SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will begin charging late fees and penalties for unpaid tolls starting March 1.
The WSDOT stopped charging late fees and civil penalties in June 2021. That means certain unpaid tolls over a year old could soon be charged with a $5 fee or $40 civil penalty.
It all depends on how long the toll has gone unpaid.
"We do have roughly 800,000 vehicle owners who need to pay their unpaid tolls," said Emily Glad, with the WSDOT.
Starting Wednesday, drivers have until the next statement day to make a payment before unpaid tolls are charged back on accounts at the higher Pay By Mail toll rate and drivers get a $5 late fee.
"If that second bill does not get paid, then you will receive a $40 late fee for each unpaid toll," explained Glad.
If your toll still goes unpaid, the WSDOT will request a hold on your vehicle’s registration at the state Department of Licensing.
If you have a Good To Go! account, log in to your account to make sure everything looks OK and that your account is up to date with your current email address, mailing address, vehicle(s), and pass(es).
WSDOT sends out monthly notifications to account holders with unpaid balances and suggests you check your account regularly.
If tolls charged to your account remain unpaid for 30 days, you’ll see those unpaid tolls credited back to your account, followed by a new transaction where the toll is reapplied at the higher Pay By Mail rate ($2 more per toll). WSDOT will also send you a bill in the mail.
After March 1, you have until the next statement date to make a payment before your unpaid tolls are re-applied to your account at the higher Pay By Mail toll rate, and you’re charged a $5 late fee.
The WSDOT suggests that people take care of outstanding tolls now to avoid paying an extra $2 for each unpaid toll and a $5 late fee per bill.