Renewing TLC Plates (FHV License): Steps, Fees, Deadlines

In short: An FHV vehicle license ("TLC plates") lasts two years. To renew, pay the fee in LARS, upload your documents in TLC UP at least 30 days before it expires, then pass an inspection at TLC's Woodside facility. A non-WAV renewal fee is $550; WAV owners pay no renewal fee. If you are late, you have 60 days after expiry to file (with a $25 fee). After that the license is gone for good, and the only new licenses TLC issues are for wheelchair accessible vehicles.

This page is about the vehicle license. Renewing your TLC driver license is different (three-year term, 180-day late window); see TLC driver license renewal.

The deadlines that matter

TLC's own reviews explain these grace periods: owners "may renew their vehicle license up to 60 days after it expires and, once renewed, have an additional 120 days to pass a vehicle inspection" (February 2026 FHV license review).

Step by step

TLC's renewal page lists the steps:

If you have not heard back after paying, TLC's Licensed Vehicles FAQ says to check that your email in LARS is correct (TLC only emails the confirmation to the address on record), ask your base whether it got the appointment, and call (718) 391-5501.

What it costs

LARS charges a 2% fee on credit and debit card payments; e-check has no fee (TLC's FHV license page). TLC's renewal page also links a TLC Refund Claim Form, but it states that all TLC fees are non-refundable, so check the amount before you pay.

Documents

• Insurance certificate (FH-1) in the applicant's name, if the one TLC has is expired. TLC says the renewal cannot be completed until an updated FH-1 is submitted, and the policy must meet TLC minimums (FHV insurance requirements). You can see the insurance dates TLC has in the TLC UP "Licensee Snapshot".
• DMV registration copy for vehicles registered outside New York State.
• NYS DOT inspection report (MC-300). TLC's renewal page says renewing vehicles must pass a NYS DOT inspection and upload the MC-300, valid one year. The rule ties the DOT inspection to vehicles that were altered after manufacture and seat 10 or more people including the driver, and are not exempt (§59A-04(f)(7)); most sedans and SUVs are not in that group. If you are not sure whether it applies to your car, ask TLC before your renewal window.
• Stretch limousines need NYS DOT operating authority and drivers with active 19-A status.

The renewal inspection

The rule is stricter than many owners think:

• You must pass within 120 days of the first scheduled inspection, with no more than four inspections in that period (§59A-04(f)).
• If the car fails four times, you may present a different vehicle, which gets the same limits.
• If you arrive more than one hour late, TLC's FHV inspection guide says your base must request a new appointment, and the missed appointment counts as your first of the four tries.
• Failing a DMV safety or emissions part can mean a reinspection fee ($27 emissions, $10 safety for FHVs, per TLC's page). Failing other parts has no reinspection fee under the rule.

How to prepare the car is covered in TLC vehicle inspection.

Situations that change the plan

More on each: can I change my base while renewing?, the FHV storage program and do WAV owners pay TLC vehicle license fees?.

Why renewals get stuck

These are the problems TLC's own instructions and rules point to. Check each one before you pay:

1. An expired FH-1 on file. TLC will not complete a renewal until a current insurance certificate is submitted. Check the insurance dates in the TLC UP Licensee Snapshot a month before you renew.
2. Unpaid tickets. Step one of TLC's process is paying TLC fines and Department of Finance parking, red-light and traffic fines. Old camera tickets on the plate count.
3. A wrong email address. TLC sends the payment confirmation and the inspection appointment only to the email on record. Update it in LARS before you pay.
4. A missed inspection. For FHVs, your base, not you, has to request a new appointment, and the missed one counts as a try (TLC FHV inspection guide). Tell your base the date as soon as you get it.
5. A registration problem. Rule §59A-11(d) says an FHV license is valid only while the state registration is valid. If your DMV registration is about to lapse, fix it first.
6. Filing inside the last 30 days. The rule says review of a late-filed application "will not be completed until after the expiration date", which means days or weeks off the road.

Renewals and the cap: why it matters

Under the FHV license cap, every license that lapses is one that TLC does not replace with a regular license. TLC's February 2026 review counted 1,118 FHV licenses that expired between February 2025 and January 2026, while only WAV-restricted and SHL licenses were issued. If your license expires past the 60-day window, TLC's storage FAQ puts it plainly: you "would have to apply for a wheelchair accessible vehicle license." See the FHV license cap explained.

Driver, vehicle and base renewals compared

People often mix these up. The windows are very different:

What ends a license for good

• Missing the 60-day late window (§59A-06(c)).
• Voluntarily surrendering the plates outside the storage program: the license ends early and "cannot be renewed or reinstated" (§59A-06(d)).
• Non-use revocation after 60+ days without a base, insurance or required inspections (non-use revocation).
• Four penalty points in one license term (vehicle penalty points).

Because new licenses are WAV-only (see FHV license cap statistics), losing a regular license usually means you cannot replace it. More owner topics are on the vehicles hub and in TLC plates for FHVs.