When Will TLC Lift the Cap on New TLC Plates?

Short answer: There is no date. TLC has not announced any plan to lift the cap on new for-hire vehicle (FHV) licenses. In its February 2026 review it decided that more licenses "would not be beneficial to the industry and the city as a whole at this time," so the only new licenses are restricted to wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs). TLC looks at the question again in a review each year, and that is the earliest point a change could come.

The numbers TLC based its decision on

All four figures are from TLC's February 2026 FHV License Review. The year-by-year series is on FHV license cap statistics.

What the numbers do and don't mean

• Fewer licensed cars did not change the decision. TLC noted the fleet shrank even though it issued more new licenses (1,241) than expired (1,118) in the year. It put this down to grace periods: owners may renew up to 60 days after expiry and then have 120 more days to pass inspection.
• More trips did not change it either. TLC weighed trip growth against driver pay, wait times and congestion. It found Uber/Lyft median weekly earnings "ranged from roughly $1,100 to $1,400" and average wait times of 5.4 minutes in January 2026, in line with past years.
• TLC heard the other side. The review says "TLC has heard from some drivers and bases that new licenses would benefit them," and still kept the cap.

How the decision is made

Local Law 147 of 2018 gave TLC the power to limit FHV licenses (Admin Code §19-550). Under rule §59A-06(a)(1), starting in February 2023, TLC reviews the number of licenses and decides how many, if any, to issue "in the twelve months following such review." It must look at:

• congestion
• driver pay
• license attrition (how many expire)
• outer-borough service
• demand for and availability of battery electric vehicles and charging
• anything else it finds relevant

The results are posted on TLC's Industry Reports page. That page lists reviews from August 2020, February and August 2021, February and September 2022, and every February from 2023 to 2026. If TLC keeps this pattern, the next decision would come around February 2027. That is our reading of the pattern, not a TLC announcement.

What to do next

1. Need your own license now? The only route is a WAV from TLC's approved list: new plates with a WAV. It stays WAV-only for good.
2. Already licensed? Protect it: renew on time. If your license is suspended, see lifting a TLC suspension.
3. Want to understand the history? Read the FHV license cap explained, the glossary entry and TLC plates for FHVs.
4. Want to be heard? TLC's Board of Commissioners holds public meetings where it receives testimony on proposed rules and "other issues of concern to licensees" (2025 Annual Report).
5. Watch for news. Keep your email current in LARS, and check TLC's industry notices. Current status: are new TLC plates available? More in the vehicles hub.