§58-27(a) TLC Rule 58-27: Taxi Owner E-ZPass Account & Tags

In short: Rule 58-27 is the E-ZPass rule for yellow taxi medallion owners. Part (a) says the owner must keep a current E-ZPass New York account with MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Part (b) says every taxicab must have an MTA tag attached the way MTA requires (or the owner lets the driver use a personal tag), there must be at least one MTA tag per medallion, and the account must have enough money in it. Each part carries $100 and suspension until compliance, and you must appear at the hearing. These are owner summonses, not driver summonses.

What the rule says

From TLC chapter 58, §58-27 "Operations – EZ-Pass® Required":

(a) EZ-Pass® Account. All Owners must participate in the EZ-Pass® New York Program by maintaining a current account with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority ("MTA Bridges and Tunnels" or "MTA B&T").

§58-27(a) Fine: $100 and suspension until compliance. Appearance REQUIRED

(b) EZ-Pass® Tags Required on all Taxicabs. (1) Owners must either: (i) Equip all of Owner's Taxicabs with an MTA Bridges and Tunnels EZ-Pass® tag, each of which must be attached as required by MTA B&T, or (ii) Allow a Driver to use his or her personal EZ-Pass® tag. (2) Owners must have available at least one MTA Bridges and Tunnels tag for each of their Medallions. (3) Owners must maintain a sufficient balance in their EZ-Pass® account, according to what is required by the program.

§58-27(b) Fine: $100 and suspension until compliance. Appearance REQUIRED

In plain words, a medallion owner must:

1. Have the account. An E-ZPass New York account with MTA Bridges and Tunnels, kept current.
2. Put a tag in each cab, attached as MTA requires, or let the driver use the driver's own tag.
3. Own at least one MTA tag per medallion, even when drivers bring their own.
4. Keep the balance funded.

The same chapter ties the account to the fare. Section 58-26(e) says all taxicabs "must be equipped with a New York MTA Bridges & Tunnels EZ-Pass®", and passengers pay only "the actual amount (often a discounted toll) charged to the EZ-Pass®."

On an owner summons, the rule code box will show 58-27(A) or a (b) code such as 58-27(B)(1)(I). The respondent is the medallion owner.

Who it applies to

• Medallion owners, including owners who drive their own cab.
• Not drivers. A driver who drives for hire without a tag, or doesn't use it at MTA crossings, is charged under the driver rule, 80-15(d)(1)-(3).
• For-hire vehicle owners have a near-identical rule, §59A-24(a)-(b), in chapter 59. Green cab licensees have §82-27, see rule 82-27.

TLC data shows how many cabs this covers. Every authorized medallion taxi needs a tag available under part (b)(2):

Suspension until compliance: what it means for you

The fine is fixed at $100 per part. The bigger effect is the suspension until compliance: the medallion license stays suspended until the account, tag or balance problem is fixed. While the license is suspended, the cab can't be used for hire, so every lost shift costs the owner and any lease driver.

The fix is usually quick and fully in the owner's hands:

OATH counts, with caveats

These summonses are rare now. TLC Help counted OATH cases where a 58-27 code was the first charge (NYC Open Data, dataset jz4z-kudi, queried October 12, 2026):

What this data can and can't say:

• Most were written by Port Authority police, under the issuing agency "TAXI_Port Authority". The data doesn't reliably record where the violation happened.
• 30 of the 58-27 cases carry a placeholder year (1900), so the "latest year" column ignores them.
• No outcomes. For taxi cases, OATH leaves the hearing result, penalty and amount paid blank, so nobody can tell you from this data how these cases ended.
• Only the first charge is counted. A 58-27 charge listed second would not appear.

The owner-side risk that matters more today is money, not summonses: unpaid tolls on the owner's account become Tolls by Mail bills, late fees and possible registration suspension. See unpaid tolls and registration suspension and owner summons statistics.

Penalty and points

No points are listed. Points under TLC programs apply to drivers, and this is an owner rule.

What the rest of 58-27 says (and why drivers care)

Parts (c) and (d) decide who keeps the toll money:

• Driver's own tag (§58-27(c)): the driver keeps the toll paid by the passenger, or is reimbursed when the passenger pays by card.
• Owner's tag (§58-27(d)(1)): toll money belongs to the owner. Cash tolls are forwarded at the end of the shift or lease; card tolls stay with the owner. Fine $250.
• Replenishment account (§58-27(d)(2)): the owner may hold up to $10 per 12-hour shift, $100 maximum, and must return unused money within 30 days after the lease ends. See rule 58-27(d)(2) and the replenishment account.

The taxi lease-cap rule also lets an owner charge a lessee "the discount toll amount for use of the Owner's EZ-Pass®" on top of the lease, and nothing more for tolls (§58-21(c)(5)(iii)).

Other owner-side money rules in the same chapter: 58-16(f)(3), the Taxi Improvement Surcharge. Setting up the account: how to open an E-ZPass NY account. The full picture for drivers and owners: E-ZPass for TLC drivers. All toll pages: tolls.

This page explains TLC rules. It is not legal advice. For a suspension that is costing you shifts, consider a lawyer who handles TLC cases.