TLC 10-Hour Daily Limit 80-14(f)(2): Fines & Defenses

In short: §80-14(f)(2) says a TLC driver must not carry passengers for hire for more than 10 hours in total in any 24-hour period. Only time with passengers on board counts, trips from every app and base are added together, and the count resets after 8 hours in a row with no passengers. Fines depend on how far over you went — from $50 to $400 — and there is no TLC point. A single trip that started before you hit the limit is a defense.

Because the rule counts minutes of passenger time across trips, this charge is a numbers case. The page below shows how the count works so you can check TLC's math.

What the rule says

From the TLC rule book, chapter 80, §80-14(f):

• (1)(i) Daily and weekly hours are calculated by adding up the time passengers are being transported for hire. Time between trips is not counted.
• (1)(ii) Pickups made in any vehicle you drive under chapter 80 are combined.
• (1)(iii) Time used for a daily-limit violation cannot also be counted toward a weekly-limit violation.
• (1)(iv) It is a defense that a limit was exceeded because of a single trip that began before the limit was reached.
• (2) No more than 10 hours of passenger time in any 24-hour period. Exception: if you carry no passengers for at least eight consecutive hours, the 10-hour count resets.

The weekly companion rule, a 60-hour limit from Monday to Sunday, is 80-14(f)(3).

How the count works: an example day

The key point drivers miss: being logged on for 14 hours is not a violation by itself. What matters is passenger time. And the reverse: splitting your day between two apps does not restart anything, because TLC adds them together.

Penalty: priced by the hour

There is an extra penalty for heavy repeat overages: if you are found guilty of three or more daily-limit violations in one calendar month where you were 4 or more hours over, the penalty also includes a suspension of 5 to 15 days. Appearance is not required, and this rule carries no TLC points, so it does not feed the Persistent Violator Program.

How often it is charged

For context on how long drivers typically work, TLC's industry indicators show hours per day with trips by industry:

That chart measures something different from the rule (hours with a trip, not minutes with a passenger), so don't use it to judge your own case. It does show that every industry's average is under 10 hours with trips — the highest, yellow taxi, is 7.5 — so a daily-limit summons usually points to an unusually long day, not a typical one.

How TLC knows your hours

Unlike a traffic charge, this rule is about totals, not one moment an officer saw. TLC receives trip records from app companies, bases and taxi technology providers, and the rule counts passenger time trip by trip. That cuts both ways: TLC's numbers are detailed, but so are yours. Every trip has a start and end time, and you can export them. If a trip appears twice (for example, a cancelled and re-dispatched ride) or the times are off, that is something specific to show the hearing officer.

Who it applies to

Every TLC driver: yellow taxi, green cab, black car, livery, luxury limousine and app-based FHV drivers. Trips in all vehicles you drive under chapter 80 are combined.

Common situations

• Two apps, one long day. Each app's hours look fine on its own; combined they cross 10.
• A long airport or out-of-town trip late in the shift. If it began before you reached 10 hours, the single-trip defense may apply.
• Short breaks that don't reset. A 3- or 5-hour nap is not 8 consecutive hours.
• Overnight shifts where the "any 24-hour period" window spans two calendar days.

What to do and defenses to discuss

1. Get your trip records from every app and base for the 24-hour window on the summons — pickup and drop-off times for each trip.
2. Add up passenger time yourself. Check whether there was an 8-hour gap that reset the count.
3. Find the trip that crossed the line. If one trip began before you reached 10 hours and ran past it, that is the defense in §80-14(f)(1)(iv).
4. Check the band. The fine depends on how many hours over. If the overage is smaller than charged, the fine should be in a lower band.
5. Respond before the hearing date to avoid a default. Our fine lookup shows the amounts.

Points to discuss with a lawyer or OATH-registered representative: the accuracy of the trip times, duplicate trips across platforms, the reset, the single-trip defense and the double-counting rule. See evidence for a TLC hearing. This is general information, not legal advice.

After the decision

If you plead guilty or are found guilty, the fine is paid to TLC and is due within 30 days of the decision unless you file a timely appeal (§80-02(c)). An unpaid fine leads to a written notice and a suspension 10 business days later until you pay — see paying TLC fines. If you think the hours were miscounted and the hearing officer got it wrong, OATH appeals are due within 30 days of the decision (35 if mailed); see appealing an OATH decision. Keep each decision: the extra 5–15 day suspension depends on how many large overages you have in one calendar month.

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