TLC Drug Test: Annual Deadlines, Fines & Failed Tests

Every TLC-licensed taxi, street hail livery and for-hire driver must pass a drug test once a year, at a TLC-designated LabCorp site, at their own cost ($34). Each test has a window: no earlier than 90 days before your license anniversary (or, in year three, before expiry), and no later than that date. Miss it and your license is summarily suspended until you test and pass; test 30 or more days late and you also owe a $200 fine. A positive result leads to suspension and possible revocation.

Who must test

Rule §80-14(d) covers all TLC drivers except City of New York police officers and paratransit drivers. TLC's drug testing page adds that commuter van drivers are not tested by TLC either. Testing applies whether or not you are currently driving — an inactive license still needs its annual test.

New applicants test after filing the application in LARS; a positive test means the application is denied, and the rule calls that decision final (§80-04(g)(3)). See how to get a TLC license.

Your three-year testing cycle

If you will be away for the whole 90 days before your expiration date, rule §80-06(c) lets you ask TLC — once per license term, on TLC's form — to move your expiration to an earlier date so you can test before you leave. TLC's page gives no alternative for being out of town at an interim date, so plan around it.

Planning your dates: a worked example

Say your license was issued on March 1, 2026. Your first interim date is the first anniversary, March 1, 2027. The earliest valid test is 90 days before that — about December 1, 2026 — and the latest is March 1, 2027 itself. A test on November 25, 2026 is too early and won't count. Your second interim test follows the same pattern before March 1, 2028, and your renewal test must be in the 90 days before the license expires on March 1, 2029.

A simple habit works: test in the first month of each window. That leaves two months to fix a lost result, a rejected sample or a sick day — and avoids both the summary suspension and the $200 fine for testing 30 or more days late.

If you are already suspended for a missed test

Don't wait for a letter to tell you what to do. Schedule a LabCorp test right away, keep the Chain of Custody form, and check TLC UP until the result appears. If you tested 30 or more days after the deadline, pay the $200 fine promptly — TLC says the license stays suspended until both the passed test and the fine are on record. Don't drive for hire until TLC UP shows the license is valid again: driving on a suspended license is unlicensed activity under rule 80-02(a).

Medicines and the six-hour rule

If you take prescription medicine, keep a current copy of the prescription from your pharmacy or doctor somewhere you can reach quickly. TLC's instructions say this is what you send if a medication may have caused a positive result. Separately from testing, rule §80-14(b)(2) bars you from driving or occupying your vehicle for at least six hours after consuming any alcohol or drugs. That rule applies whatever the label on a medicine says, so ask your doctor how your medicine affects driving.

How to get tested

1. Schedule with LabCorp at (800) 923-2624. New applicants can also walk in at the sites TLC lists, including the TLC building at 31-00 47th Avenue, Long Island City (Mon–Fri 8:00am–3:25pm), plus sites in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island. The current list is on NYC Open Data.
2. Bring your TLC license and DMV license (applicants: the TLC application receipt and DMV license) and the $34 fee.
3. Wait about 3 business days — TLC gets results directly from LabCorp.
4. Check TLC UP to confirm the test was recorded. If it shows as late or missing, TLC says to email the Chain of Custody form (the paper LabCorp gives you) to tlccompliance@tlc.nyc.gov. Keep that paper until the result shows up.

If you medically cannot give a urine sample, TLC asks for a doctor's letter saying so (no diagnosis needed) sent to tlccompliance@tlc.nyc.gov.

Late, missed or failed: what happens

A suspension "until compliance" isn't a punishment for a set number of days — it ends as soon as you fix the problem. Our guides on summary suspensions and lifting a TLC suspension cover what to do in general.

TLC can also order a drug test for cause if it has reasonable suspicion that a driver used a drug that makes them unfit to drive; refusing to comply means summary suspension until you do (§80-14(c)). Separately, driving within six hours of drinking any alcohol or taking drugs is prohibited, and driving while impaired carries revocation (§80-14(b)) — that charge can be brought whatever your drug test results.

If your test comes back positive

This is serious: a positive interim test can lead to revocation, and the three-year ban rules can follow. Move fast and consider a lawyer.

TLC's contest instructions (dated July 2017) name Doctors Review Service as the Medical Review Officer, give a $175 retest fee paid by postal money order, and set deadlines: within 90 days of the application date for new applicants, and within 180 days of the expiration date for renewal applicants. Because the sheet is old, call the number on it to confirm the fee and address before you send anything.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Testing too early. A test more than 90 days before the date doesn't count — you'd pay twice.
• Assuming "not driving" means no test. The test is tied to the license, not to whether you work.
• Ignoring the fine. After a late test, the suspension continues until the $200 fine is paid.
• Throwing away the Chain of Custody form before TLC UP shows the result.

For a summons about drug testing or any other TLC rule, scan it and we'll explain it in plain English. You can also see the full licensing hub.