Simpler than Cincinnati — you are not crossing a state line on every trip. But Ohio own requirements are higher than most operators realize, and Columbus adds a city license on top.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Do Columbus and Dayton operators need federal authority?
If you operate out of Columbus or Dayton and your work stays in Ohio, you avoid the federal layer that complicates life for Cincinnati operators. No FMCSA operating authority, no federal financial responsibility filing. That is a real simplification. What is left is still more than most operators are carrying.
How does Ohio classify a black car service?
Under ORC 4501.01, a chauffeured limousine is any vehicle designed to carry nine or fewer passengers, operated for hire on a prearranged contract, along a route controlled by the person hiring it. Not a stretch. A definition based on how you work. Your Suburban qualifies.
That classification also puts you outside Ohio rideshare statute — Ohio TNC framework is built around a “personal vehicle,” which by definition cannot be a chauffeured limousine. You are a for-hire motor carrier, and the requirements are different.
What does Ohio require of a Columbus or Dayton operator?
A PUCO certificate of public convenience and necessity. ORC 4921.03: “No for-hire motor carrier may operate in intrastate commerce unless the carrier has a current and valid certificate of public convenience and necessity.” Taxicabs are exempt. Limousines and black cars are not.
$1,500,000 in liability coverage, filed on Form E by your insurance carrier — the standard for intrastate for-hire passenger carriers seating 15 or fewer. If it lapses, operations must cease immediately under ORC 4921.09.
Livery registration. Ohio provides a livery plate class for chauffeured limousines under ORC 4503.24, conditioned on ORC 4509.80 financial responsibility of $100,000 / $300,000 / $50,000.
Those numbers get you plates and nothing else. Confusing them with your operating requirement is the most common and most expensive mistake in this class.
What permits do Columbus and John Glenn (CMH) require?
The airport permit
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority requires a Ground Transportation Permit for any person engaged in ground transportation service, excluding taxicabs and TNCs — which puts black car and limousine operators squarely inside it. The permit application requires:
- Commercial General Liability — no less than $1,000,000
- Automobile Liability — no less than $300,000 ($500,000 if your vehicles are registered outside Ohio)
- $20 for each AVI sticker issued ($5.00 to replace a damaged decal)
Note the same trap as CVG: a separate $1M commercial general liability policy, distinct from your commercial auto. Two policies.
Also note the auto figure is low — $300,000. That is the airport floor, not Ohio. PUCO still wants $1.5M on your Form E, and your corporate accounts will want $1M CSL. Meeting the airport number alone leaves you well short.
Timing matters here. Applications open November 1, existing permit holders must apply on or before November 30, and all permits expire December 31 and renew annually. Temporary permits carry a $50 per-vehicle pickup fee. Missing the November window is a genuine operational problem. Contact Ground Transportation at (614) 239-3088.
The city license
Columbus licenses livery vehicles directly under City Code Chapter 593, administered by the Department of Public Safety, License Section. The vehicle-for-hire owner application lists Livery as its own category alongside Taxicab, Pedicab, Micro Transit and Quadricycle. Published fees: $225.00 taxicab/livery license, plus a $20.00 application fee.
The city also sets an insurance minimum for livery vehicles. The figure printed on the current application PDF contains an apparent typographical error, so we are not going to quote a number we cannot stand behind — confirm the current requirement with the License Section before you file. We can help you verify it.
What does Dayton International (DAY) require?
Dayton International (DAY) is owned by the City of Dayton. Its Rules and Regulations prohibit carrying on any business or commercial activity on airport property without first obtaining written authorization, and Chapter 10 covers commercial ground transportation, taxicabs and TNCs.
We are not going to publish permit fees or insurance limits for DAY that we could not verify from a current published source. The appendices carrying those figures are not available online in retrievable form.
If you operate at Dayton, call Airport Administration at (937) 454-8200 for the current ground transportation permit packet — or call us and we will get it and tell you what your policy needs to show.
We would rather tell you we do not know a number than give you one that is wrong. In this business, a wrong number on a certificate is a permit denial at best.
What should a Columbus or Dayton operator carry?
| Coverage | Why |
|---|---|
| Commercial auto, $1.5M CSL | Ohio Form E requirement; also clears the $1M corporate accounts want and the airport $300K floor |
| Commercial general liability, $1M | CMH permit requirement; likely at DAY as well |
| UM / UIM | Not optional in practice for passenger-carrying work |
| Physical damage | Your vehicle is the business |
| Hired and non-owned auto | If you farm out work or use substitute vehicles |
| Ohio BWC | If you have employee drivers |
What does Uber Black require in Columbus?
Uber Black operates in Columbus. If it is part of your mix, Uber requires that you be a professional driver with commercial auto insurance — Uber published requirements state plainly that personal auto insurance does not qualify — plus the permits your city requires for a commercial livery vehicle.
Uber own policy provides at least $1,000,000 on an accepted trip. It does not satisfy your Form E, and it covers nothing on your non-Uber work — which for most operators is the larger share of revenue. On vehicle age, Uber Columbus driver page says 6 years or newer while Uber national Uber Black page says 5. Check the Columbus page before buying a vehicle.
Worth knowing: the general liability markets that write small businesses often ask on their application whether you drive for Uber or Lyft, and decline on a yes. If you need CGL for the CMH permit and you run Uber Black, that combination needs a market that underwrites the exposure deliberately. Never answer the application incorrectly to get around it — a misrepresentation can void the policy you are relying on.
Getting it placed
For-hire livery is a class most carriers decline. Lighthouse writes it through Progressive and Forge — Progressive being the name most operators already know in this space, Forge a commercial auto specialist writing this business since 1938 and built specifically around light vehicles and local operations. Two markets for a class most agencies cannot place at all. For operators running larger fleets, we add Philadelphia Insurance.
We also handle the filings — the Form E your PUCO certificate depends on, and the certificates CMH wants on its November schedule.
Request a Quote or call (513) 860-2552.
Serving black car and executive transportation operators in Columbus, Dayton, Springfield and Central and Southwest Ohio.
Been running three years or more? Re-shop.
Years in business and driving experience are real rating factors in commercial auto. A brand-new venture with no loss history is a harder risk to price, so fewer carriers will look at it and the ones that do charge accordingly.
Around three years that changes. You have a track record and loss runs. Markets that would not quote a startup will quote you, and the carrier that made sense in year one is frequently not the one that makes sense in year three.
Most operators never find out, because re-shopping means finding an agency with more than one market — and the agency that placed you as a startup may only have the one that said yes. If you have been running three years and you are still on your original program, it is worth having somebody actually test it with your loss runs in front of a real underwriter. Sometimes the answer is that you are priced correctly. You will know rather than assume.
Where our markets fit. Progressive is often the right answer for a newer operation — broad appetite and willing to look at a venture without years of history behind it. Forge is where an established driving record starts to pay off: in our experience their program responds best to operators with roughly three years or more of documented driving history and a strong rating record behind it. Note what that measures — time on the platform, not the age of your LLC. A company formed last month can sit on five years of driving history, and that history is the part that counts. The 4.85 rating Uber Black already requires of you is an asset when your risk goes in front of an underwriter. Different carriers are built for different stages, and the one that was right at the start is not automatically the right one now.
New ventures welcome too. Expect a narrower field in year one — that is the market, not the agency. But getting placed properly from the start is what determines whether year four is cheap or expensive, and the filings have to be right either way.
If you want the general grounding on how a commercial auto policy differs from a personal one, start there and come back.
About this guide
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Operating and insurance requirements for for-hire passenger transportation change, and they vary considerably based on the jurisdiction you operate in, your vehicle seating capacity, the type of operating authority you hold, and the kind of service you provide. Airport permit terms, state financial responsibility minimums, federal registration requirements and platform requirements such as Uber Black’s are all revised from time to time.
This page is general information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Confirm current requirements with the regulator that applies to you — the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or the airport authority involved — and confirm any coverage question against your own policy forms and endorsements.
If you would like help working out which of these requirements actually apply to your operation, that is what we are here for. Request a quote, contact us, or call (513) 860-2552.