On nearly a weekly basis, graffiti is clandestinely applied to the exteriors of parked subway trains in Toronto. Although the paint is removed within hours, another form of image production emerges in its aftermath. Using evidentiary photographs and coinciding incident reports obtained through Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, this presentation examines the management and conservation of mass transit graffiti. It argues that, in their efforts to investigate graffiti, transit agencies like the Toronto Transit Commission have become the primary conservators of this form of illicit image-making. This paper offers an unconventional perspective on transit graffiti, drawing on the words and images of the authorities who encounter it most. Through their extensive documentation and oversight of a substantial digital archive, the paper will demonstrate how graffiti—often viewed as highly ephemeral—is effectively rendered permanent by the same authorities who aim to prevent it.