How to Cancel EZ Pass MD: Refund, Transponder, and Closure Steps

To cancel an E-ZPass MD account, send the Maryland Transportation Authority a written closure request, return every transponder tied to the account, and settle any outstanding tolls. Once the MDTA confirms the device is back and reconciles your final charges, any prepaid balance left on the account is refunded.¹

Before you contact the MDTA, pull your account number off a recent statement or your online dashboard, have your PIN or password ready for identity verification, and gather every transponder linked to the account. Multiple vehicles mean multiple devices, and all of them need to come back. Check that your mailing address on file is current, because a refund check goes to whatever address the system has.

Turn Off Auto-Replenishment First

This is the step most people skip. Private E-ZPass Maryland accounts are usually set to charge your card automatically when the prepaid balance drops below a threshold. If you don’t disable that first, your card can get hit one last time right before the account shuts down, leaving a larger balance in limbo while you wait for the refund.

Log into your DriveEzMD account and look for the auto-replenishment setting. If you can’t find it, call customer service at 1-888-321-6824 and ask a representative to remove it. Once it’s off, stop driving through toll lanes with the transponder mounted. A depleted account passing through a toll plaza can generate a violation notice instead of a normal deduction.

Clear Any Unpaid Tolls

You cannot close an account that still has an outstanding balance. Pay off any pending tolls or violations before you submit the closure request. Each unpaid toll violation carries a $25 civil penalty on top of the original toll,² so verify the account is at zero or in credit before moving to the next step.

Submit the Closure Request

The E-ZPass Maryland terms and conditions require written notice of your intent to close the account, along with payment of any amounts owed and return of the transponder.¹ The online portal does not appear to offer a self-service cancellation button, so use one of the three routes below.

By Mail

Write a short letter stating that you want to close the account, and include your name, account number, and contact information. Package the letter with your transponder and send everything to:

DriveEzMD Customer Service Center
P.O. Box 5060
Middle River, MD 21220-5060

The terms specify first-class prepaid mail for transponder returns.¹ Use a trackable method. Certified mail with a return receipt runs roughly $8 to $10 and gives you a signed confirmation, which is worth the cost if a later dispute questions whether the transponder actually came back.

In Person

DriveEzMD operates customer service centers across Maryland, including Bel Air, Gaithersburg, Beltsville, Glen Burnie, Essex, Easton, and Elkton. Bring your transponder and a photo ID. This is the fastest option because you hand over the device, confirm your balance, and get a receipt on the spot.

By Phone

Call 1-888-321-6824 (711 for Maryland Relay) to start the process.³ A representative can walk you through the steps, but because written notice is required, the agent will typically ask you to follow up by mail or in person to finalize the closure.

Returning Your Transponder

The transponder is MDTA property, and returning it is a condition of closing the account.¹ Pull it off your windshield and take one precaution before shipping: wrap it in aluminum foil or place it in a signal-blocking bag (sometimes sold as a Mylar or “read prevention” bag). That blocks the radio signal so the device doesn’t register tolls while it rides in a mail truck through a toll plaza. Toll agencies widely recommend this step.

Label the outside of the package with your name and account number. The MDTA inspects the returned unit and matches its serial number to your account before moving the closure to the refund stage.

Lost or Stolen Transponders

If the transponder has been lost or stolen, report it right away by calling 1-888-321-6824 or logging into your online account. Reporting deactivates the device so no one else can rack up tolls on your account. If the physical unit can’t be returned, the MDTA may charge a replacement or unreturned-device fee, which will come out of your remaining balance. Ask customer service to confirm the exact amount before you submit the closure.

Getting Your Refund

After the MDTA receives your transponder and processes the written closure request, any prepaid balance is refunded. The agency first deducts tolls that haven’t posted yet, including trips from the last few days before closure.¹ That reconciliation period is why refunds are not instant.

Refunds are generally issued back to the payment method on file. If your card has expired or been replaced since you last funded the account, tell the MDTA during closure so a check can be issued instead. Expect several weeks. If your balance is zero or negative when the account closes, no refund is issued, but you’ll still receive confirmation that the account is closed.

Closing an Account for a Deceased Person

If a family member with an E-ZPass Maryland account has died, the executor or personal representative of the estate can close it. Call 1-888-321-6824 to explain the situation and ask what documentation the MDTA needs. At a minimum, expect to provide a certified copy of the death certificate, your own government-issued photo ID, and proof of your authority to act for the estate, such as letters testamentary or letters of administration from the probate court.

Return the deceased person’s transponder using the same process above. Any refund should go into the estate’s bank account rather than a personal account, since estate funds need to stay separate during probate.

Do You Actually Need to Cancel?

Cancellation is not always the right move. E-ZPass is accepted in 19 states across the eastern United States, so a move to Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, or most other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states does not make your Maryland account useless. Update your address and payment information in the existing account rather than closing it and opening a new one somewhere else.

Selling a vehicle but keeping another car? You can transfer the transponder to the new vehicle through your online account or by calling customer service. Cancellation really only makes sense if you are giving up driving, moving outside the E-ZPass network, or simply no longer using toll roads and want your payment information off the MDTA’s books.

1
DriveEzMD. DriveEzMD E-ZPass Maryland Terms and Conditions
2
DriveEzMD. Maryland Video Tolling FAQ
3
Maryland Transportation Authority. New DriveEzMD E-ZPass Maryland Customer Service Center Now Open