Queens: TLC's LIC Office, Woodside Inspections & OATH

In short: If a TLC errand needs you in person, it usually happens in Queens. TLC's licensing, cashier and settlement desk is at 31-00 47th Avenue in Long Island City. OATH's Queens hearing office is in the same building, and TLC's vehicle inspections are done in Woodside. Queens also holds both city airports, which produced about one in five of the borough's recorded pickups in 2025, and it borders Nassau County, which has its own fare rule.

This is general information, not legal advice. Addresses and hours come from TLC and OATH. Check them again before you travel, because offices change hours.

The Queens addresses every TLC driver should know

TLC in Long Island City: settlements and payment plans

This is the desk that can change what a summons costs you. Settlement offers come from TLC, not OATH. TLC may mail you one. You can also ask in person here or email Settlements@tlc.nyc.gov. TLC says it does not give settlement offers by phone (TLC: Receive a Summons). In-person settlement requests are only taken 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., even though the office stays open until 4 (TLC Locations). If you show up at 2 p.m. for a settlement, the trip is wasted.

Payment plans for prosecution fines are requested here from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you owe more than you can pay at once, this matters. TLC rules require fines to be paid within 30 days of the decision, or TLC can suspend your license. See paying TLC fines and TLC fine payment options.

Read TLC settlement offers before you go. Know exactly what you'd be agreeing to before you accept, because it isn't the right move for every summons.

OATH upstairs: hearings in the same building

OATH Queens hears TLC cases in person only when you ask for it (email LiveHearings@oath.nyc.gov at least five business days ahead) and OATH assigns you there (OATH). It accepts payments in person. Your fine is still owed to TLC, though, and you can pay it at TLC's cashier downstairs. Being in one building helps if you want to talk to TLC about a settlement and then attend an OATH hearing the same day. Ask for the hearing early. See in-person OATH hearing locations.

Woodside: the inspection facility

Vehicle owners and drivers get to know 24-55 B.Q.E. West. TLC inspects yellow cabs there three times a year, but the first inspection is done at any NYS DMV inspection station. Green cabs are inspected every six months, and FHVs on the schedule TLC sets for their license. Reinspections need no appointment. Go during the reinspection hours printed on your Vehicle Inspection Report (TLC: Vehicle Inspections). TLC's locations page also lists two phone lines tied to Woodside: the Licensee Information Hotline, (718) 391-5501, and inspection information, (718) 267-4559. It lists no walk-in counter services there, so don't go to Woodside to ask about a summons or a license (TLC Locations). A missed inspection brings an owner summons with an appearance required. See TLC vehicle inspection and equipment and inspection summonses.

Queens on the road: airports and the Nassau line

Both city airports are in Queens. In 2025 the JFK and LaGuardia taxi zones accounted for about 12.3 million of the roughly 57.6 million yellow, green and app-based pickups recorded in Queens (NYC Open Data).

The airports run under extra rules from TLC and the Port Authority. Green cabs can't take hails there. FHVs face the higher $500 penalty for pickups that aren't pre-arranged (80-19(c)(2)). There are also taxi holding-lot and dispatch rules. Read the JFK and LaGuardia pages before you work them.

Nassau County. Queens borders Nassau. TLC's fare page sets the rule. The meter runs at the normal rate to the city limit, then at double from the city limit to the destination (Rate #04). The 50-cent MTA surcharge and the $1.00 improvement surcharge are added, and the passenger pays tolls both ways. A taxi driver can't refuse a passenger going to Nassau without a lawful reason (80-20(a)(1)). One lawful reason applies if you have already driven more than eight hours in a continuous 24-hour period (Chapter 80). Charging a "double the meter" flat price from the start is not how Nassau trips are billed, and wrong charging can lead to an overcharge summons (80-17(a)(1)).

Rockaway bridges. Passengers pay the tolls on the Cross Bay Veterans and Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges bridges (TLC fare page). Each is $2.80 for a car with a New York E-ZPass and $6.02 by mail (MTA, effective January 4, 2026). The Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the RFK, Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges are $7.46 with E-ZPass; see the Queens-Midtown Tunnel page.

Which Queens zones are busiest for pickups, and for whom? See Queens taxi zones ranked.

New to TLC? Your first stops are probably the LIC licensing desk and, for a vehicle, Woodside. Start with how to get a TLC license.