How to Get a TLC License: Steps, Fees & the 90-Day Clock

To get a NYC TLC driver license you must be at least 19, hold a chauffeur's license (New York Class E, or a commercial A, B or C), apply online in LARS, and then finish every requirement — drug test, fingerprints, medical form, defensive driving, the 24-hour course, WAV training and the TLC exam — within 90 days of applying. If you miss the 90 days, TLC denies the application and keeps the fee. This guide puts the steps in a practical order and shows where applicants most often get stuck.

Who can apply

TLC rule §80-04 and TLC's licensing page set the basic eligibility:

• Age: at least 19.
• DMV license: a valid chauffeur's license — New York Class E (for-hire) or a commercial Class A, B or C. If you have a regular Class D, the DMV converts it: you surrender the Class D, pay, and pass (or prove) the vision test (NYS DMV). The DMV says to allow about 2 weeks for the new card.
• Identity: a valid government photo ID and a valid Social Security number.
• No debts: you must pay any outstanding fines or fees owed to TLC, NYC parking and red-light camera units, and the DMV Traffic Violations Bureau (§80-04(n)).
• Driving record: TLC says no more than 5 DMV points in a 15-month period, counted back from your most recent conviction. See TLC license and DMV points for how that is calculated.
• Fitness: TLC reviews criminal history (under NY Correction Law Article 23-A), recent crashes, and past TLC problems. Some events trigger a one-year or three-year ban — see TLC's fitness rules.

Out-of-state license? You need a driving abstract covering at least the last two years, dated no more than 90 days before you apply (§80-04(d)). Since October 1, 2025, you must also take TLC's ID-5 form to any NYS DMV office, get the FS-6T receipt, and upload it to TLC UP — TLC will not process the application without it.

The steps, in a practical order

TLC says the steps do not have to be done in an exact order, but all of them must be done within 90 days of the application date (TLC flyer: The Road to Licensure). Order them so nothing slow is left to the end.

1. Apply online in LARS

Start at TLC's licensing system, LARS. As of October 12, 2026, the application processing fee is $252 for a three-year license (that is the $84 a year set in rule §80-07). It is non-refundable, even if you are denied.

2. Drug test

Take a drug test at a TLC-designated LabCorp site after you apply; the fee is $34, paid at the site. New applicants can walk in at listed sites in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island. A positive result means TLC denies the application, and the rule says that decision is final (§80-04(g)(3)). Details: TLC drug test guide.

3. Fingerprints and photo

Book at IdentoGO with service code 15425Y; TLC lists the fee as $90.25. Fingerprints are used to get your criminal history from New York State.

4. Medical certification

A physician licensed in New York (or your state of residence) completes TLC's medical form. TLC publishes it in English and ten other languages. Upload it to TLC UP.

5. Defensive driving course

You need a certificate from a NYS DMV-approved defensive driving course that is no more than three years old on your application date (§80-04(j)(1)). If you took one recently, you may already have it. See defensive driving for TLC drivers.

6. The 24-hour course, WAV training and the exam

New applicants take the TLC Driver License Education Course (three 8-hour days) and Passenger Assistance and WAV Training (about 3 hours of class plus a 1-hour hands-on assessment) at a TLC-authorized school. Where to take each course and the exam is in our course and exam location finder, and what's on the TLC exam explains the test. Then you take the TLC Driver License Exam with PSI: 80 multiple-choice questions, 70% (56 correct) to pass, up to 2 hours, $49 per attempt. Schools won't register you after the 85th day of your application, and TLC says to pass the exam at least 3 days before the application expires. Full details: TLC driver education course and WAV training.

7. Sex trafficking awareness video

A free, roughly 10-minute video. It is a condition of licensing (§80-04(j)(7)).

What it costs

Adding TLC's listed numbers gives roughly $745 to $875 before the medical exam and any exam retakes. Fees can change; check TLC's page before paying.

Where applications get stuck

TLC publishes a live tracker of new-driver applications. On the day we pulled it, most incomplete applications were still waiting on the TLC exam and the medical form — the two items that usually come last. Use this as a warning, not a statistic about you: start the slow items early.

You can check your own status in TLC UP. If TLC needs more information, it may ask for an interview, a call or a letter; not answering in time means denial (§80-08(e)). If you have criminal charges pending, TLC defers the application, and denies it if the charges are not resolved within 90 days (§80-08(c)(3)(iii)).

Common reasons for denial

• Missing the 90-day deadline (§80-08(d)(1)).
• A positive drug test — denial, plus a one-year ban from the date of the failed test (§80-08(c)(2)(iv)).
• Mistakes or omissions in the application, or not telling TLC about changes while it is pending, such as a new DMV conviction or a new address (§80-04(o), §80-08(c)(3)(i)).
• Recent bans: for example, more than three collisions in a year, or a prior TLC license revoked in the last three years. Our reinstatement guide covers reapplying after a revocation.

After you are licensed

Your license lasts three years from the date it is issued (§80-06(a)). You must pass an annual drug test in years one and two, and the renewal steps start 90 days before the license expires — see TLC license renewal. Points from traffic tickets and TLC summonses can suspend the license; learn the basics in the licensing hub. If you ever get a summons, scan it to see what it means.