How to Fill Out and Submit the NYC TLC Plate Storage Form

There is no paper NYC TLC plate storage form to download, fill out, and mail. The Short-Term For-Hire Vehicle License Storage Program runs entirely through the TLC Upload Portal (TLCUP), and the only physical paperwork is the DMV’s Plate Surrender Application (Form PD-7), which you complete when you hand in your TLC plates. Once the DMV surrender posts to the TLC’s system, you log into TLCUP, click through a short on-screen request, and the license goes into storage for up to 90 consecutive days.¹

Before the Portal Will Accept Your Request

TLCUP checks your license against several conditions before it will let the storage request go through. If any one of them fails, you get an on-screen denial.

No active suspensions on the license.
No outstanding fines or fees owed to the TLC.
No pending plate, base, or vehicle transfer.
The license is not already in renewal-pending status.
Your TLC plates have been surrendered to the New York State DMV within the last 60 days. Allow 48 hours after surrender for the DMV action to reach the TLC’s system.

You can only use the storage program once per two-year renewal period. If you’ve already stored this license during the current cycle, the next window opens with your next renewal.²

Step 1: Surrender Your Plates at the DMV

Remove the plates, frames, and fasteners from the vehicle and complete a Plate Surrender Application (Form PD-7) for each set. You can bring everything to a DMV office in the five boroughs or mail it in. In person, make sure you leave with the FS-6T plate surrender receipt. By mail, the postmark counts as the surrender date and the DMV sends the FS-6T to the address on your registration; allow 21 days to receive it.³

Order matters here. Surrender the plates first, then cancel your commercial liability insurance. Canceling coverage while plates are still registered triggers a registration suspension and can hit your driver license.

Step 2: Submit the Storage Request in TLCUP

Wait about 48 hours after the DMV surrender so the TLC’s system reflects it. Then:

Sign in to TLCUP with your vehicle license number, mailing zip code, and the last five digits of your SSN (or your company’s EIN if the license is held by a business).
Click the MENU button in the top right corner and choose STORAGE.
Read the disclosure pop-up about the storage program terms, then click Submit.

If you meet every requirement, the system accepts the request and emails a confirmation to the address on file. If something is off, a message on screen tells you why the request was denied so you can fix it and try again.¹

The TLC’s storage page does not list a fee for submitting the storage request itself.

What Storage Pauses, and What Keeps Running

While the license is in storage, the TLC does not enforce insurance or inspection requirements on the vehicle. You can drop the commercial policy and skip scheduled inspections without triggering a TLC violation.² The vehicle cannot be operated for hire during storage, and the license drops off the TLC’s Open Data active vehicle list, so sort out any base affiliation questions before you file.¹

Driver drug testing is not paused. TLC-licensed FHV drivers must take and pass a drug test every year, within the 90 days before the license anniversary (or expiration date in a renewal year). Missing it means a suspension until the test is completed. If your storage window overlaps that testing window, take the test before you store or right after you come out.⁴

Coming Out of Storage

You remove the license from storage by submitting a transfer request in TLCUP. Pick one of three types depending on what you need: Vehicle Transfer, Plate Transfer, or Vehicle and Plate Transfer. Sign in with the same credentials, click MENU and then TRANSFER, select the type, enter the VIN, current mileage, and whether the vehicle is wheelchair-accessible or a stretch vehicle, then submit.¹

The TLC charges $25 for a plate transfer and $25 for a vehicle transfer.⁵ Once the transfer is accepted, the TLC emails payment instructions and either an inspection appointment or a digital plate letter.

If you asked for new plates, take the digital plate letter to any DMV office in the five boroughs to get a new registration and new TLC plates. After you pick them up, file the Plate Notification form on TLCUP so the TLC has the new plate numbers on record.¹

The vehicle also needs to pass a TLC inspection at the Woodside Inspection Facility before it can return to for-hire service. Vehicles with 500 or more miles get a full NYS DMV inspection and pay a $75 fee; vehicles under 500 miles get a visual inspection only.⁶

If You Miss the 90-Day Deadline

Storage lasts up to 90 consecutive days. If the license is still in storage after that and you haven’t started the removal process, the TLC fines you $300 and suspends the license until you come into compliance. If the vehicle stays out of service for 60 or more days past the storage period, the Commission can revoke the license entirely for non-use.¹

Letting the license expire while it sits in storage is worse. You lose the ability to renew, and your only route back is applying for a new wheelchair-accessible vehicle license, which is a much heavier process than renewing.¹

If your renewal date lands during storage but the license hasn’t yet expired, you have to complete the full renewal as part of removal. The renewal fee for a non-WAV for-hire vehicle is $550, plus the $75 inspection fee if the vehicle has 500 or more miles.⁷ Check your renewal date before you store so this doesn’t catch you by surprise.

1
NYC.gov. For-Hire Vehicle License Storage
2
NYC.gov. Chapter 59 – For-Hire Service
3
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Surrender (Return or Turn-in) Your Vehicle Plates and Registration
4
NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Drug Testing Requirements
5
NYC.gov. Vehicle, Plate and Base Transfer
6
NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Vehicle Inspections
7
NYC.gov. Renew a For-Hire-Vehicle License