Texas toll roads charge per-use fees that are collected electronically at overhead gantries, with the lowest rates going to drivers who mount a windshield tag and much higher rates (50 to 100 percent more) going to drivers who get billed by license plate. The network is run by several regional authorities rather than one statewide agency, and a major 2024 handoff moved the old TxTag program into the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s EZ TAG system.
Who Runs the Toll Roads
There is no single Texas toll agency. The Texas Department of Transportation owns and maintains toll segments in the Austin and Houston areas and sets the rates for those roads through the Texas Transportation Commission.1Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Teams Up With HCTRA to Enhance Toll Operations The North Texas Tollway Authority operates a large network across Dallas-Fort Worth as its own political subdivision. The Harris County Toll Road Authority runs more than 128 miles of toll roadway around Houston and now also handles billing for TxDOT’s toll roads statewide. Smaller players, including the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority, cover their own regional corridors.
What this means for you: pricing, billing, and customer service depend on which road you drove. Different websites, different phone numbers, different fee schedules.
The 2024 TxTag to EZ TAG Change
On November 9, 2024, TxDOT transitioned its TxTag program to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. Drivers on TxDOT toll roads in the Austin and Houston regions are now billed through HCTRA rather than TxTag, and active TxTag accounts in good standing were migrated to EZ TAG accounts managed at HCTRA.org.1Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Teams Up With HCTRA to Enhance Toll Operations
If you still have a TxTag sticker on your windshield, it continues to work on toll roads throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. You don’t need a new physical tag. What changed is where you log in and who sends the bill. TxDOT is still collecting past-due balances that were generated before the transition.1Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Teams Up With HCTRA to Enhance Toll Operations
Getting a Toll Tag
Two main electronic tags are now active statewide: the TollTag from the North Texas Tollway Authority and the EZ TAG from HCTRA. Thanks to interoperability agreements, either tag works on every toll road in Texas.2Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority. Statewide Interoperability and Electronic Toll Tags
To open an account, you’ll need your vehicle’s year, make, model, and license plate number, plus a credit card, debit card, or bank account for automatic replenishment. Most accounts require a $20 starting balance that refills itself when it drops to a set threshold. A single-vehicle TollTag account, for example, starts at $20 and replenishes when the balance hits $5.3North Central Texas Council of Governments. TollTags at NCTCOG
You can set up a tag online through either authority’s website. EZ TAGs are also sold at Houston-area EZ TAG stores, Walmart, and H-E-B locations. TollTags are available at NTTA customer service centers.3North Central Texas Council of Governments. TollTags at NCTCOG
What Tolls Actually Cost
Amounts vary by road, by gantry, and by how you pay. The pattern is consistent: tag holders pay less. On NTTA roads in Dallas-Fort Worth, pay-by-plate drivers (ZipCash) are charged double the TollTag rate.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill On Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority roads around Austin, pay-by-mail customers pay 50 percent more than tag holders, plus a $1 administrative fee per bill.5Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Payment Program
Concrete numbers help. On CTRMA’s 183A Toll in central Texas, a two-axle car with a tag pays $0.71 to $2.00 per gantry depending on location. Without a tag, the same car pays $1.07 to $3.00 per gantry. A full trip through several gantries can run $5 to $10 or more. Rates also rise with the number of axles, so trucks and trailers pay more. Tag holders who have an account but don’t properly mount the tag face a 10 percent surcharge on some roads.6Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Toll Rates
Paying Without a Tag
If you drive through a gantry without a tag, high-speed cameras photograph your plate and the authority mails a bill to the registered owner.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill NTTA calls this ZipCash; other agencies call it Pay By Mail.
Fees attached to those bills differ by agency. NTTA’s initial ZipCash bill contains only the tolls, with no added fees, and gives you 25 days to pay.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill CTRMA’s initial bill adds a $1 administrative fee, plus another $1 for out-of-state plates.5Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Payment Program You can pay online using the invoice number or mail a check with the payment coupon.
NTTA offers a middle option for ZipCash users who don’t want a tag but want to lower the price: enroll in automatic payments to earn a 25 percent discount on NTTA tolls and get one monthly statement.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill
HOV Discounts on TEXpress Lanes
Several Dallas-Fort Worth corridors operate as dynamically priced managed lanes called TEXpress lanes. Carpoolers can get a discounted rate during peak hours: weekdays, 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:30 p.m.7LBJ, NTE & NTE 35W TEXpress Lanes. HOV Discount Qualification
To qualify, you need an electronic toll tag and the GoCarma app running on each occupant’s phone during the trip. The app verifies that at least two people are in the vehicle. Families with children who don’t carry phones can request special occupant passes through GoCarma. Motorcyclists qualify without a passenger. Pay-by-mail drivers aren’t eligible, because the system can’t confirm occupancy without a tag account.7LBJ, NTE & NTE 35W TEXpress Lanes. HOV Discount Qualification
Veteran Plate Exemptions
Texas law requires every toll authority to offer free or discounted tolls to drivers whose vehicles carry qualifying veteran or military license plates. Under Transportation Code Section 372.053, qualifying plates include Disabled Veteran plates, Congressional Medal of Honor plates, and plates for recipients of the Purple Heart, Navy Cross, and Distinguished Service Cross, among others.8State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code Section 372.053 – Peace Officer and Veteran Discount Program Each toll entity can limit the benefit to two transponders per participant, with an extra one available for hardship.
Enrollment differs by authority. TxDOT-operated roads read qualifying plates automatically. HCTRA generally does the same, but recommends veterans verify status at hctra.org. CTRMA requires veterans to actively enroll by submitting a form with their plate number and tag ID. Two boundaries matter: privately managed roads like the TEXpress lanes in Dallas-Fort Worth are excluded from the TxDOT veteran program and charge standard tolls regardless of plate, and out-of-state plates do not qualify.
Using Your Texas Tag in Other States
Texas tags work in a limited set of other states through the Central United States Interoperability Partners agreement. Member agencies cover Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado (added in 2024), and parts of Florida (added in 2023).9Central United States Interoperability Partners. Welcome to CUSIOP A TollTag or EZ TAG will work on the Kansas Turnpike, the Oklahoma Turnpike, and Colorado’s E-470, with the tolls billed back to your Texas account.
The agreement does not reach the Northeast’s E-ZPass system or most other regional networks. For other states, expect a separate transponder or a plate-based bill.
Rentals: Watch the Daily Fee
Rental cars are a common toll trap. Most major rental companies offer their own toll programs that charge a daily convenience fee on top of the actual tolls, commonly $5 to $7 per day you incur a toll, usually capped around $35 per rental. Skip the program and drive through a gantry anyway, and the toll authority bills the rental company, which passes the toll to you with its own administrative charge on top.
The cheapest approach in Texas is to bring your own tag if you have one. Your TollTag or EZ TAG works in any vehicle, though you’d need to associate the rental’s plate with your account. The alternative is to stick to free highways for the trip. If you do opt in to the rental’s toll program, review the final statement, because on short trips the daily fees can exceed the tolls themselves.
What Happens if You Don’t Pay
Each authority runs its own escalation, but the shape is the same: the first bill is cheap, every notice after it stacks on more.
On NTTA roads:
- Initial ZipCash bill: tolls only, no additional fees, 25 days to pay.
- First Notice of Nonpayment: tolls plus a $10 late fee, another 25 days to pay.
- Second Notice of Nonpayment: all prior tolls, the $10 first-notice fee, plus an added $25 second-notice fee.
- Legal action: all tolls and fees, plus court costs and fines as provided by law.
A handful of unpaid tolls totaling $15 can carry $35 in fees before anyone sees a courtroom.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill
On CTRMA roads, the climb is steeper. Each nonpayment notice at 30, 60, and 90 days adds $15 per invoice. After 120 days, the authority can pursue criminal misdemeanor charges with a special fine of up to $250 per unpaid toll, plus court costs.10Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Non-Payment and Court Information
Habitual Violator Status
The sharpest consequence comes from Transportation Code Chapter 372. A driver with 100 or more unpaid tolls in a rolling 12-month period who has received at least two nonpayment notices qualifies as a habitual violator.4North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill That status unlocks two tools for the toll authority.
The first is a block on your vehicle registration. The toll entity can report the determination to a county assessor-collector or the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and you won’t be able to renew registration until the outstanding tolls and fees are resolved.11Texas Public Law. Texas Code Transportation Code Section 372.111 – Denial of Motor Vehicle Registration
The second is a prohibition order barring you from the toll roads. If a peace officer spots your vehicle on a toll road in violation of that order and you were previously warned about impoundment, the vehicle can be towed and held. Getting it back requires paying all towing and storage charges along with every unpaid toll and fee owed to the toll entity.12State of Texas. Texas Code Transportation Code Section 372.112 – Impoundment of Motor Vehicle
Disputing a Toll
Grounds for a successful dispute are narrower than most drivers expect. On CTRMA roads, tolls are waived only if you can show the vehicle was sold, stolen, repossessed, or in someone else’s possession (for example, under a rental agreement) when the toll was incurred. You submit a Toll Violation Defense Form with supporting documentation like a bill of sale, police report, or rental agreement.13Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Dispute a Toll – Exceptions for Paying a Toll
For a misread plate, a malfunctioning tag, or a duplicate charge, call the billing authority’s customer service directly. These are usually fixed with an account adjustment rather than a formal dispute. Move quickly either way, because late fees start accumulating 25 to 30 days after the initial bill.