TLC Plates for FHVs: Getting, Replacing & Surrendering

In short: In New York, a for-hire vehicle (FHV) must carry NYS license plates marked "T & LC" before it can be dispatched. The plates come from DMV, but only after TLC sends you a plate letter. The plates, your DMV registration and your TLC decals must all show the same plate number. If you lose plates, you have short deadlines to report it. And if you hand your plates back to DMV on your own, your FHV license ends early and cannot be renewed.

This guide is for FHV owners: black cars (including Uber and Lyft cars), livery cars and luxury limousines. Yellow taxis use medallions, and green cabs follow chapter 82, so their plate rules are different.

Why the plates matter so much

The TLC rule book ties the plates to the right to work:

• An FHV owner must not let the vehicle be dispatched unless a NY-registered vehicle has plates "embossed with the legend 'T & LC'" (rule 59A-11(a)(1)(i)). The penalty is a $350 fine and one penalty point on the vehicle license. Four points in one license term means revocation (rule 59A-35).
• The FHV license is only valid while the state registration is valid. If you operate without a valid registration, the license is summarily suspended (59A-11(d): $400 and suspension until compliance).
• The plate number on your registration, your NYC commercial-use tax stamp record and your TLC decals must match the plates on the car. A mismatch is $200 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $300 after (59A-28(b)(1)). Missing T&LC plates on a NY-registered FHV: $100–$350 and suspension until compliance (59A-28(b)(3)).

Getting plates for a new FHV license

TLC's FHV license page lists the steps. Note: TLC currently accepts new FHV license applications only for wheelchair accessible vehicles; the FHV license cap explained covers why, and getting a new WAV-only FHV license covers how (see also buying or leasing a TLC vehicle).

Everything must be finished within 45 days of your application, or TLC denies it. TLC fees are non-refundable.

Replacing lost, stolen or damaged plates

Act fast. Rule 59A-10(d) requires you to report replacement plates to TLC in writing within 48 hours (not counting weekends and holidays) after you get the new plates. Missing this is a $50 fine.

These steps come from TLC's transfer page. TLC says duplicate transfer requests are not reviewed, so submit once and wait. New plates also mean new decals: rule 59A-29(a)(2) says TLC's Safety and Emissions Division places new decals when the plates change. See TLC decals and trade dress.

The four kinds of transfer

For a vehicle transfer, rule 59A-09(a) gives you 15 days after registering the new vehicle with DMV to file the transfer application. The new car must pass TLC inspection before the transfer is approved. Base changes are covered in FHV base affiliation.

The plate mistake that ends your license

Turning in plates at DMV can look like a safe way to "pause." Under the rules, it is not:

If you need a break, look at the Short-Term FHV License Storage Program (rule 59A-36) instead:

• You can store the license with TLC for up to 90 days, once in each two-year license term. During storage, TLC does not enforce its insurance or inspection requirements.
• To qualify, all suspensions must be cleared and all TLC fines and fees paid; the plates must be surrendered to DMV within 60 days before the storage date; you must apply as TLC directs; and no transfer can be pending.
• To come out of storage, apply again. If the storage period passes your renewal date, you must also finish all renewal requirements. Getting plates back from storage is done as a plate transfer.
• If you stay in storage after 90 days, you face fines and suspension for ignoring TLC directives (59A-13(j)(1)), and revocation for non-use if the car is not used for 60 or more days after storage ends.

Confirm the current application steps with TLC before you surrender anything. The rule ties storage to an application, so do not surrender plates until TLC has explained the process for your license.

When you must surrender plates

If your FHV license is revoked, expires, or a renewal is denied, rule 59A-11(f) says you must surrender the license to TLC within 10 days, and if the car is registered in New York, surrender the T&LC plates to DMV. Keep the DMV receipt. If you renew late, remember that you can only renew within 60 days after expiration, with a $25 late fee (59A-06(c)).

Keep a plate paper trail

Plate summonses are often about dates: when plates were lost, when you reported it, when DMV issued new ones. Keep these in one folder or phone album:

• The police report (MV-78B) or the out-of-state police report, if you had one.
• The DMV receipt for every plate you surrendered, with the date.
• The TLC plate letter and the email confirming your Plate Notification Form.
• Your written report to TLC of the new plates, with the date you sent it.
• The LARS payment receipt for the $25 transfer fee.
• Your current registration and the decal photos showing the new plate number.

If you get a summons, these papers show the hearing officer what happened and when. See documents for a TLC hearing and what to do when you get a TLC summons.

Personal use and out-of-state plates

TLC's FAQ says anyone with a valid state driver's license may drive a TLC-plated car for personal use. But an inspector or officer can still stop it and write a summons if they think it is working for hire. Picking up passengers without a TLC driver license or without dispatch through a base is unlicensed activity, which can lead to vehicle seizure under the Admin Code (see §19-506(b)(1)).

Vehicles registered in New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania can be TLC-licensed if they already have that state's taxi or livery plates and meet TLC insurance minimums. TLC lists an $800 commercial motor vehicle tax for those registrations. Insurance must still meet TLC minimums.