Staff report

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission will end its free pass on late tolls.

Beginning Feb. 3, the commission will issue late fees on unpaid tolls. The action targets nearly 347,000 unpaid transactions across a nine-month period.

Ignoring the initial effort may result in harsher penalties, such as intervention by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The turnpike’s new toll collection system went live April 10, 2024. Drivers who traveled in E-ZPass lanes but did not register with E-ZPass received toll invoices by mail.

In mid-August 2024, the commission suspended all late fees, collections and vehicle registration holds. The action was taken to allow drivers to become familiar with the new tolling system. The initial suspension lasted 60 days but was extended, the commission said.

From April 2024 through December 2024, more than 44 million paid transactions were registered.

Customers who incurred an E-ZPass toll and did not pay the first invoice within 30 days will have a $5 late fee added to the second mailed invoice for each toll that remains unpaid.

Customers exiting through a cash / credit lane who are handed an notice by a toll collector for failure to pay will incur a $5 administrative fee. If the notice remains unpaid for 30 days, the customer will be mailed a second notice, and a $5 late fee will be added to each toll that remains unpaid, the commission said in a press release.

Beginning Feb. 10, any unpaid tolls incurred since April 10, 2024, will be sent to the state Attorney General’s Office for collections and to the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a hold on vehicle registrations.

Mailed invoices and notices that remain unpaid for 90 days from the issue date will be sent to the Attorney General’s Office for collections and / or the BMV for vehicle registration holds.

The accounts of customers currently involved in an active hearing dispute or during the resolution process will not be sent for collections or vehicle registration holds.

To make a toll payment, visit www.ezpassoh.com or call the customer service center at (440) 971-2222.