State Guide
Navigating violations with FasTrak (Bay Area Toll Authority, The Toll Roads / TCA, Metro ExpressLanes, SANDAG) can be confusing. Follow this guide to fight your charge.
Generate a California Dispute LetterCalifornia's FasTrak brand covers several independent agencies: the Bay Area Toll Authority, The Toll Roads (TCA) in Orange County, Metro ExpressLanes in Los Angeles, and SANDAG in San Diego. The agency that issued your violation determines where you dispute, but all of them operate under the same state statute, which gives you rights most drivers never use.
Toll evasion in California is a civil matter, not a crime. The rules live in the Vehicle Code, Division 17, Chapter 1, Article 4, sections 40250 through 40273. Section 40250 makes the registered owner, driver, rentee and lessee jointly and severally liable, unless the owner can show the vehicle was used without their express or implied consent. If you pay a penalty that someone else caused, section 40250 also gives you the right to recover it from the driver.
The contest process has two stages, and the deadlines are very different. Under section 40255 you may contest a notice within 21 days of the notice being issued, or within 30 days of a delinquent notice being mailed, whichever is later, and you do not have to deposit any money to do it. The agency must review the photographs, the DMV registered-owner record, and confirm that payment was not made. If it is satisfied the violation did not occur or that you were not responsible, it must cancel the notice.
If that first review goes against you, section 40255 gives you only 15 days from the mailing of the results to deposit the penalty and request an administrative review. That 15-day window is the deadline most people miss. The agency must then hold the hearing within 90 calendar days, you may choose review by mail or in person, and you may request one continuance of up to 21 days. The examiner must be neutral, and the statute expressly forbids tying the examiner's pay or performance review to how much money is collected.
If the administrative review goes against you, section 40256 lets you appeal to the superior court within 20 days of the final decision. The case is heard de novo, meaning the court starts fresh rather than deferring to the agency. The filing fee is $25 and it is refunded if you win.
Two provisions are worth acting on immediately, because they are mandatory on the agency rather than discretionary. Section 40258(f) requires the agency to waive the penalty entirely on a first violation if you contact its customer service centre within 21 days of the notice being mailed, you are not already an account holder, you open an account, and you pay the outstanding toll. Separately, section 40262(b) says that if you pay within 15 days of a delinquent notice being mailed, you owe the original penalty only, with no added administrative fees or charges.
Unpaid tolls can block your registration. Section 40262 lets the agency notify the DMV, and Vehicle Code section 4770 then requires the DMV to refuse to renew your registration until the amount is paid. The hold lifts once you pay in full, or once you enter a low-income payment plan under section 40269.5 and make the first payment, though falling more than 10 business days behind on that plan reinstates it. Section 4770(d) also protects buyers: the DMV may not refuse renewal for a violation that happened before you took possession of the vehicle.
One piece of reassurance has a clean statutory answer. Under section 40272 a toll evasion penalty is not a conviction, it does not go on your driving record, and it cannot be used to increase your insurance rates. It is a civil debt, and nothing more.
Our system knows the exact format California toll authorities expect. Generate a dispute letter in minutes.
Start AI Letter Generator →Once your dispute is submitted, the toll authority reviews your evidence and the original toll image before responding — most decisions in California arrive within 30 to 90 days. Sending your letter by certified mail, or keeping the confirmation number from an online submission, gives you proof that you filed on time if you ever need to escalate.
If your dispute is approved, the charge is dismissed or reduced and any related late fees are typically removed. If it's denied, you usually still have the right to request a hearing or pay the reduced base toll. Either way, responding in writing before the deadline protects you from registration holds and collection activity, which are far harder to undo later.
You have 21 days from the issuance of the notice of toll evasion, or 30 days from the mailing of a delinquent notice, whichever is later. Vehicle Code section 40255 says you do not have to deposit any money to contest at this first stage. If the agency rules against you, the second-stage deadline is far shorter: 15 days from the mailing of the results to deposit the penalty and request an administrative review.
No. Vehicle Code section 40272 states that a toll evasion penalty is not a conviction, does not appear on your driving record, and cannot be used to increase your insurance rates. It is a civil debt. It can, however, block your vehicle registration renewal under Vehicle Code section 4770 until it is paid.
Often yes, and the agency has no discretion about it. Vehicle Code section 40258(f) requires the issuing agency to waive the penalty for a first violation if you contact its customer service centre within 21 days of the notice being mailed, you are not already an account holder, you open an account, and you pay the outstanding toll. Ask for it by name.
Vehicle Code section 40265 covers this. If you filed a release of liability with the DMV under section 5602, the agency must cancel the notice as to you. If you did not file one, you get 15 days to provide evidence that both ownership and possession transferred before the violation date, and the statute names a copy of the executed transfer agreement as sufficient evidence.
Yes. Under Vehicle Code sections 40262 and 40267 the agency can file the unpaid amount with the DMV, and section 4770 then requires the DMV to refuse renewal until it is paid. If more than $400 has accrued, section 40267 also lets the agency obtain the equivalent of a civil judgment, which opens the door to wage garnishment. The hold does not apply if the violation happened before you bought the vehicle.
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