How Much Is a TLC Reinspection Fee?

A TLC reinspection costs $35 for a yellow or green cab, and $27 (DMV emissions) or $10 (DMV safety) for a for-hire vehicle (FHV), according to TLC's Vehicle Inspections page (read Oct 12, 2026). You owe it only if your car failed the DMV part of the inspection and came back to be retested. You pay it after the reinspection, online in LARS — not before.

The fee table

Why some failures are free to retest

A TLC inspection has parts. For an FHV made in 1996 or later, rule §59A-04(e)(6) lists three: (i) the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law §301 inspection — the same safety and emissions check a DMV inspection station does; (ii) a visual inspection inside and out for TLC rules; and (iii) checks for other laws and rules. Taxi inspections have the same three parts (§58-29(c)).

The rules then say there is a reinspection fee "only if reinspection is required because the vehicle failed a component of the inspection required by Section 301." Failing anything else — for example a TLC-required sticker or item — means a free retest (§59A-04(e)(8) for FHVs, §58-07(e) for taxis, §82-08(h) for green cabs).

TLC's FHV Inspection Guide explains what happens next:

• Failed the DMV part: your report lists the DMV defects. Fix them and return during the hours on the report. No appointment needed. This is the retest that carries the fee.
• Passed DMV, failed the TLC part: you get a Notice of Violation listing the TLC defects. Fix them and return before the compliance date on the notice "to avoid a TLC summons." No appointment needed, and no reinspection fee.

How to pay

TLC stopped asking for advance payment on November 12, 2019. Now you pay after the reinspection at nyc.gov/lars. TLC's step-by-step PDF (updated February 2020) shows the path: choose "Existing TLC License," enter your vehicle license number, agree to the declaration, then select "Reinspection Fee" along with any other fees you owe. You can pay by e-check or card. More on LARS, card fees and receipts: paying TLC fees in LARS.

Unpaid TLC fees can hold up a renewal, so do not leave it on the account. For every TLC fee in one table, see the TLC fees list.

Don't confuse it with these fees

• The inspection fee itself: $75 for an FHV with 500+ miles (§59A-04(e)(7); TLC's renewal page lists the same $75) and $90 for a taxi or green cab (§58-07(d), §82-08(g)). It is paid with the application or renewal. TLC's inspections page says these fees are "included in the application fee."
• Re-hack transfer inspection: TLC "may charge" $50 to inspect a hacked-up accessible taxi that moves to another medallion (§67-06(e)).
• Fines for being late: missing an inspection deadline is a separate violation with its own fine. See what if I miss my TLC inspection appointment?.

How often do cars need a retest?

TLC has published one figure: the failure rate at initial inspection for FHV licenses has been in the 23–26% range since 2022 (SHL Pilot Final Report, Sept 2025, p. 3). That is roughly one car in four needing a second visit. TLC did not say how many of those failures were DMV items (with a fee) versus TLC items (free). More numbers: TLC inspection statistics.

Avoiding a second trip

Use the checklist in our TLC vehicle inspection guide, and bring the registration and a valid TLC or state driver license — TLC says without them the car will not be inspected at all. You also can't carry passengers until the car passes. Your base has a stake too: it can be fined $350 for dispatching a car without a valid NYS inspection sticker that has at least eight months left (see §59B-29(c)).