Quezon City Coding Hours 2026: What You Need to Know
October 19, 2026 6:52 am
Quezon City runs the same coding schedule used across most of Metro Manila, but a couple of details set it apart including two suspension days that no other city in the metro observes. Here’s how the rules actually work heading into 2026.
🚘 Quezon City Live Coding Checker
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Your Coding Day by Plate Number
Like most of the metro, QC bases your restricted day on the last digit of your plate:
| Coding Day | Plate Ends In |
|---|---|
| Monday | 1, 2 |
| Tuesday | 3, 4 |
| Wednesday | 5, 6 |
| Thursday | 7, 8 |
| Friday | 9, 0 |
A plate ending in 5, for instance, is restricted on Wednesdays. It's free the rest of the week, including weekends and holidays.
How the Two Daily Sessions Work
Quezon City follows what's officially the Expanded Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, though everyone just calls it coding. The rebranding from the older UVVRP name didn't change the actual hours the schedule has stayed the same for years.
Two restricted sessions run each weekday: a morning ban from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, and an evening ban from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Outside those two blocks, there's no restriction at all. That's worth pointing out because QC doesn't run anything close to an all-day ban that's strictly a Makati rule, where coding runs continuously from 7 AM to 7 PM with no break.
The Window Hours in Between
Between the two sessions sits a stretch 10:01 AM to 4:59 PM when every vehicle, coded or not, can drive freely on any QC road. There's a second window overnight, from 8:01 PM to 6:59 AM. Drivers who build errands, meetings, or deliveries around this gap tend to avoid the coding headache entirely instead of hunting for exemptions or backup routes.
Which Roads Actually Enforce Coding
Coding in QC doesn't cover the entire city it targets the corridors that see the heaviest rush-hour traffic:
- EDSA (the Quezon City stretch)
- Quezon Avenue
- Commonwealth Avenue
- Katipunan Avenue
- C.P. Garcia Avenue
- Aurora Boulevard
- Araneta Avenue
- Tandang Sora Avenue
- East Avenue, Timog Avenue, and Tomas Morato Avenue
Small barangay roads generally aren't the focus, and private expressways like NLEX and Skyway don't enforce coding on their mainlines either. One thing worth watching, though an NLEX exit into Quezon City can drop you straight onto a coded road, so the exit point matters even when the expressway itself doesn't count.
Who Doesn't Have to Follow Coding
A fairly wide range of vehicles skip coding entirely in QC, based on the city's 2026 TTMD advisory:
- Public utility vehicles and TNVS units
- Motorcycles
- Marked government and media vehicles
- Ambulances, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles
- Garbage trucks and petrol trucks
- Vehicles with a valid PWD ID and sticker
- Vehicles carrying perishable or essential goods
Motorcycles deserve a specific mention here, since QC exempts them fully unlike Makati, which restricts some motorcycles during its coding hours.
Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are exempt too, under the EVIDA Law (Republic Act 11697), through April 2030. Mild hybrids don't qualify for this one, since they can't run purely on electric power.
One myth worth clearing up directly: senior citizen drivers are not automatically exempt from coding in Quezon City. The exemption is based on the vehicle, not the driver's age, so don't assume a senior behind the wheel gets a free pass here.
Two Suspension Days Unique to Quezon City
This is where QC genuinely differs from its neighbors. Coding is lifted in the city on Quezon Day, August 19, marking the birthday of President Manuel L. Quezon and observed as a special non-working holiday specifically in QC. The other one is the State of the Nation Address in July coding gets suspended in Quezon City for the day, even though most other Metro Manila cities keep enforcing it as usual.
Beyond these two, coding also lifts on the standard regular and special non-working holidays confirmed by the MMDA, plus Holy Week and the Christmas-to-New Year stretch. Road works or major events can shift things further, so it's worth confirming with the QC TTMD before assuming a given day is automatically free.
Fines and NCAP Cameras
A coding violation in QC runs ₱300 to ₱500, depending on where you were caught. Late payment adds penalties and can eventually block your license renewal, so it's not something worth letting slide.
Quezon City also relies heavily on the No-Contact Apprehension Policy CCTV cameras that catch violations without an enforcer flagging you down. These cameras sit along major roads including Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, Araneta Avenue, and Aurora Boulevard. If you're caught this way, the ticket simply arrives later rather than on the spot.
How QC Compares to Other Cities
| City | Coding Hours | Window Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Quezon City | 7–10 AM & 5–8 PM | 10:01 AM–4:59 PM |
| Manila | 7–10 AM & 5–8 PM | 10:01 AM–4:59 PM |
| Pasig, Mandaluyong, San Juan | 7–10 AM & 5–8 PM | 10:01 AM–4:59 PM |
| Makati | 7 AM–7 PM | None |
Most of QC's neighbors run the same schedule, which makes cross-border driving fairly straightforward Makati is the clear exception, with its all-day ban and no midday break at all.
Provincial Plates Follow the Same Rule
Out-of-town plates don't get a pass in Quezon City. Your plate's last digit still sets your restricted day exactly the same way it would for a resident, so if you're just passing through, planning around the window hours is the safest bet.
Driving During a Genuine Medical Emergency
Enforcers can use discretion in real emergencies, but only marked emergency vehicles are formally exempt from coding. If you absolutely have to drive during restricted hours for a medical situation, keep some proof of the emergency on hand and reach out to the QC TTMD for guidance if you're able to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Seathiele Darké 
Hi, I’m Seathiele Darké, the author of LTOTrackers.com. I built this platform to help users easily find the correct official resources for license and vehicle updates and status check. My focus is on keeping things simple, clear, and user-friendly, so people can get the information they need without confusion or stress.
