TLC Vehicle Owner Summonses: Inspections & Directives

In short: About a third of TLC summonses have a first charge from the owner and vehicle rule chapters (59A and 58), not the driver rules. The biggest owner charges are a for-hire vehicle not inspected on schedule (59A-26(a)(1), 3,100 in 2025) and not complying with TLC directives (59A-13(j)(1), 3,690). Not correcting a defect after a TLC notice (59A-27(d)) hit a record 3,559 in 2025. Several of these come with a suspension until you comply, and some can lead to revocation for nonuse.

If you own the car you drive, whether as an app driver with your own FHV plates or as an owner-driver of a medallion taxi, these summonses come to you. The counts below are first charges in OATH's official dataset. The rule meanings come from TLC chapters 59 (for-hire vehicles) and 58 (medallion taxis).

How big is the owner side?

In 2025, chapter 59A codes (FHV vehicles and owners) were the first charge on 15,340 summonses, about 25% of all first charges. Chapter 58 codes (medallion taxis and owners) added 5,350, about 9%. See the rule-chapter chart for the full history.

Inspections

For-hire vehicles must be inspected three times a year, including at least once every four months. The penalty under 59A-26(a) is $100 and a suspension of the vehicle license until the vehicle passes inspection. Medallion taxis must be inspected every four months on a date TLC sets. Rule 58-29(b) penalties stack up the longer you are past due: $100 and suspension at 0–30 days late, up to $500 and/or revocation past 120 days.

The taxi inspection code almost disappeared in 2020 and 2021 (3 summonses each year), then returned to about 2,300–2,900 a year. That pattern fits a pause in inspection enforcement during the pandemic, but the data doesn't say so directly. For dates and what's checked, see the TLC vehicle inspection guide.

TLC directives and defect notices

Rule 59A-13(j)(1) requires FHV owners to "answer truthfully all questions and comply as directed with all communications, directives, and summonses" from TLC. The penalty is $300 and a suspension until you comply, and you must appear. Medallion owners have the same duty under 58-15(i)(1).

Rule 59A-27(d) requires owners to follow every TLC notice to correct a defect. The penalty is $50 plus a suspension until the defect is fixed. The fine is small, but the suspension keeps the car off the road. A related rule, 59A-27(e), requires a daily personal safety check of brakes, lights, signals and seat belts; it carries $150 if you plead guilty before a hearing or $200 if found guilty. Those summonses also rose sharply in 2025, to 2,060. See equipment and inspection summonses.

Nonuse, insurance and losing the license

City law §19-504(g) lets TLC revoke a vehicle license when the vehicle "has not been operated for sixty consecutive days," with exceptions for events beyond the owner's control. TLC's own rule, 59A-08(c), says an FHV license must be revoked for non-use if, for 60 or more days, the owner fails to keep a base affiliation, insurance coverage, or the inspection schedule. Summonses citing §19-504(g) climbed to 1,933 in 2024 and 1,655 in 2025, well above the 2017–2022 level.

If you are taking a car off the road for a while, ask TLC about its short-term license storage program in rule 59A-36 before the 60 days run out. Keep proof of insurance and base affiliation current; FHV insurance requirements explains what TLC expects.

What this data can and cannot tell you

It can tell you how often each owner and vehicle code was the first charge on a taxi/FHV summons, by year.

It cannot tell you:

• How many owners or vehicles were involved. One vehicle can get several summonses.
• How many licenses were actually suspended or revoked. Outcomes are blank for taxi rows.
• Whether the owner was also the driver.
• Fleet versus individual owners. The data doesn't separate them.
• Why codes like 59A-27(d) or §19-504(g) rose. That would need TLC's enforcement records.