TLC 60-Hour Weekly Limit 80-14(f)(3): Fines Explained

In short: §80-14(f)(3) says a TLC driver must not carry passengers for hire for more than 60 hours in total in a week that runs Monday to Sunday. Like the daily rule, only passenger time counts, and trips on every app and base are added together. Fines run from $50 to $400 depending on how far over you went, with a short suspension for repeated large overages. There are no TLC points. Hours already used to charge a daily-limit violation can't be counted again for the weekly one.

What the rule says

The TLC rule book, chapter 80, §80-14(f)(3): "A Driver must not transport any Passenger(s) for hire for more than 60 hours in total in any seven-day period that begins on Monday and ends on Sunday."

The general rules in §80-14(f)(1) apply to both the daily and weekly limits:

• Hours = time passengers are being transported for hire. Time between trips doesn't count.
• Pickups in all vehicles you drive under chapter 80 are combined.
• Time that is the basis of a daily violation cannot also be counted toward a weekly violation.
• A limit exceeded because of a single trip that began before the limit was reached is a defense.

Daily vs. weekly at a glance

The weekly window is fixed: it is the calendar week starting Monday, not any rolling seven days. A heavy Sunday and a heavy Monday fall in different weeks.

Penalty by hours over

The full ladder is: up to 1 hour over $50 / $75; over 1 to 2 hours $100 / $150; over 2 to 3 hours $150 / $200; over 3 to 4 hours $200 / $300; over 4 hours $300 / $400. The first number is the price if you plead guilty before a hearing; the second if you are found guilty after one. Appearance is not required.

How full-time drivers' weeks look in TLC data

TLC publishes how many days a month drivers record trips. It does not measure passenger hours, so it can't tell you whether anyone breaks the 60-hour rule — but it shows the scale of a typical working month by industry.

Who it applies to

Every TLC driver in any TLC vehicle. If you drive for several platforms or bases, all your trips count together.

Common situations

• Six long days on two apps. Each platform shows 35 hours; TLC sees 70.
• A week with a daily violation too. If one day was already charged under 80-14(f)(2), the hours that made up that daily overage can't be counted again for the weekly charge. That can shrink the weekly overage — and move it into a lower fine band, or erase it.
• A long final trip on Sunday night that started before you reached 60 hours — the single-trip defense.
• Confusion about the week. A summons that treats Wednesday to Tuesday as "the week" doesn't match the rule.

What to do and defenses to discuss

1. Download trip histories from every app and base for the Monday–Sunday week on the summons.
2. Total passenger time — pickup to drop-off — and compare with the hours alleged.
3. Check for daily-limit summonses in the same week and subtract the time they were based on.
4. Look at the last trip. If it began before 60 hours and carried you over, that's the defense.
5. Check the fine band. A smaller overage means a lower fine.
6. Respond before the hearing date — plead and pay, or contest by phone or written defense if eligible. See how to prepare for a TLC hearing.

Points to raise with a lawyer or OATH-registered representative: the week used, duplicate or overlapping trips across platforms, the no-double-count rule and the single-trip defense. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where the limit sits in the rules — and pay

TLC places the hours limits in the "Passenger and Driver Safety" section of chapter 80, next to the rules on impaired and distracted driving. They sit alongside TLC's pay rules for app-based drivers, explained in our guide to FHV driver minimum pay. If you are near the limit late in the week, a quick check of your passenger hours across apps can save you a summons. The fine amounts are also in our fine lookup.

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: three or more weekly overages of 4+ hours in a calendar month add a 5–15 day suspension, and a month can contain parts of five weeks.

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