A Texas toll tag is a small windshield transponder that pays your tolls electronically on every toll road in the state, and you get one by opening an account with either the North Texas Tollway Authority (TollTag) or the Harris County Toll Road Authority (EZ TAG). Both tags work identically statewide, so the choice comes down to which agency you prefer to deal with. The older TxTag sticker still works if you already have one, but TxTag is no longer issuing new accounts.
What Happened to TxTag
In November 2024, TxDOT stopped managing TxTag accounts. All existing accounts were migrated to HCTRA, and billing on TxDOT toll roads in the Austin and Houston regions now runs through HCTRA rather than TxTag.1Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Teams Up With HCTRA to Enhance Toll Operations
If you had a TxTag sticker, keep using it. It still reads correctly at gantries in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and you do not need to order a replacement. What changed is where you log in. Balance checks, payment updates, and account changes now happen at HCTRA.org, not TxTag.org. TxDOT still collects past-due bills from before the transition, but every new charge is an HCTRA charge.1Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT Teams Up With HCTRA to Enhance Toll Operations New or replacement sticker tags are now ordered as EZ TAGs through HCTRA.2Texas Department of Transportation. How Tags Work
Where a Texas Toll Tag Works
A TollTag, EZ TAG, or legacy TxTag is valid on every toll road in Texas, no matter which regional authority runs the road. NTTA, HCTRA, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, and the other regional operators all honor each other’s transponders.
Coverage reaches beyond Texas. Your tag works on toll facilities in Oklahoma through the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (PIKEPASS) and in Kansas on the Kansas Turnpike (K-TAG).3Harris County Toll Road Authority. Your EZ TAG Works Throughout Texas, Kansas and Now Oklahoma Texas tags are also accepted on most Florida toll roads and on E-470 and the Express Lanes in Colorado.4Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. Interoperability
One boundary to know: Texas tags do not work on E-ZPass roads in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic. If you drive toll roads in New York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, you still need a separate E-ZPass account.
How to Get a TollTag or EZ TAG
New customers choose between NTTA and HCTRA. Either tag reads on every compatible road, so pick based on which agency’s website and customer service you would rather use.
NTTA TollTag
NTTA offers three account tiers of $10, $20, and $40. The $10 or $20 tier fits occasional users; the $40 tier makes sense for daily commuters. Whatever amount you choose becomes your initial prepaid balance, linked to a credit or debit card. To apply, you need your license plate number, vehicle year, make, and model, and a valid payment card.5North Texas Tollway Authority. Get A TollTag
You can sign up at ntta.org or in person at an NTTA Customer Service Center. Online applicants typically receive the sticker in the mail within seven to 14 business days after NTTA verifies the application.5North Texas Tollway Authority. Get A TollTag
HCTRA EZ TAG
HCTRA runs the EZ TAG system, which now also holds every former TxTag account. You can open an account at hctra.org or at an HCTRA retail or customer service location. The signup asks for the same basic details: vehicle information, license plate, and a payment method. The tag itself is a windshield sticker in the same form factor as the TollTag.
Installing the Sticker Correctly
Placement affects whether you pay the electronic rate or the higher pay-by-mail rate. A tag the sensor can’t read gets your license plate photographed and billed at the mail-in price instead.
The sticker goes on the inside of your windshield, behind the rearview mirror, and at least four inches from the top edge so the metal frame doesn’t interfere with the signal. It must be permanently adhered.2Texas Department of Transportation. How Tags Work Do not hold it up by hand, wave it at the gantry, stick it to a sun visor, or place it outside the vehicle. The windshield needs to be above 50 degrees Fahrenheit when you apply the adhesive, so a cold-morning install often falls off within days.
Heavy window tint can block the RFID signal. Most windshields have a lighter tint band near the rearview mirror, and placing the sticker in that clear area usually solves it. Motorcycle riders use a different tag type, available from HCTRA.2Texas Department of Transportation. How Tags Work
Once the tag arrives, log into your account and activate it using the serial number printed on the sticker. An unactivated tag doesn’t register as yours, and your tolls get processed at pay-by-mail rates.
Keeping the Account Funded
Texas toll accounts run on a prepaid balance. Tolls come out as you drive, and the system charges your linked card automatically when the balance drops below a threshold. On NTTA’s $20 tier, the tag replenishes with another $20 when the balance falls to $5.6North Texas Tollway Authority. TollTag Agreement Higher tiers scale the threshold and replenishment amount with the number of vehicles on the account.
Auto-replenishment only works if your card is current. An expired or declined card lets the balance run to zero, and every toll after that becomes a pay-by-mail charge at the higher rate. Update your card promptly, and when you buy a new vehicle, log in and change the plate and vehicle details right away. A tag linked to the wrong plate creates billing mismatches that take time to untangle.
What Happens If You Drive Without a Tag
Drivers without a transponder get billed through license plate imaging. The camera captures your plate, the agency looks up the registered owner, and an invoice goes in the mail. Pay-by-mail rates run significantly higher than the tag rate for the same road.
NTTA calls its pay-by-mail system ZipCash. If you ignore the first invoice, a $10 late fee is added, then a further $25 late fee on the second notice. A third notice sends the account to collections, and after that the agency can pursue legal action with court costs and fines on top of the tolls.7North Texas Tollway Authority. Pay Your Bill
Texas law also defines a habitual violator as the registered owner of a vehicle with 100 or more unpaid toll charges within a 12-month period, after receiving at least two notices of nonpayment. A hundred sounds like a lot, but a twice-daily commuter passing several gantries can reach it in a few months. Consequences include registration renewal blocks, bans from toll roads, on-road citations, and potential vehicle impoundment. Before an impound, law enforcement serves an Intent to Impound Notice. Payment plans exist, but the road ban stays in place until at least 75% of the outstanding balance is paid.8Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Habitual Violator Program
Rental Cars on Texas Toll Roads
Drive a rental through a toll gantry without your own tag and the agency bills the rental company, which then bills you with a convenience fee attached. Most major rental agencies auto-enroll you in their tolling program unless you decline at the counter.
Billing models vary. Some companies charge a flat daily fee for every day of the rental whether you touch a toll road or not. Others charge only on days you actually incur a toll, plus an administrative fee. Daily fees generally run from $3 to $15, sometimes with a monthly cap, and the charge often shows up on your card weeks later from a third-party processor rather than the rental company itself.
If you plan enough ahead, opening an NTTA TollTag account at the $10 tier and bringing the sticker with you is cheaper than most rental programs. For shorter trips, at least ask the counter for the specific fees before you drive off the lot.
Selling a Vehicle With a Tag on the Windshield
When you sell a car that has a toll sticker on the windshield, two things need to happen. First, log into your NTTA or HCTRA account and remove that vehicle’s license plate from the account. If you skip this, tolls from the new owner can keep hitting your prepaid balance until the registration officially changes hands.
Second, file a Vehicle Transfer Notification with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Filed within 30 days of the sale, this notification protects you from being held responsible for toll violations the buyer commits. Skip it, and the toll authority keeps billing you as the registered owner. Sellers who forget sometimes find months of someone else’s unpaid tolls on their record. If invoices keep arriving after you filed, contact TxDMV for a confirmation email or submit a Request for Texas Motor Vehicle Information (Form VTR-275) showing when the transfer occurred.9Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Vehicle