition, amber trouble lights or a camera: the specs, the fines, and who may see the camera video.Read Safety & pointsTLC Cell Phone Rule: What Phone Setups Are LegalTLC's phone rule is stricter than state law: even an earbud counts. See which mounted devices taxi, green cab and FHV drivers may use, and what a ticket costsRead Safety & pointsTLC Critical Driver Program: What It Was, What Replaced ItTLC's Critical Driver Program ended in 2023. See the 1999–2023 timeline, how the old DMV-point rules differ from today's, and what an old case means now.Read Safety & pointsTLC Persistent Violator Program: Points & SuspensionHow TLC adds up TLC and DMV points over 15 months under rule 80-27, when your license is suspended or revoked, and how point-reduction courses help.Read Safety & pointsWorkers' Comp for Livery Drivers: The ILDBFNYC's livery driver fund pays workers' comp only for catastrophic injuries and crimes. Who qualifies, how to claim, and when no-fault pays instead.Read
Unlicensed activity, street-hail rules, vehicle seizures, and TLC, NYPD and Port Authority enforcement.
EnforcementOut-of-Town Car Services in NYC: Reciprocity RulesWhen can a Westchester or Long Island car service pick up in NYC without TLC plates? TLC's reciprocity rule: allowed trips, 24-hour limit, papers, fines.Read EnforcementUnlicensed Activity & Street Hails: Seizure, §19-506What counts as unlicensed activity for NYC TLC drivers, when TLC can seize and forfeit a vehicle under rule 68-17, and the penalties for FHV street hails.Read
Service refusals, fares and overcharging, accessibility, complaints and how passenger cases are handled.
PassengersAccessible Dispatch Ended: WAV Taxi E-Hail Trips NowTLC's Accessible Dispatch ended March 1, 2026. How WAV taxi trips work now through Arro, Curb and Myle, the $10 TIF bonus, and when refusing is a violation.Read PassengersDiscrimination Complaints Against TLC DriversHow TLC and the NYC Commission on Human Rights handle bias complaints against taxi and FHV drivers, the rules that apply, and help for drivers who face bias.Read PassengersHow TLC Passenger Complaints Work, Step by StepFollow a passenger complaint from the 311 report to TLC review, settlement or an OATH hearing where the rider testifies. What each stage means for drivers.Read PassengersLost Property in a TLC Vehicle: Driver Duties & FinesWhat TLC rule 80-18 requires when a passenger leaves something in your taxi or FHV: airport checks, returning items, precinct drop-off, and the fines.Read PassengersNYC Taxi Fare History: How the Meter Changed Since 2012Every dated change to the NYC taxi fare since the 2012 meter rate: the 2015 TIF surcharge, 2019 congestion surcharge, 2022 fare increase and 2025 CRZ toll.Read PassengersPassenger Bill of Rights: What It Means for DriversEach of the 16 yellow and 18 green taxi passenger rights, turned into the driver duty behind it, the TLC rule and the fine. What changes for green cabs.Read PassengersPassenger Complaint Summonses: Refusals & OverchargesHow TLC passenger complaints become summonses, the mandatory penalties for service refusals and overcharging under rule 80-02(e), and how drivers respond.Read PassengersResponding to a Passenger Complaint Summons: A PlanGot a TLC passenger complaint summons? A step-by-step plan: read the charge, weigh a plea against a hearing, gather records, and prepare for the rider.Read PassengersService Animals & Accessibility Rules for TLC DriversTLC rules on service animals, wheelchairs, attendants and WAV trips: what every driver must do, extra duties in accessible vehicles, and the penalties.Read PassengersTLC Overcharging Rules: Fares, Tolls & the $10 LineWhat counts as overcharging under TLC rule 80-17 for taxis, green cabs and FHVs: wrong rate codes, tolls, out-of-town fares, and the $10 revocation rule.Read PassengersTLC Service Refusal Rules: When You Can Say NoThe 15 reasons TLC rule 80-20(b) lets a driver refuse a passenger, what counts as a refusal, and the mandatory $350 to revocation penalty ladder explained.Read PassengersTLC Taxi Payment Rules: Cash, Cards, Change & TipsTLC payment rules for taxi, green cab and FHV drivers: accepting cards and cash, change for a $20, card reader outages, tips, receipts and non-paying riders.Read
Applying for, renewing and reinstating a TLC driver license: courses, drug tests and DMV record checks.
LicensingCancelling or Surrendering a TLC License the Right WayHow to cancel a TLC driver, vehicle or base license, why it is permanent, what happens to open summonses, and the 30-day and 10-day surrender rules.Read LicensingCheck a TLC Driver, Car or Base in NYC Open DataHow to check if a TLC driver, FHV, yellow cab or base is active using TLC's public lists on NYC Open Data: which list, how to search, what results mean.Read LicensingDMV Points and Your TLC License: Getting and Keeping ItHow DMV points decide whether TLC licenses you, when they trigger a TLC suspension, what the DMV's 2026 changes mean, and the course credits that help.Read LicensingEvery TLC Fee in One Table (Drivers, Vehicles, Owners)Every fee TLC charges drivers, FHV, medallion and green cab owners and bases, dated and sourced, plus late fees, where to pay and costs that aren't TLC's.Read LicensingEvery TLC License Type Explained: Driver, Vehicle, BaseThe 3 TLC driver licenses, every vehicle license (medallion, FHV, green cab, pilot, paratransit, van) and base class, with terms and late-renewal windows.Read LicensingFrom Zero to First Trip: New NYC Driver RoadmapEvery step from no license to your first paid trip in NYC: DMV Class E, the TLC 90 days, taxi or app work, car and base, and benefits to set up on day one.Read
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