New Jersey Toll Payments, Violations, and Penalties

If you drive through a tolling point on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, or Atlantic City Expressway without paying, cameras capture your plate and the toll authority mails a bill to the vehicle’s registered owner. New Jersey toll violations escalate quickly: administrative fees stack on top of the original toll, a municipal court can add civil penalties, and since January 2024 the state can suspend your vehicle registration once unpaid tolls cross certain thresholds. The registered owner is on the hook regardless of who was driving.

How a Missed Toll Becomes a Violation

License plate cameras at every tolling point photograph vehicles that pass without paying. The toll authority matches the plate to motor vehicle records, identifies the registered owner, and mails a notice.

Under N.J.S.A. 27:23-34.3, that first notice is an advisory and payment request. It includes the unpaid toll plus a reasonable administrative fee of up to $50 per occurrence. You have 30 days from the date the notice was sent to pay. On the 31st day, you become subject to a formal complaint and summons.¹

Toll-by-mail invoices themselves generally arrive within 30 days of the trip and are due 30 days after issuance.² Miss that window and the invoice converts into a violation with the escalating fees below.

The Fee Schedule

The E-ZPass system layers its own administrative fees on top of the original toll and the initial $50 administrative charge:

30 days overdue: an additional $25 per violation
60 days overdue: an additional $50 per violation
90 days overdue: an additional $100 per violation

These fees stack.³ A single missed $3 toll can turn into $150 or more within three months if you ignore the notices. Multiple missed tolls compound faster.

Civil Penalties and Court Action

Toll violations are civil infractions, not criminal offenses, but the numbers still hurt. Under N.J.S.A. 27:23-34.2, a first-time violation carries a civil penalty of up to $100. Each subsequent violation can result in a penalty of up to $600.⁴ These penalties are separate from the administrative fees; a court imposes them, not the toll authority’s billing system.

The municipal court in the town where the violation was recorded has jurisdiction. Toll camera images are admissible as official business records, so the authority doesn’t need a human witness to prove the pass-through. If the court finds a violation, it can order you to pay the original toll, the administrative fee, and the civil penalty.¹

Accounts that stay delinquent may also be referred to third-party collection agencies, which can affect your credit.

Registration Suspension

Under a law that took effect in January 2024, the New Jersey Department of Transportation can direct the Motor Vehicle Commission to suspend your vehicle registration if your unpaid toll debt crosses either of two thresholds:⁵

$500 or more in unpaid tolls and fees accumulated over the past three years, or
Six or more unpaid toll violations, with at least one occurring after the law’s effective date.

Either trigger is enough on its own. And once the suspension has been reported, a partial payment that drops your balance below $500 will not lift it. The suspension stays in place until you have paid the entire outstanding balance, had the charges dismissed or reversed on appeal, or entered into a payment agreement with the Department. If you enter a payment agreement and then miss a payment, the suspension can be reimposed.⁵

If the Violation Happened in a Rental Car

When the vehicle is rented, the initial notice goes to the rental company as the registered owner. The company can then shift liability to the renter by submitting a copy of the rental agreement (with the renter’s name and address) to the toll authority. Once that happens, you are treated as the vehicle’s owner for purposes of the violation statutes and become personally liable for the toll, fees, and any penalties. If the rental company fails to provide the renter’s information in a timely manner, the company itself stays on the hook.¹ In practice, major rental companies pass the charges through.

If You Live Out of State

Out-of-state plates do not shield you. The toll authority identifies registered owners through interstate motor vehicle databases and mails a toll bill, typically within 30 days. The same escalating fee schedule applies.²

New Jersey has also adopted rules allowing reciprocity agreements with other states for toll enforcement. Under these agreements, participating states can suspend or deny vehicle registration to owners who owe unpaid New Jersey tolls, and New Jersey can do the same for tolls owed to agencies in partner states. Any partner state must have its own reciprocal procedures, including the ability to deny registration for unpaid out-of-state tolls.⁶ The list of participating states is still developing, but the legal authority is in place.

Disputing a Violation

If you believe a notice is wrong, you can dispute it. You generally have 30 days from the notice date to submit your dispute in writing or through the toll authority’s online portal.⁷

Common grounds include:

You had already sold the vehicle. Provide proof of sale or transfer documentation.
Your plates or vehicle were stolen or being used without your authorization. A police report strengthens this defense considerably.
Your E-ZPass account was funded and the transponder was mounted correctly, but the system did not read it. Account statements showing a valid balance can support the claim.

The toll authority reviews the dispute and supporting documents first. If you are not satisfied with the result, the case can proceed to an administrative hearing before the Office of Administrative Law, where an administrative law judge hears evidence from both sides and issues an initial decision. The toll authority then reviews that decision before issuing a final ruling.⁸ A final decision that still goes against you can be appealed to the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division.

Do not sit on a notice while planning to dispute it later. The escalating fee clock runs from the notice date, and fees that accrue during a period of inaction are much harder to get waived after the fact. File the dispute promptly and keep proof that you submitted it.

How to Pay

The fastest way to resolve a toll bill is online through ezpassnj.com, using a credit card, debit card, or bank account. The toll authority also accepts payments by mail using the remittance slip included with the notice. For Atlantic City Expressway tolls, payment goes through the South Jersey Transportation Authority.⁷

If unpaid tolls have already triggered a registration suspension, you will need to either pay the full outstanding balance or negotiate a payment agreement with the Department of Transportation before the suspension is lifted. Partial payments will not do it once the suspension threshold has been reported; the statute is explicit on that point.⁵

1
Justia. New Jersey Code Title 27 Section 27-23-34.3 – Violations of Toll Collection Monitoring System Regulations, Penalties
2
E-ZPass New Jersey. FAQs
3
New Jersey E-ZPass. Terms and Conditions
4
Justia. New Jersey Code Title 27 Section 27-23-34.2 – Toll Collection Monitoring System Regulations, Violations, Penalties
5
Justia. New Jersey Code Title 27 Section 27-1A-3.1 – Definitions, Department of Transportation to Establish, Administer System for Adjudicating, Enforcing Collection of Motor Vehicle Tolls
6
NJ.gov. Toll Collection and Enforcement System – N.J.A.C. 16:3
7
South Jersey Transportation Authority. FAQ
8
NJ.gov. New Jersey Office of Administrative Law – Hearings