Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.js
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.js	(revision 26303)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.js	(revision 26304)
@@ -47,5 +47,4 @@
 		if (solution=='TransientSolution'){
 			checkfield(md,'fieldname','timestepping.time_step','numel',[1],'>',0,'NaN',1,'Inf',1);
-			checkfield(md,'fieldname','timestepping.time_step','numel',[1],'>=',0,'NaN',1,'Inf',1);
 		}
 	} // }}}
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.m	(revision 26303)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.m	(revision 26304)
@@ -60,5 +60,4 @@
 			if strcmp(solution,'TransientSolution'),
 				md = checkfield(md,'fieldname','timestepping.time_step','numel',[1],'>',0,'NaN',1,'Inf',1);
-				md = checkfield(md,'fieldname','timestepping.time_step','numel',[1],'>=',0,'NaN',1,'Inf',1);
 			end
 		end % }}}
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.py	(revision 26303)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/timestepping.py	(revision 26304)
@@ -24,5 +24,4 @@
             raise RuntimeError('constructor not supported')
     #}}}
-
     def __repr__(self): #{{{
         s = '   timestepping parameters:\n'
@@ -36,5 +35,4 @@
         return s
     #}}}
-
     def setdefaultparameters(self): #{{{
         # Time between 2 time steps
@@ -50,5 +48,4 @@
         return self
     #}}}
-
     def checkconsistency(self, md, solution, analyses): #{{{
         md = checkfield(md, 'fieldname', 'timestepping.start_time', 'numel', [1], 'NaN', 1, 'Inf', 1)
@@ -60,9 +57,7 @@
         if solution == 'TransientSolution':
             md = checkfield(md, 'fieldname', 'timestepping.time_step', 'numel', [1], '>', 0, 'NaN', 1, 'Inf', 1)
-            md = checkfield(md, 'fieldname', 'timestepping.time_step', 'numel', [1], '>=', 0, 'NaN', 1, 'Inf', 1)
 
         return md
     #}}}
-
     def marshall(self, prefix, md, fid): #{{{
         scale = md.constants.yts