Most TLC summonses go to OATH. This one can go to criminal court.
Administrative Code § 19-506(b) is the charge behind nearly every vehicle seizure at the airports and the hotel lines. It has two branches.
(b)(1), no vehicle licence at all
This covers driving, offering to drive, or letting someone else drive any vehicle for hire without a TLC vehicle licence.
| Fine | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| Or | Up to 60 days in jail. Or both |
| Court | Criminal court, not OATH |
| Who | The owner and the driver, if they are different people |
The word “offering” matters. You do not need a passenger in the car. Waiting for a fare at a terminal, an ad, an app trip taken in your personal car. The offer is the violation.
(b)(2), licensed but working outside it
This is running a licensed vehicle beyond what its licence allows. The usual examples are out-of-town plates picking up in the city, and vehicles working outside what they were approved for.
| Fine | $400 to $1,000 |
| Or | Up to 60 days in jail. Or both |
| Who | Owner and driver |
What you feel first: they take the car
Any TLC officer or police officer with reason to believe you broke either of those rules can take the vehicle on the spot.
The court then decides whether it was being used unlawfully, and they can keep it for good.
Storage fees run daily from the moment it is towed. And the case moves forward whether you respond or not.
Why speed matters more here than anywhere else
Every other violation on this site is about money and points.
This one is about your car sitting in a pound running up fees, a criminal court date, and an owner who is also named on the summons. That might be your base, your leasing company, or you.
If your vehicle was seized under § 19-506, send us the paperwork the same day.