TLC Vehicle Retirement Age: Taxis, WAVs and FHVs

In short: A regular (non-accessible) yellow taxi must be retired about seven years after it was first put into service as a taxi. The exact rule is 84 months from "hack-up," counted to the next scheduled inspection. A wheelchair accessible taxi has no set retirement date as long as it keeps passing inspections. For for-hire vehicles (Uber, Lyft, black car, livery), the current TLC rules do not set a retirement age; passing inspection is what keeps the car on the road.

"Hack-up" means outfitting a vehicle as a medallion taxi and getting TLC approval for it. Your retirement date counts from that day, not from the date you bought the car.

The taxi rule, step by step

TLC's taxi vehicle rules are in chapter 67 of the rule book. Section 67-18 sets the Scheduled Retirement Date:

For a used non-accessible vehicle, the rule subtracts the vehicle's age, "as determined by the difference between the calendar year at Hack-up and the model year." The rule's own example: "A used 2018 model year vehicle that was hacked up in 2022 is three years old and must be retired … no later than the first scheduled inspection of the vehicle occurring 48 months after the vehicle was Hacked-up." Because the result depends on how TLC counts your exact dates, ask TLC to confirm your Scheduled Retirement Date in writing.

TLC's inspections page puts it simply: non-wheelchair-accessible yellow cabs must be taken out of service seven years after their initial hack-up.

Example: a taxi hacked up new

This is an illustration of how the rule counts, not a calculation of your date.

Wheelchair accessible taxis: no fixed end date

Since an accessible taxi has no scheduled retirement date, it can stay in service as long as it passes its regular inspections (rule 67-18(a)(2) and (b)(2)). This matters more now because of another rule: under section 67-06(a), "Only Accessible Taxicab Models may be Hacked-Up." A non-accessible taxi that hits its retirement date generally has to be replaced with an accessible model. Section 67-05(d) lets a vehicle that was valid when hacked up stay in use until its scheduled retirement, so older non-accessible cabs are not forced out early.

New hack-ups must be under 500 miles and one of the manufacturer's two latest model years (67-06(b)(1)), or an approved conversion of a used vehicle into an accessible one (67-06(b)(2)). The vehicle must be on TLC's approved list. If you are planning a replacement, read buying or leasing a TLC vehicle and our yellow taxi drivers hub.

What can replace a retired taxi

When a non-accessible cab reaches its date, the replacement is limited by your medallion type and by one big change. TLC's hack-up page says: "As of October 18, 2024 you are required to hack an accessible vehicle, even if you do not own an accessible medallion."

Three facts help with planning:

• Money for the switch. Owners who hack up an accessible taxi can enroll in TLC's Taxi Improvement Fund owner program: a one-time $20,000 payment per accessible taxi, plus $625 a quarter when the medallion makes 750 or more trips in that quarter. The total is capped at $30,000 or 16 quarters from the hack-up inspection, whichever comes first. Details: Taxi Improvement Fund grants.
• Fleets get a short bridge. Only a fleet may use a stand-by vehicle, and only for up to 30 days after a taxi is permanently retired. The medallion moves to the stand-by car, and a fleet may keep stand-bys equal to 10% of its medallion taxis (rule 58-42; fine $50–$350 and/or suspension).
• The fleet is already changing. TLC's 2025 Annual Report says there were over 6,000 accessible taxis in service at the end of 2025, six percentage points above its 50% target.

For the steps from buying the car to the Woodside inspection, see how to hack up a yellow taxi. If your medallion will sit unused while you wait for the new car, read about medallion storage.

The hardship extension

Rule 67-18(d) allows a one-time extension of up to six months. The conditions:

• You own no more than one medallion.
• You show an economic or other personal hardship that would be an undue burden without the extension. TLC's hardship page gives examples: illness or family emergency, loss of income, being unable to get a vehicle loan, and delayed delivery of the new vehicle.
• You apply in writing with supporting documents at least 30 days before the Scheduled Retirement Date. TLC can waive the 30-day deadline for good cause.
• The vehicle keeps meeting all safety and emissions rules. TLC withdraws the extension if the vehicle is found unsafe.

TLC's page says the request can be made by the medallion owner, agent, or driver who owns the current vehicle and would buy the replacement. Send the Extension Request Form and your evidence (for example a doctor's note, bills, income statements or tax returns) to vre@tlc.nyc.gov, or by mail to the TLC Office of Legal Affairs, 33 Beaver Street, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10004.

For-hire vehicles: no scheduled age limit in today's rules

The heading of section 59A-28 in chapter 59 still reads "Vehicles – Miscellaneous Requirements and Vehicle Retirement." But the current text (updated February 27, 2026) contains rules only on post-manufacture alterations, matching plate and VIN numbers, T&LC plates and two-door vehicles. We found no FHV retirement schedule in chapter 59A.

In practice, an FHV's age is limited by inspections. The car must pass three inspections a year (rule 59A-26(a)), and the DMV sticker must have at least eight months left (59A-29(c)). A tired car that keeps failing can lead to suspension until it passes, and an FHV license whose owner fails to meet inspection requirements for 60 days or more must be revoked (59A-08(c)(3)). See TLC vehicle inspections.

The fleet data shows how this plays out:

The FHV fleet has a longer tail of older model years. Adding up the chart's bars, about 20% of licensed FHVs are model year 2018 or older, compared with about 7% of authorized medallion taxis. That fits a system where FHVs have no fixed retirement date but most taxis do. Older taxis still in service may include accessible vehicles, which have no set date, or used conversions, but this dataset does not say which ones are accessible, and it cannot tell you why any one vehicle is still on the road.

Apps are different. Uber, Lyft and other companies can set their own vehicle-age rules for their platforms. Those are business policies, not TLC rules, so check with the company.

Green cabs: we found no retirement schedule in the text of the current chapter 82 (sections 82-61 and 82-62 have headings only). Ask TLC before relying on that.

If you got a summons

Operating a taxi past its retirement date, or a vehicle TLC found unsafe, can lead to a summons and suspension. Start with vehicle, equipment and inspection summonses, check your hearing date with our summons deadline calculator, and see what to do when you get a TLC summons.