Every TLC License Type Explained: Driver, Vehicle, Base

TLC issues three kinds of licenses: driver licenses (for people), vehicle licenses (for cars, which is where "TLC plates" come from) and business licenses (bases and other companies). To carry passengers for hire you normally need all three working together: a licensed driver, in a licensed vehicle, dispatched by a licensed base. Yellow cabs and green cabs are the exception, because they can also take street hails where the rules allow.

There are only three driver licenses, and one of them, the TLC Driver License, covers yellow taxis, green cabs and every kind of for-hire vehicle, from Uber and Lyft to black cars and liveries. Most confusion comes from mixing up the driver license with the vehicle license, so this page sets them side by side.

The three driver licenses

TLC's driver license FAQ lists exactly three. All three last three years and cost $84 a year under the rules ($252 for the three-year term on TLC's fee pages).

The TLC Driver License is the one people call a "hack license" (see hack license). New applicants must finish every requirement within 90 days (rule 80-08(d)); the steps are in how to get a TLC license. The 19-A requirement for paratransit and commuter van drivers is the reason TLC sends those applicants an "inactive 19A status" message when the employer's DMV record is not up to date. See the missing requirements decoder.

Vehicle licenses: what the plates actually mean

A vehicle license belongs to the car's owner, not to whoever drives it. TLC's Get a Vehicle License page describes these types:

• Yellow taxi (medallion). A taxi must carry a medallion and can take street hails anywhere in the city. TLC's page says that by law there are 13,587 taxis. The annual report counted 13,589 taxi licenses plus 3 stand-by taxis. Stand-by vehicles are only for fleets: a spare used while a cab is being repaired or inspected, or for up to 30 days after a theft or retirement (rule 58-42).
• For-hire vehicle (FHV). Pre-arranged trips only, affiliated with one base but able to take dispatches from others. TLC currently accepts new FHV applications only for wheelchair accessible vehicles. Renewals continue. Details are in TLC plates for FHVs and the FHV license cap.
• Green cab (street hail livery, SHL). This is not a separate car license. It is an SHL permit attached to an FHV (or paratransit) vehicle license. Green cabs may take hails, but not in Manhattan south of West 110th and East 96th Streets, or at the airports.
• SHL Pilot ("P" cars). Started May 16, 2023. These cars hold an FHV license with a pilot permit and cannot take street hails.
• Paratransit vehicle. Non-emergency transportation for passengers with disabilities, dispatched by paratransit bases.
• Commuter van. Carries 9 to 20 passengers in approved zones for a flat rate, run by commuter van authorities.

Four mix-ups that cause summonses

• "I have a TLC license, so my car is fine." It isn't. Your driver license does not license your personal car. The car needs its own vehicle license, or it is an unlicensed vehicle. See can I use my personal car for Uber.
• "The plates are mine because I drive the car." If you rent or lease, the vehicle license belongs to the owner. TLC's vehicle FAQ says an FHV license is attached to the SSN or EIN on the application and cannot be transferred to another person.
• "A medallion lets me drive." A medallion is a vehicle license. An owner who drives the cab also needs a TLC Driver License, like any other driver.
• "Only TLC drivers may touch a TLC car." For personal use, anyone with a valid state driver license may drive a TLC-licensed car. But TLC warns that enforcement can stop the car and issue a summons if it looks like it is being used for hire.

Bases: who dispatches the trip

Every FHV must be affiliated with a licensed base. TLC's For-Hire Vehicle Bases page describes four FHV classes:

• Livery base ("community car service"): pre-arranged trips in cars for five or fewer passengers, priced by flat rate, mileage or zones. A livery base must give a binding price quote when you tell it the destination (rule 59B-23(b)).
• Black car base: pre-arranged only. More than 90% of business is non-cash, and the cars are owned by franchisees or co-op members.
• Luxury limousine base: pre-arranged, 20 or fewer passengers, "garage to garage" pricing.
• High-Volume For-Hire Service (HVFHS): bases that dispatch more than 10,000 trips a day. There are two: Uber and Lyft.

Paratransit bases and commuter van authorities are licensed too. A base license lasts three years and costs $500 a year (rules 59B-06 and 59B-07). The high-volume services have their own fee and term in rule 59D.

If you drive an app car, your car's base is usually a black car base that works with Uber or Lyft. That is why most FHVs sit under "black car" in TLC's lists. FHV base affiliation explains what that means for you.

Terms and renewal windows

The same word, "renewal," means different deadlines for each license. Missing the right one is how licenses get lost.

A suspended license still has to be renewed on time. Every one of these chapters says a suspension doesn't pause the renewal clock. For the money side of each renewal, see every TLC fee in one table. To see how many driver licenses come up for renewal each month, see TLC driver license expirations.

Which license do you need?

Checking any license

All active driver, FHV, medallion and base licenses appear on public lists that TLC updates daily. Our guide to TLC Open Data lookups shows how to check one, and the licensing topic hub collects every licensing guide in one place.

General information, not legal advice. Counts from TLC's 2025 Annual Report and NYC Open Data (October 12, 2026). Rules checked on nyc.gov on October 12, 2026.