How do I get a waiver of violation penalties?

You must call the FasTrak Customer Service Center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655) or come to the FasTrak Walk-In Center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco to obtain a waiver. Waivers are not available through the BayAreaFasTrak.org website, at a cash payment network, by sending a check in the mail or by paying your outstanding tolls. You must pay all outstanding balances after the waivers are applied to obtain the waiver, or if you qualify for the low-income payment plan, enter into the payment plan and make the first payment.

Do I need to open a FasTrak account to get a waiver?
No, but we strongly encourage you to open a FasTrak account, which is the most convenient way to pay tolls and avoid violation notices. You can get more information or open a FasTrak account here.

How many times can I get a waiver of violation penalties?
You can only get one waiver for each vehicle/license plate. For example, if you have two vehicles with toll violations, each vehicle is eligible for a one-time waiver.

Also, each vehicle is eligible for a one-time waiver from each toll agency. For example, if you receive a one-time waiver of violation penalties for a vehicle with violations on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (managed by the Bay Area Transportation Authority), and you get a future violation on the Golden Gate Bridge (managed by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District) with that same vehicle, you can also get a one-time waiver of the Golden Gate Bridge violation.

Is a waiver based on the person or vehicle/license plate?
A waiver is based on the vehicle.

I have violations for bridges and express lanes. Can I get a waiver for penalties for all of them?
It depends on the toll facility operator's one-time waiver policy. If this is the first time you are requesting a waiver, all bridge violation penalties will be waived (DMV fees excluded). For all express lanes violations that occurred on MTC/BAIFA facilities (I-880, I-680 Contra Costa), violation penalties will also be waived (DMV fees excluded). However, if you received violations on VTA Express Lanes (SR-237, US 101/SR-85), San Mateo Express Lanes (US 101), or Alameda County Express Lanes (I-580, I-680 Sunol), penalties will be waived for only one violation per toll agency. If you qualify for their low-income waiver, all violation penalties will be waived (DMV fees excluded). The low-income waiver requires income verification. For any one-time waiver to be granted, you must first pay all tolls and DMV fees owed, then enter into a payment plan and make the first payment.

I have unpaid violation notices on my DMV registration renewal notice. How can I get the penalties waived?
You must call the FasTrak Customer Service Center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655) to obtain a waiver of penalties. Note that regional toll operators have different policies for their one-time penalty waivers so all penalties may not be waived. See the table here.

I have a lot of unpaid violation notices. Is there a maximum number of violations for which I can get a waiver?
This depends on the toll facility for which you received your violation. Regional toll facility operators have different first-time waiver policies. See the table here. For violations that occurred on bridges and express lanes managed by MTC/Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority Express Lanes (I-880, I-680 Contra Costa), all violation penalties will be waived when a one-time waiver is requested (DMV fees excluded), and there is no limit on the number of violation penalties waived. However, if you received violations for any other Bay Area express lanes, penalties (DMV fees excluded) will be waived for only one violation per toll agency. If you qualify for their low-income waiver, all penalties will be waived (DMV fees excluded). The low-income waiver requires income verification. For a one-time waiver to be granted, you must first pay all tolls and DMV fees owed, then enter into a payment plan and make the first payment.

What if I have more than one express lane violation?
If you have multiple violations on different Bay Area Express Lanes, you may contact the FasTrak Customer Service Center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655), to have one violation penalty (DMV fee excluded) waived per toll agency below:

• Alameda County Transportation Authority (I-580 and I-680 Sunol)
• San Mateo County Joint Powers Authority (US 101 in San Mateo County)
• Valley Transportation Authority (US 101 in Santa Clara County, SR-85 and SR-237)

You will need to pay all tolls owed plus the violation penalties for all violations beyond the first one to receive a waiver. If you qualify as a low-income driver, all your violation penalties (DMV fees excluded) will be waived. If you still owe more than $100 after penalties are waived, you may enter into a payment plan and pay what you owe over time.

For the I-680 Contra Costa and I-880 Express Lanes (managed by MTC/Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority), all violation penalties (DMV fees excluded) will be cleared as part of one-time waiver for these specific toll locations.

What if I don’t live in the Bay Area? Can I still get violation penalties waived?
Yes, you may request a waiver of violation penalties even if you are not a resident of the Bay Area.

I have violations from multiple bridges and express lanes and I can't afford to pay all the tolls and penalties owed at once. I want to pay off as much of my debt as I can afford today. Can I still get violation penalty waivers if I can't pay all that I owe today?
If you owe tolls and violation penalties to different toll operators, you may request a waiver of violation penalties from each agency. You must pay all tolls owed from each toll location to receive a waiver from the operator of that location. If you qualify, you may enter into the low-income payment plan.

Example: You have 10 violations on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 10 violations on the Golden Gate Bridge, and 3 violations on express lanes operated by the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). Waivers would be applied as follows:

To obtain a waiver for the $150 in San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge violation penalties, you must first pay the $70 in tolls owed. To obtain the Golden Gate Bridge waiver, you must fjrst first pay the $94 in tolls owed. To obtain a waiver for one violation penalty from VTA, you must pay the $66 owed in tolls.

If you are a low- income driver, all your penalties — excluding DMV fees — will be waived and you may enter into a payment plan and pay off your debt over time.

Example for eligible low-income driver: You have 10 violations on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 10 violations on the Golden Gate Bridge, and 3 violations on express lanes operated by the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). Waivers would be applied as follows:

Since you owe more than $100 after the waivers are applied, you can enter into a payment plan and pay off the remaining $170 over time. Starting with an initial payment of $100, the remaining balance can be paid off in monthly installments.

Topic: Toll Violations