Taxi Safety Gear: Partitions, Trouble Lights & Cameras

In short: a NYC yellow taxi must have a partition between driver and rear seat, unless it has all three of: amber trouble lights, a cell phone with emergency dialing, and an approved in-vehicle camera system (IVCS). Every taxi needs the trouble lights either way. Green cabs (Street Hail Liveries) follow the same pattern in their own chapter. Livery cars must have trouble lights, but their partition rule was repealed, and black cars and app cars have no partition, light or camera requirement — only a decal if they choose to install a camera.

The camera matters most after an incident: it must keep images for at least 30 days, and the installer must hand them to the driver on request. Below are the specs, the fines and who is responsible, from the TLC rule books as published on 2026-10-12.

Who needs what

Partitions (taxis and green cabs)

Rule 58-35(a) says a taxi "must be equipped with a partition unless exempt", meeting the specs in §67-10 and with rear-seat air conditioning (§67-14). Penalty: $300 and suspension until the condition is corrected, appearance required (Chapter 58).

The partition specs in rule 67-10:

• the clear part is mar-resistant polycarbonate at least 0.375 inches thick;
• below it, a 0.085-inch bullet-resistant ballistic steel plate (or an approved equivalent) covers the whole front-seat backrest down to the floor, padded to protect rear passengers;
• gaps between partition and car body may be no larger than one inch — except in cars with factory curtain airbags, where six inches on each side is left for the airbags;
• it must let driver and passengers talk to each other and let rear passengers pay by cash or card and get receipts.

When a partition is installed, the rear air conditioner needs an auxiliary unit for the back seat, working from May 1 to September 30 (67-14). The credential holder for your license and rate card mounts on the partition, or on the driver's headrest if there is none (67-13).

The exemption. Under 58-35(b), a taxi owner is exempt from the partition rule if the taxi has all of these: (1) the required trouble lights; (2) a cellular telephone with an emergency dialing feature; and (3) an approved IVCS meeting §67-12. Green cabs have the same idea in 82-36(b), where the phone can instead be an FCC-licensed two-way radio with an emergency button that alerts the dispatcher. An SHL with no partition and no exemption faces $350 (plea with a condition-corrected form) or $450 after a hearing, plus suspension until fixed (Chapter 82).

Trouble lights: the silent distress signal

Rule 67-11 (taxis) and 59C-03 (livery) use the same specification:

• two turn-signal-type amber "lollipop" lights;
• one at the front center (on top of the bumper, or in front of or behind the grill), one on top of the rear bumper, left of the license plate;
• each 3 to 4 inches across, 32 candlepower, amber;
• they flash 60 to 120 times per minute;
• the switch is within easy reach of the driver, silent and fully solid-state;
• in taxis, the wiring must not interfere with the meter's time or distance circuits.

Penalties: taxi 58-34(c) $175 and suspension until corrected (appearance not required); livery vehicle 59A-31(d) and SHL 82-35(c) the same $175 plus suspension, with a condition-corrected form from TLC's Safety and Emissions Division. A base must not dispatch a livery vehicle without them, but vehicles affiliated only with black car or luxury limousine bases are exempt (59B-31(c)).

The rules describe the lights, not what anyone does when they see them. Treat them as a way to signal for help while you call 911 — see assaulted or threatened as a driver. More on the term: trouble lights.

The in-vehicle camera system (IVCS)

The IVCS specs in rule 67-12:

• Frequency: at least one image per second, or video, while the engine runs and for at least 10 minutes after it is turned off.
• Quality and scope: clear enough to identify all passengers in any light, and able to capture the full face of all occupants, including the driver.
• Stamp: each image shows the date and time, the vehicle license number and the IVCS serial number.
• Indicator: shows when the camera works and when it has a malfunction.
• Retention: images kept for at least 30 days.
• Mounting: tamper-resistant hardware; installed and repaired only by DCWP-licensed installers or Taximeter Businesses; only TLC-approved models. After installation, the owner submits a notarized affidavit with images from the camera within 14 days.

Who can see the footage. Only the vehicle owner and the installer or Taximeter Business can access the system. The installer "must provide image or video access to law enforcement agencies, including the New York City Police Department, the Vehicle Owner, and the Vehicle Driver, upon request, in standard digital formats." So you, the driver, have a right to ask. How to make that request: how to get taxi camera footage.

Fines for camera problems (taxi rule 58-36; SHL 82-37 has matching amounts):

Decals that go with the safety gear

From the decal table in rule 58-32:

• "This vehicle is equipped with camera security. YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED." — on the rear passenger windows, letters at least half an inch high, non-detachable (decal l).
• "ATTENTION: Assaulting A Driver Is Punishable By Up to Twenty-Five Years in Prison." — required, 8 × 2 inches; above the braille plaque on the partition, or in a frame on the passenger-seat headrest if there is no partition (decal r). An optional rear-window version says taxi and limousine drivers are protected by New York State law (decal s). What the law actually provides is explained in our assault guide.
• "Drivers are not allowed to use cell phones or handheld electronics." — issued by TLC, inside the passenger area (decal o).
• "Turning? People are Crossing." — required, on the inside of the windshield behind the mirror (decal p).

All decal rules are collected in TLC vehicle decals and trade dress.

For-hire vehicles: what changed

Livery partitions were once required; today §59A-32 and §59B-32 are marked "REPEALED", and the separate FHV camera chapters (59B-33, 59C-01, 59C-02) are repealed too. What remains for FHVs: livery trouble lights (above) and, under 59A-33(a), a decal on each rear passenger window if the vehicle has any in-vehicle camera ("This vehicle is equipped with camera security. You will be photographed."), fine $50 / $100. If you add your own dashcam to an app car, read dashcams in TLC vehicles first.

Owner's job, driver's job

Most equipment rules are written for owners (medallion owners, SHL licensees, FHV owners). FHV owners must also personally inspect equipment daily under 59A-27(e). But drivers have duties too:

Equipment summonses are explained in vehicle and equipment inspection summonses, and the daily routine in our pre-shift checklist. Glossary: taxi partition, IVCS.