TLC Vehicle, Equipment & Inspection Summonses

In short

Vehicle summonses are about the car, not your driving: missed inspections, defects TLC told you to fix, the owner's daily safety check, the taximeter test, insurance. They usually go to the vehicle owner. That is chapter 59A for for-hire vehicles and chapter 58 for medallion taxis, and if you drive your own car for Uber or Lyft, the owner is you. Many carry a suspension until compliance: a small fine, but the vehicle can't work until the problem is fixed. The fastest way out is almost always the same: fix it, prove it, then answer the summons.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Common vehicle summonses

Sources: TLC rule book chapter 59, chapter 58.

What "suspension until compliance" really means

Several of these rules don't set an end date for the suspension. They end it when you fix the problem. For example, the penalty for a missed FHV inspection under §59A-26(a)(1) is $100 and suspension of the vehicle owner license until any defect is corrected or the vehicle passes inspection. For a defect notice under §59A-27(d) or §58-30(b), it is $50 and suspension until the defective condition is corrected.

So the fine is rarely the problem. Every day the suspension lasts is a day the vehicle can't earn. Don't wait for the hearing to make the repair. Repair first, get the paperwork, and bring it.

Medallion taxis: the clock keeps running. Under §58-29(b), a taxi that misses its four-month inspection is suspended until it passes, and the fine grows with lateness: $100 up to 30 days late, $100–$250 at 31–60 days, $250–$500 at 61–120 days, and over 120 days $500 and/or revocation.

Inspections: the basic schedule

• For-hire vehicles must be inspected three times a year, including at least once every four months (§59A-26(a)(1)). New and renewal inspections are done at TLC's own facility. The rule allows other periodic inspections at a DMV-registered facility. Our TLC vehicle inspection guide explains where and how.
• Medallion taxis are inspected every four months on a date TLC sets (§58-29(b)).
• Taximeters must be tested for accuracy and installation at least once every 12 months by TLC-authorized personnel (§58-39(e)(3)(i)).

Put the next due date in your phone the day you pass. A missed date is the easiest summons to avoid.

The daily check and insurance

Two owner rules catch drivers who own their cars. Under §59A-27(e), an FHV owner must not let the car be driven without a daily personal inspection confirming that brakes, lights, signals, and passenger seat belts and shoulder belts work. These summonses can follow an on-street stop that found a dead brake light or a broken belt. Under §59A-12(a), the owner must keep the required insurance at all times. A lapse can cost $150–$350 and/or a suspension of up to 30 days. A lapse of 60 days or more can also lead to revocation for non-use. See FHV insurance requirements.

What to bring

• Inspection reports — the passed inspection, with date.
• Repair receipts showing what was fixed and when.
• Photos of the repaired equipment.
• The defect notice you received, if any.

Drivers vs. owners

If you drive a vehicle you don't own, read whose name is on the summons.

• If it names the owner, TLC may have served it by handing it to you. TLC's service rule lets TLC serve a vehicle owner "by personal service upon the Driver, who must promptly forward the summons or notice to the Owner." A driver who fails to do so "will be in violation of these Rules" (§68-05(b)(3)). So pass it on the same day, by a method you can prove (a text photo plus a receipt, or a signed note), and keep a copy.
• If it names you as the driver, it is your case. Drivers have their own equipment rule: under §80-22(b), a driver must not operate a vehicle without "continuing personal inspection and reasonable determination" that brakes, tires, lights, signals and passenger belts are in good working order ($50 if you plead guilty before a hearing, $75 after; appearance not required). The rule code tells you which rule you're charged under. Look it up in the violation library.

Either way, the owner or base may hold the records you need: inspection reports, repair invoices, insurance cards, the defect notice. Ask for copies right away. A leased or rented vehicle's lease may also say who handles summonses; read it, but remember the hearing deadline on the summons is what OATH goes by.

At the hearing

Vehicle cases are usually about dates and documents. Was the inspection overdue, and by how much? Was the defect fixed, and when? A clear packet answers most of those questions before you say a word: the summons, the passed inspection report, dated repair receipts, before-and-after photos, and a one-paragraph timeline. If the vehicle was already fixed or inspected before the summons date, say so and show it. If it was fixed after, show how quickly. Many of these rules require you to take part in the hearing, so check the appearance requirement on the code page before assuming you can just pay.

More numbers on these charges: vehicle owner summons statistics.

Scan your summons and we'll tell you whether it's addressed to you as a driver or as an owner.