A TLC license suspension in New York City stops you from driving any for-hire vehicle — yellow cab, green cab, or app-based ride — the moment it takes effect, and the clock to fight it is short. From the day you receive written notice of a summary suspension, you have 10 calendar days to request a hearing at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. Miss that window and you can lose the right to challenge the suspension at the administrative level entirely.1NYC Rules. NYC Rules 68-15 – Special Procedures – Summary Suspension
What you do next depends on why the Taxi and Limousine Commission pulled your license. The rest of this article walks through the two main paths — point-based suspensions under the Persistent Violator Program, and summary suspensions for drug tests, criminal charges, or direct safety concerns — then through the hearing, the appeal routes, and what happens if you lose.
Why the TLC Suspends Licenses
Suspensions fall into two broad categories, and the category determines the timeline you’re working with.
Point-based suspensions come out of the Persistent Violator Program, which tracks a combined total of DMV points and TLC points over a rolling 15-month window. Six to nine combined points within that window triggers a suspension of up to 30 days. Ten or more revokes the license entirely, and revocation is permanent absent a successful appeal.2NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Chapter 80 – Drivers of Taxicabs, For-Hire Vehicles and Street Hail Liveries The 15 months runs from the date of conviction, not the date of the ticket, so a violation from months ago can still land on your record once the court finally rules.
Points stack quickly. Speeding 1–10 mph over the limit is 3 points; 11–20 mph over is 4; 31–40 mph over is 6, which is enough for an immediate suspension on its own. Red light violations, failure to yield, and unsafe lane changes are 3 points each. Following too closely is 4. Failing to stop for a school bus is 5. Two routine speeding convictions within a few months can put you over the line.2NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Chapter 80 – Drivers of Taxicabs, For-Hire Vehicles and Street Hail Liveries
Summary suspensions skip the point system and take effect immediately. The common triggers are:
- A missed, failed, or untestable annual drug test, or a positive “for cause” test ordered after an accident or suspicious behavior. The suspension stays in place until you take and pass a new test, and a positive result can also lead to revocation after a hearing.3NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Drug Testing Requirements
- Pending criminal charges that, if true, would show continued licensure poses a direct threat to public safety. Any felony qualifies, along with other specified offenses. A conviction for a serious criminal offense under Vehicle and Traffic Law §498(1)(f) triggers mandatory revocation.4NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. TLC Final Summary Suspension Rules
- Any other “good cause shown relating to a direct and substantial threat to the public health or safety” under NYC Administrative Code §19-512.1. Serious vehicle safety defects found during inspection can also trigger immediate holds that last until reinspection.5NYC Administrative Code. NYC Administrative Code 19-512.1 – Revocation of Taxicab, For-Hire or HAIL License
If you are convicted of any crime, you must notify the commission in writing within 15 calendar days and provide a certified copy of the court disposition within 15 days of sentencing. Failing to report carries its own fine.
The 10-Day Clock After a Summary Suspension
The commission must serve written notice of a summary suspension by personal delivery or certified mail within five calendar days of the suspension taking effect.5NYC Administrative Code. NYC Administrative Code 19-512.1 – Revocation of Taxicab, For-Hire or HAIL License You then have 10 calendar days from receipt of that notice to request a hearing. Once you request it, the commission must schedule the hearing within another 10 calendar days. If day ten falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline rolls to the next business day.1NYC Rules. NYC Rules 68-15 – Special Procedures – Summary Suspension
After the hearing closes, the commission has 60 calendar days to issue a decision. If no decision comes within that window, the commission must return your license to active status, with one exception: if restoring the license would interfere with an ongoing criminal or civil investigation.
These two 10-day periods are the deadlines most drivers miss. Mark them the day the notice arrives and request the hearing in writing immediately, even if you’re still gathering your evidence.
Cutting Points Before a Suspension Hits
If your point total is climbing but hasn’t crossed the threshold, you can bring it down with coursework. A state-approved Defensive Driving Course deducts three DMV points. A separate Point Reduction Course deducts three TLC points. The deductions apply before the commission calculates whether you’ve crossed into suspension or revocation territory, so a driver sitting at six points can take a course, drop to three, and avoid the 30-day suspension outright.6NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. Prosecution Rule Package for Vote 05 03 2023
There are limits. The DMV point reduction is available only once every 18 months, and the TLC point reduction only once every five years. Only points from violations that occurred within the 15 months before the course completion date qualify for reduction.7NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Defensive Driving Course (DDC) Information If you’ve already used your reduction recently, this door is closed.
Your Hearing at OATH
Formal challenges to a TLC suspension go to the OATH Trials Division at 100 Church Street, 12th Floor, in Manhattan.8NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). Contact Trials Division Many hearings are held by videoconference; some require an in-person appearance. Your paperwork will say which.9NYC.gov. Taxi and TLC-Licensee Cases – A Guide to Your Trial at the OATH Trials Division
Gather your documents around the summons number on your notice of suspension, which identifies your case in the system. For a Persistent Violator case, pull a current DMV driver abstract showing your convictions and point total. For a drug test suspension, bring a chain of custody form from a commission-certified lab showing a negative result. For a criminal case that’s been resolved, bring the certificate of disposition.
Before the formal hearing starts, a judge meets with you and a TLC representative to discuss settlement. A significant number of cases resolve at this stage. OATH provides free interpreters by phone if you need one. If the matter goes to full hearing, the administrative law judge decides whether the commission met its burden of proof. You can present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine the commission’s witnesses. The written decision follows, within 60 calendar days for summary suspension cases.9NYC.gov. Taxi and TLC-Licensee Cases – A Guide to Your Trial at the OATH Trials Division
Paying, Reactivating, and Checking Status
Any fine must be paid before your license can be reactivated. Most Chapter 80 violations carry fines of up to $1,000.2NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Chapter 80 – Drivers of Taxicabs, For-Hire Vehicles and Street Hail Liveries The LARS online portal is faster than paying in person.10NYC.gov. LARS Online Portal
Once the fine is paid and the suspension period is served, the commission reviews your file for reactivation. The TLC’s license status lists update once a day, between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.11NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Check License Status The TLC UP portal is available 24 hours a day and shows your current status, expiration date, and upcoming deadlines.12NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. TLC Up
Do not log into a dispatch app or accept a ride until your status shows active. Operating a taxicab or street hail livery while suspended, revoked, or expired carries a $1,500 fine for a first offense, $2,000 for a second within 36 months, and revocation on the third.13NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Chapter 54 – Drivers of Taxicabs and Street Hail Liveries The platforms cross-check against TLC status data and deactivate accounts flagged as suspended, so quietly trying to work through the suspension is not a realistic plan.
Appealing an OATH Decision
If the judge rules against you, you can appeal within 30 days of the date the decision was issued, or 35 days if the decision was mailed to you rather than delivered electronically. In most cases you must pay the full penalty before filing — if you win, it’s refunded. If paying first would create genuine financial hardship, you can request a waiver by submitting a financial hardship form with supporting documentation such as tax returns or proof of government assistance. The appeal must also be served on the TLC as the enforcement agency.14NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). Appeal a Decision
The OATH Appeals Unit reviews the hearing record. It doesn’t retry the case. The question is whether the original judge’s decision was supported by the evidence and applied the law correctly.
Article 78 Review in State Supreme Court
If you exhaust the OATH appeal and still believe the decision was wrong, the final option is an Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court. You must file within four months of the date the administrative decision becomes final.
The court evaluates the agency’s decision under a narrow set of standards: whether the commission acted beyond its authority, whether the decision was arbitrary and lacked any rational basis, or whether the findings were unsupported by substantial evidence in the record. Courts give significant deference to agency expertise, and winning is difficult. At this stage, retaining an attorney familiar with Article 78 practice is essentially unavoidable.