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In short: TLC summonses cluster in the middle of the week. Tuesday through Thursday account for about half of all taxi/FHV summonses dated 2021–2025, and Saturday and Sunday together for about a fifth. Across the year, spring and October run higher and January, February and December lower. But the gap between the busiest and quietest month is only about a third. The public data has no reliable time of day.
These patterns come from the date printed on each summons in OATH's official dataset. They describe when summonses were written. They describe the schedule of enforcement as much as the behavior of drivers.
By day of the week
| Day | Summonses 2021–2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 41,227 | 13.2% |
| Tuesday | 50,356 | 16.2% |
| Wednesday | 54,702 | 17.6% |
| Thursday | 54,947 | 17.7% |
| Friday | 45,314 | 14.6% |
| Saturday | 33,282 | 10.7% |
| Sunday | 31,356 | 10.1% |
An average weekday has about 1.5 times the summonses of an average weekend day. That gap doesn't match when people ride: weekend nights are busy for taxis and app trips. The data can't explain it. Enforcement schedules are one possible reason, but OATH's dataset doesn't record shifts or patrols, so we can't confirm it. Note too that this count mixes driver charges with owner and vehicle charges, such as not following TLC directives, which may not be tied to a roadside stop at all.
By month of the year
May is the highest month on average (about 6,139), followed by October (5,682), June (5,636) and March (5,536). January (4,561), February (4,645) and December (4,647) are the lowest. Months have different numbers of days, and February is short, which explains a small part of the gap.
Four years is a short window, and single events can push one month up. We'd treat this as a mild seasonal pattern, not a rule.
Month by month since 2019
The month-by-month line shows that the seasonal swing is small next to the big changes. The pandemic drop in April 2020 took monthly counts from about 7,200–11,500 in 2019 down to as low as 2,100. Since 2022 the line has moved within a band of about 3,600 to 6,300. For yearly totals see TLC summonses by year, and for upcoming hearing dates see OATH TLC hearings by month.
Why there is no time-of-day chart
We would like to show whether summonses come more at rush hour or late at night. The data won't support it. For taxi rows, OATH's violation time field is blank. The time stored inside the violation date piles up at 17:00, which looks like a placeholder. Any time-of-day chart built from this dataset would be fiction. Your own summons will show the time the officer or inspector wrote down, and that time can matter at a hearing. See evidence for a TLC hearing and what TLC must prove.
What to do the day you get a summons
Whatever the day, the steps are the same:
OATH's hearing options and deadlines are on its hearings and defaults page. Our summons deadline calculator helps you count the days. The full walk-through is in got a TLC summons? start here.
What this data can and cannot tell you
It can tell you which weekdays and months had more or fewer taxi/FHV summonses filed at OATH.
It cannot tell you:
- Time of day. The time data is blank or a placeholder.
- Your personal odds of getting a summons on any day. Counts follow enforcement schedules.
- Where. There is no usable violation location for taxi rows.
- Outcomes. Dismissals and fines are blank for taxi rows.
Frequently asked questions
What day of the week are most TLC summonses written?
Midweek. For violations dated 2021–2025, Thursday (54,947) and Wednesday (54,702) had the most taxi/FHV summonses, and Sunday (31,356) the fewest.
Are TLC summonses more common at certain times of year?
Somewhat. Averaged over 2022–2025, May had the most summonses (about 6,139 a month) and January the fewest (about 4,561). The busiest month runs about 35% above the quietest.
What time of day does TLC enforcement happen?
The public data can't say. The time stored with each violation date clusters at 17:00, which looks like a default value, and the separate time field is blank for taxi rows.
Does a quiet day mean I'm less likely to be stopped?
No. These counts mirror when inspectors and police were working, not the chance that any single driver gets a summons. The rules apply every day.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: OATH Hearings Division Case Status (jz4z-kudi) data.cityofnewyork.us
- OATH: Hearings and Defaults nyc.gov
- TLC: Received a Driver's License Summons? nyc.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.