Your TLC Mailing Address: Why It Matters, How to Update

TLC sends letters, directives and legal notices to the mailing address you gave it, and the rules say that counts as notice even if you no longer live there. When you applied, you agreed that any New York City agency can serve you at that address, and that papers can be left with anyone who lives there. So if you move or change your email, update it in LARS within ten days. A missed letter can turn into a missed hearing, a suspension or a lost renewal.

What you agreed to when you applied

Rule 80-04(i) is part of every TLC driver application. It has two parts:

1. You agree to accept service of any notice or legal process issued by any agency of the City of New York at your mailing address.
2. These notices can be left with a member of your family or any other person who also lives at your mailing address.

Rule 80-04(m) says you must give TLC a current mailing address and a current, valid email address. Vehicle owners have the same requirement in rule 59A-04(n).

The key sentence is in rule 80-12(i)(3)(i): "Any communication from the Commission is sufficient if sent to the last Mailing Address provided by the Driver." For vehicle owners, rule 59A-20(a)(2) says the same. If TLC mails to your old apartment because you never updated it, the rules treat you as notified.

The ten-day rule and its fines

The small fine is not the real risk. The bigger problem is what you miss:

• Directives. TLC can order you to do something by a date, such as sending proof of new insurance. TLC's insurance page says not obeying a directive can escalate to a summons and a suspension until you comply. Rule 80-12(i)(1) carries $300 and suspension until compliance for drivers. See directive.
• Hearing dates. If you don't appear for an OATH hearing, the case can be decided without you. See default decision.
• Renewal emails. TLC's vehicle FAQ says TLC emails confirmations only to the current email on record.
• Your license card. New and replacement cards are mailed. A card sent to an old address can leave you waiting for a replacement appointment, and TLC lists a $25 replacement fee.

How many cases depend on these notices

Thousands of taxi and FHV summonses are filed at OATH every year. TLC wrote most of them.

In 2025, the dataset counts 53,090 summonses from TLC and 8,775 from Port Authority Police. Each one is a case with a hearing date. Whenever TLC mails you something about a case or your license, the rules count it as delivered if it went to the address in its records. The 2021–2025 split by agency is in the chart below.

For where enforcement happens in the city, see TLC enforcement by NYPD precinct.

How to update your address and email in LARS

TLC's licensed drivers FAQ says to update your information online in LARS. TLC's forms page says the same: there is no paper change-of-address form. These steps follow TLC's LARS how-to guide.

Mailing vs residence address. LARS keeps both. The mailing address is the one the rules use for notices. If you get mail somewhere other than where you live, make sure the mailing address is the one you check. A new FHV application needs an address that is not a PO box, according to TLC's FHV license page.

Email. Check spam folders for TLC mail. TLC UP verifies your email the first time you log in, so if you change it, expect a new verification email.

Phone number. Keep it current too. TLC's appointment system will not process your transaction if you book with a phone number that doesn't match TLC's records.

While an application is pending

If you applied for a new license or a renewal and haven't been approved yet, rule 80-04(o) says you must tell TLC about any material change: a new mailing address or email, a change in your chauffeur's license, new criminal or DMV convictions, or any other change to your application. TLC sends missing-requirement texts and emails during review (licensing checklist page). If they go to an old address or email, your 90-day application clock keeps running anyway. TLC's renewal page also lists "Confirm Address, Telephone and Email on LARS" as a renewal step.

Name and photo: a different process

A new name or photo can't be changed in LARS. TLC's driver FAQ splits it by license state:

• New York State DMV license. Change your name or photo at the DMV first, because TLC uses your DMV photo. Then book a TLC appointment, sign a digital Request to Update TLC Credential, and get a temporary license. The new card is mailed.
• Out-of-state DMV license. Book a "Driver License Replacement" appointment. Your photo is taken that day, and you complete the Request a Replacement Credential form.

TLC's forms list a $25 fee for a name change or photo update. TLC's instruction sheet asks for originals and copies of the proof of your new name, such as a marriage certificate, petition of name change or naturalization certificate. The appointment is in Long Island City; the forms are in our TLC forms directory.

Leaving TLC? Still update your address

If you plan to cancel or surrender your license, TLC says cancellation does not close open summonses or suspensions. Letters about them still go to the address on file, so keep it current until they are resolved. Other things you must tell TLC, such as criminal convictions within 15 days (rule 80-12(h)), are in what do I have to report to TLC. More on the licensing hub.

General information, not legal advice. Rules as published in TLC's rule books and pages, checked October 12, 2026.