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TLC summons guides, in plain English
Step-by-step guides written for TLC-licensed drivers. Each one explains the rule or process in plain English, links to the official source, and tells you what to do next.
Applying for, renewing and reinstating a TLC driver license: courses, drug tests and DMV record checks.
LicensingGet Your TLC License Back: Expired, Revoked, SurrenderedHow to get licensed again after your TLC license expired, was revoked or surrendered: the 180-day limit, 1- and 3-year bans, the waiver and what to pay first.Read LicensingHow to Get a TLC License: Steps, Fees & the 90-Day ClockEvery step to a NYC TLC driver license: eligibility, the $252 fee, drug test, 24-hour course, WAV training, exam, and how to finish inside the 90-day window.Read LicensingImmigrant Drivers' Guide to TLC Licensing & RightsSSN vs ITIN, Green Light licenses, exams in 7 languages, free interpreters, NYC Human Rights Law protection and the 2026 Essential Plan change — one page.Read LicensingLARS Guide: Apply and Pay TLC Fees OnlineWhat LARS does, how to pay renewal, transfer and reinspection fees, why cards cost 2% extra and e-check is free, and how to change your address in LARS.Read LicensingLeaving Driving: Close Out Your TLC License RightQuitting TLC driving? A step-by-step exit checklist: license, open summonses, plates or storage, your base and lease, Black Car Fund claims, taxes, records.Read LicensingLost or Stolen TLC License: Report, Replace, Keep DrivingLost, stolen or damaged TLC license? Report it in writing within 72 hours, book a Long Island City appointment, pay $25 and get a temporary license.Read LicensingMoving Your TLC Renewal Date Earlier (Advancement)Away during your renewal drug-test window? Rule 80-06(c) lets you move your TLC expiration earlier once per term. Who qualifies, the form, the trade-off.Read LicensingNY Class E Chauffeur License for TLC DriversBefore TLC, you need the right DMV license: how to switch from Class D to Class E, why the fee varies, the 2-week card wait, and when a CDL works instead.Read LicensingOut-of-State TLC Drivers: ID-5 Form and FS-6T ReceiptNJ, PA, CT or other out-of-state license? Since Oct 1, 2025 TLC needs the ID-5 / FS-6T step for new, renewal and replacement licenses. Exact steps and timing.Read LicensingTaking a Break From Driving: Travel, Illness, BurnoutGoing abroad, sick or burned out? What keeps running on your TLC driver license while you're away, how FHV and medallion storage work, and where to get help.Read LicensingTLC "Missing Requirements" Text: What Each Item MeansTLC texted that your application is missing an item? What each item on TLC's checklist means, how to fix it, where to upload it, and who to email for help.Read LicensingTLC Application Bans: 1-Year and 3-Year Waiting PeriodsRevoked, failed a drug test, crashes or found not fit? See which TLC ban applies, the day each clock starts, and when the PV waiver lets you apply early.Read LicensingTLC Course Exemptions: Life Experience and MilitaryFormer hack or TLC drivers, military members and NYPD officers can skip the 3-day TLC course. The exact 10- and 15-year tests, papers to bring, and limits.Read LicensingTLC Defensive Driving Course: Licensing & Point CreditWhy TLC drivers need a defensive driving certificate every 3 years, what it must show, and how it can cut 3 points from your Persistent Violator total.Read LicensingTLC Driver Education Courses: 24-Hour Course, Exam & MoreEvery TLC driver course explained: the 24-hour new-driver course, the PSI exam (80 questions, 70% to pass), renewal, remedial courses and who is exempt.Read LicensingTLC Drug Test: Annual Deadlines, Fines & Failed TestsWhen TLC drivers must drug test each year, where to go, the $34 fee, the $200 late fine and summary suspension, and what to do after a positive result.Read LicensingTLC Fingerprints and Background Check ExplainedBook IdentoGO with code 15425Y ($90.25), then TLC gets your NY criminal history and reviews it under Article 23-A. Court papers, pending cases and timing.Read LicensingTLC Forms Directory: Which Form for Which TaskMedical form, ID-5, credential replacement, name change, cancel, base transfer, decal replacement: the official TLC form for each task and where to send it.Read LicensingTLC in Your Language: Exams, Guides & InterpretersWhich TLC exam, course, study guide, video and form comes in Bengali, Spanish, Chinese, Urdu, Arabic or Russian — plus free interpreters and how to complain.Read LicensingTLC License Renewal: 90-Day Window, Costs & Late RulesRenew your TLC driver license without a gap: the 90-day window, drug test, renewal course, $252 fee, the $25 late fee and the 180-day cutoff after expiry.Read LicensingTLC Long Island City Office: Hours and AppointmentsTLC office at 31-00 47th Ave, LIC: hours by service, settlement and payment-plan cut-offs, which visits need an appointment, 2026 closings, directions.Read LicensingTLC Medical Form: Who Signs It and How Long It LastsTLC's medical form must be signed and stamped by a licensed physician after an exam no more than 90 days before you apply. Why TLC rejects forms, and fixes.Read LicensingTLC UP Portal Guide: Log In, Upload, Check StatusHow to use TLC UP: first-time email verification, the Licensee Snapshot, uploads, the Transfer, Storage and Plate Notification menus, and when to use LARS.Read LicensingTLC WAV Training: Passenger Assistance Course ExplainedWhat TLC's Passenger Assistance and WAV training covers, the hands-on wheelchair test, all six securement straps step by step, and why it matters on the road.Read LicensingWho to Contact at TLC: Emails & Phones by ProblemThe right TLC email or phone for each problem: license status, settlements, payment plans, suspensions, insurance, transfers, pay disputes and assaults.Read LicensingYellow, Green, Black Car, Livery, App: Rules ComparedOne table of the TLC rules that differ for yellow taxis, green cabs, black cars, liveries and Uber/Lyft: hails, stands, airports, fares, pay and inspections.Read LicensingYour TLC Mailing Address: Why It Matters, How to UpdateTLC can serve notices at the mailing address you gave it, even left with a roommate. The 10-day rule, updating address and email in LARS, and name changes.Read
TLC vehicle licensing, inspections, insurance, plates, base affiliation and equipment rules.
Vehicles & basesBuying or Leasing a TLC Vehicle: Rules Before You SignA used car with TLC plates has no license attached. Who can get a new FHV license now, the lease rights TLC gives drivers, and a checklist before you sign.Read Vehicles & basesCommercial Motor Vehicle Tax (CMVT) for TLC VehiclesNYC's Commercial Motor Vehicle Tax is $400 a year for taxis and FHVs. Who counts as the owner, the June 20 due date, who collects it, and why TLC lists $800.Read Vehicles & basesCOVID Livery Recovery Act: Renew an Expired LicenseLivery FHV licenses that expired from March 7, 2020 to Sept. 12, 2022 got a one-year chance to renew. Who qualifies, the limits, costs and if it's still open.Read Vehicles & basesDashcams in TLC Vehicles: What the Rules AllowCan NYC taxi and Uber/Lyft drivers use a dashcam? TLC camera (IVCS) rules, required decals, who gets the footage, audio cautions, and using video at OATH.Read Vehicles & basesFHV Base Affiliation: Rules, Base Transfers & RisksWhy every NYC for-hire vehicle needs one base, how to switch bases ($25), when you can take other bases' trips, and the 60-day rule that can end your license.Read Vehicles & basesFHV License Storage: Pause Your Plates for Up to 90 DaysTLC's short-term FHV storage program: who qualifies, the 60-day plate surrender window, how to enter and leave in TLC UP, and the $300 fine for overstaying.Read Vehicles & basesFHV Owner Duties: Daily Inspection, Plates, VIN MatchFHV owners get summonses without driving: daily inspection, matching plates and VIN, 48-hour plate reports, rear shoulder belts. Each duty and its fine.Read Vehicles & basesFHV Vehicle Penalty Points: The 4-Point Revocation RuleHow FHV vehicle license penalty points work: the five violations that carry a point, why 4 points in one term means revocation, and how points follow renewal.Read Vehicles & basesHow an FHV License Gets Revoked for Non-UseTLC must revoke FHV plates after 60+ days without a base, insurance or required inspections (Rule 59A-08(c)). The three clocks and how to stay safe.Read Vehicles & basesHow to Get New TLC Plates in 2026: The WAV-Only RouteIn 2026 new FHV plates are only for wheelchair accessible vehicles. All 9 steps, the 45-day deadline, documents, costs ($0 to $875) and the routes now closed.Read Vehicles & basesOwning a Green Cab: SHL Permit Rules, Fees and RenewalsFor green cab owners: how the SHL permit and FHV license fit together, two renewal dates, the $540 vs $900 fee question, 6-month inspections and storage.Read Vehicles & basesRegistering a TLC Vehicle in NJ, PA or CTTLC lets FHVs be registered in NJ, PA or CT, not just NY. The extra rules: for-hire plates first, TLC insurance, seating on the registration and $800 CMVT.Read Vehicles & basesRenewing TLC Plates (FHV License): Steps, Fees, DeadlinesHow to renew an FHV vehicle license: file 30 days early, the 60-day late window, 120 days to pass inspection, $550 vs $0 for WAVs, and what ends a license.Read Vehicles & basesRenting a TLC Car for Uber: Real Costs and Your RightsTLC's study: renters paid about $528 a week on average, and 30% more per mile than owners. The 20.875% rental tax, and what a TLC car lease must say.Read Vehicles & basesSHL Pilot "P" Cars: Rules, Limits and What HappenedTLC's SHL Pilot "P" cars: no street hails, no Manhattan-core pickups, $500 penalties, the June 2028 extension, and why 3,509 permits fell to 563.Read Vehicles & basesStretch Limos, Vans and Modified FHVs: NYS DOT RulesFHVs that seat 10+ or were modified after the factory need NYS DOT authority, an MC-300 inspection and DOT checks twice a year. Bad mods cost $10,000.Read Vehicles & basesThe FHV License Cap (Pause) Explained, 2018–2026Why TLC stopped issuing new FHV plates in 2018, the exceptions (WAV, lease-to-own, EV windows), how the yearly review works and what the 2026 decision means.Read Vehicles & basesTLC & FHV Insurance Requirements: Minimums and FH-1TLC insurance minimums for every vehicle type, the March 2026 cut in required PIP to $100,000, the FH-1, deadlines to report changes, and lapse fines.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Approved Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (2026 List)Every WAV model, model year, conversion and modifier on TLC's approved list (revised Oct 2, 2026) as a searchable table, plus the specs a WAV must meet.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Decals, Stickers & Trade Dress: What Goes WhereEvery decal and sticker TLC requires on FHVs and taxis, where it goes, the fine if it's missing, and the colors and roof lights banned on for-hire cars.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Insurance Carriers: Who Insures NYC Taxis and FHVsTwo insurers cover about 88% of NYC for-hire cars in TLC's own file. Who they are, the rules every TLC insurer must meet, and how to check your policy.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Plates for FHVs: Getting, Replacing & SurrenderingHow T&LC plates work for for-hire vehicles: the plate letter, DMV and TLC UP steps, lost or stolen plates, storage, and the plate mistake that ends a license.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Vehicle Inspection: Schedule, Fees & What If You FailHow often yellow cabs, green cabs and FHVs must be inspected, what Woodside checks, reinspection fees, the four-try rule and the fines for a late inspection.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Vehicle Retirement Age: Taxis, WAVs and FHVsWhen a yellow taxi must be retired (84 months), why accessible cabs have no set date, what can replace a retired cab, the hardship extension, and FHV rules.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Vehicle, Equipment & Inspection SummonsesMissed inspections, defect notices, daily safety checks and taximeter tests: what TLC vehicle summonses mean for owners and drivers, and how to resolve them.Read Vehicles & basesTLC Woodside Inspection Facility: Hours, What to BringTLC's Woodside facility at 24-55 BQE West: phone numbers, which visits need an appointment, decal and hack-up hours, the 1-hour late rule, and fees.Read
Uber, Lyft and other apps and bases: how they work with TLC rules, pay statements and deactivation.
Apps & basesApp Lockouts in NYC: The 72-Hour & 16-Hour RuleCan Uber or Lyft block you from logging in? TLC rule 59D-22(c) explained: 72 hours' notice, 16 hours online, the 8-hour reset, exceptions and how to report.Read Apps & basesDeactivated by Uber or Lyft in NYC: What to Do NextDeactivated in NYC? Find your reason type, fix document problems, appeal in Uber's Review Center with evidence, check your TLC license and protect income.Read Apps & basesE-Hail Apps for NYC Taxis: Curb, Arro and Uber TripsHow e-hail apps send trips to yellow and green cabs: TLC-licensed apps, Flex Fare upfront prices, Uber requests forwarded to taxis, and the rules to follow.Read Apps & basesFHV Bases and the WAV Trip Mandate (25% Rule)TLC rule 59B-17 makes FHV bases send 25% of trips to wheelchair accessible vehicles or meet a 10-minute response rule. What it means for WAV owners.Read Apps & basesHow to Open a For-Hire Base in NYC (TLC Base License)How to get a TLC black car or livery base license: name reservation, $5,000 bond, documents, fingerprints, 10 cars, fees, and your duties once open.Read Apps & basesHow to Read an Uber or Lyft Pay Statement in NYCA line-by-line guide to your NYC Uber or Lyft pay statement: what TLC rules say it must show, how to separate pay, tips and tolls, and how to check it.Read Apps & basesNYC Deactivation Law (Local Law 52): Status & RulesNYC's Uber/Lyft deactivation law passed in January 2026 but a federal court blocked it. What it would require, the 7-year lookback, and what applies today.Read
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