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When a vehicle crosses a toll facility in Washington
the vehicle owner or renter has 80 days to pay the toll
If the toll isn’t paid after 80 days
it becomes a toll violation
and a Notice of Civil Penalty is issued
A Notice of Civil Penalty is similar to a parking ticket
You can’t ignore it
Once you’ve received one you have two options
You can pay it
or if you feel a mistake has been made
you can dispute it
Before you decide to dispute your Civil Penalty
keep in mind that the registered vehicle owner
or renter is responsible for paying the toll
whether or not they were driving
Also, a judge cannot reduce the penalty amount
but can only decide
whether or not you committed the toll violation
Two processes have been established
to allow you to dispute your Civil Penalty
and to ensure your Notice of Civil Penalty
has been properly issued according to state law
If you want to contest your Civil Penalty
you have 20 days to either request an in-person hearing
or send in a written dispute form
requesting a Written Dispute in Lieu of Hearing
An administrative law judge
will render a decision on either type of dispute
If you prefer to dispute the Civil Penalty in person
before a judge
you may request an in-person hearing
by calling or visiting
the Good to Go! Customer Service Center
Requests for hearings cannot be scheduled online
If you need special accommodations
such as an interpreter
please notify the Customer Service Center
when scheduling your hearing
You may request your in-person hearing to be held
in either Seattle or Fife
After you’ve scheduled your hearing
you’ll receive a Notice of Hearing
which will give you the date, time, location
and important information about your hearing
If the Civil Penalty is in your name
you must attend the hearing
You can bring another person
to assist or act as a witness
but you must be in attendance
If you fail to appear
a default order will be entered against you
and you will be required to pay the Civil Penalty amount
On the day of your hearing
the judge will swear you in
and confirm your name and address
Your Notice of Civil Penalty will be presented
including a picture of the vehicle license plate
You will then have the opportunity
to present testimony and evidence in your defense
You must bring any documents with you
to the hearing that prove your case
such as a bill of sale
a police report if your vehicle was stolen
a copy of your Good To Go! statement
showing you had money in your account
on the day of the toll transaction
or a receipt from a rental car agency
showing you were no longer renting the vehicle
on the date in question
The judge will consider your testimony and evidence
and in most cases
will make a ruling immediately as to your liability
or non-liability for the Civil Penalty
You’ll then get a Final Order from the judge
with the outcome of the hearing
If you disagree with the judge’s decision
you can appeal to the Superior Court
in the County where the hearing was held
within 30 days of the Final Order
If you submit a dispute in writing
instead of attending an in-person hearing
you must submit
a Written Dispute in Lieu of Hearing Form
This form can be found on your Notice of Civil Penalty
or on the WSDOT Good To Go! website
As with the in-person hearing
make sure to provide all of your testimony and evidence
including documents that prove your case
as part of your written dispute
You can either mail
or hand deliver the completed dispute form
to the WSDOT Toll Enforcement Office
or a Good To Go! Customer Service Center
The judge will review your dispute form
and decide the case
based on the information submitted by you and WSDOT
A Final Order will be issued
and mailed to you within 45 days
You CANNOT appeal a Final Order
from a Written Dispute in Lieu of Hearing
If you’re found NOT liable
the Civil Penalty will be dismissed
and nothing will be owed
If you’re found liable
you have 10 days to pay the Civil Penalty amount
Failure to pay the amount owed
for a Civil Penalty or Final Order
will result in WSDOT sending your debt to collections
Also, WSDOT will notify the Department of Licensing
of your failure to pay
which may result in a vehicle registration hold
This will prevent you from renewing your registration
until you’ve paid the entire amount
If your Civil Penalty or Final Order
has been sent to collections
you must pay collections directly
WSDOT’s goal
is to make tolls convenient and easy
Please visit our website
to get more answers and information�