The following terms and acronyms shall have the meanings set forth as below.

"Administrative fee" means a fee imposed by WSDOT for toll collection processing and other activities as set forth in chapter 468-270 WAC.

"Administrative hearing" means a hearing with an administrative law judge to contest WSDOT's written decision in response to a notice of dispute regarding a notice of civil penalty.

"Administrative law judge (ALJ)" means a judge provided by the office of administrative hearings authorized to conduct administrative hearings.

"Auto Pay" means the addition of money to an account using a customer's predesignated payment method.

"Civil penalty" means the penalty assessed for any unpaid tolls.

"Commission" means the transportation commission appointed by the governor of the state of Washington. The commission is responsible for setting toll rates, fees, schedules and exemptions under RCW 47.46.100, 47.56.240, and 47.56.850 et seq.

"Customer service center (CSC)" means the place that customers can contact by phone, mail, in person, fax or internet to open and manage a toll account, and receive services regarding their account and information about state toll facilities.

"Department" means the Washington state department of transportation (WSDOT).

"Department of licensing (DOL)" means the agency that maintains vehicle registration information.

"Dishonored check" means any check returned to WSDOT by a financial institution for any reason, including nonacceptance, nonpayment, nonsufficient funds, stop payment, or missing signature, unless a justifiable stop payment order exists.

"Dishonored credit card transaction" means a credit card transaction that is not approved by the entity that issued the credit card.

"Dispute" means a customer's contact with the department, online, by phone or in writing, to dispute a fee, toll bill and/or notice of civil penalty.

"Dynamic toll pricing" means toll rates that vary automatically based on the real-time volume and/or performance of traffic in order to maximize the performance of the highway facility being tolled.

"Express toll lanes" means one or more highway lanes that can be used by authorized high-occupancy vehicles, and by toll-paying vehicles, where dynamic toll pricing is used to maintain travel speed and reliability.

"Facility" means a toll transportation facility.

"Final order" means the decision provided by the administrative law judge (ALJ) in response to an administrative hearing.

"Good To Go!™" means the name of the state's toll collection system and is a registered trademark.

"Good To Go!™ account" means an account that is linked to a Pass and/or license plate in order to pay tolls.

"Good To Go!™ customer" means a toll customer who participates in the department's Good To Go!™ tolling program.

"Good To Go!™ Pass (Pass)" means a branded device attached to a toll customer's vehicle that electronically identifies the toll customer's vehicle as it passes through the toll facility.

"Hearing request" means a request to dispute a Notice of Civil Penalty.

"Invoice account" means a restricted account available only to government agencies and other limited cases where the customer is invoiced monthly.

"Nonsufficient funds" means a dishonored check, for any reason, presented to WSDOT in payment of any toll transaction.

"Notice of civil penalty (NOCP)" means the notice that is sent to the account holder or registered vehicle owner for failure to pay a toll by the toll payment due date, and for which a civil penalty is assessed.

"Notice of dishonored credit card transaction" means that notice was sent to the account holder or registered vehicle owner that a transaction authorized by a toll customer is not honored by the financial institution for any reason except for the existence of a stop payment order.

"Notice of nonsufficient funds (NSF)" means the notice sent to a toll customer who presented a dishonored check to WSDOT in payment of any toll transaction or fee.

"Office of administrative hearings (OAH)" means Washington state office of administrative hearings who provides independent adjudication services for the state's tolling program.

"Pay As You Go" means the account payment option where the account is charged at regular intervals based on use. This option requires the customer to provide a valid debit or credit card and no prepaid balance is necessary.

"Pay By Mail" means the method used to pay a toll when a toll bill is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. Tolls charged using Pay By Mail are charged the designated Pay By Mail toll rate.

"Pay By Plate" means the optional method used to pay a toll by an account holder whose vehicle does not have a Good To Go!™ Pass installed. Tolls charged using Pay By Plate are charged the designated Good To Go!™ toll rate and a Pay By Plate fee.

"Payment transaction" means a record of activity created by the customer service center as a result of a customer payment.

"RCW" means the Revised Code of Washington.

"State" means the state of Washington.

"Tacoma Narrows Bridge" means the toll facility located on SR 16 in Pierce County, Washington.

"Toll" means the charge for the use of a state toll facility.

"Toll bill (Pay By Mail toll bill)" means a bill that is sent to the account holder or registered owner of a vehicle.

"Toll collection system (TCS)" means any system that creates a toll transaction and includes both electronic and photo toll collection systems, and cash (where available).

"Toll customer" means anyone who passes through a Washington state toll transportation facility.

"Toll enforcement officer" means any person authorized by WSDOT to review and certify notices of civil penalty (NOCP).

"Toll payment due date" means the date when a toll bill must be paid.

"Toll transaction" means a record of activity created by the toll collection system as a result of a vehicle traveling through a tolling point.

"Unregistered toll account" means a uniquely identifiable type of account that does not contain customer name, address, or vehicle information and requires the use of a pass and manual replenishment.

"Variable toll pricing" means toll rate schedule that varies by time of day in order to maximize the performance of the highway facility being tolled.

"WSDOT" means Washington state department of transportation, any division, section, office, unit or other entity within Washington state department of transportation, and any of the officers or other officials lawfully representing Washington state department of transportation.

The purpose of these rules is to explain how the Washington state department of transportation (WSDOT) will operate its tolling programs and specifically to:

(1) Establish a uniform toll collection and enforcement system for transportation facilities across Washington state;

(2) Establish efficient processes for both photo and electronic toll collection including an effective toll bill system; and

(3) Ensure fair and efficient toll enforcement and adjudication processes including the accurate issuance of notices of civil penalty (NOCP) and the opportunity for an impartial resolution of NOCP disputes.

The following toll payment methods are available on WSDOT toll facilities:

(1) Good To Go!™ account: This tolling option allows customers to open an account linked to their vehicles that gets charged when toll facilities are used. There are several payment methods available for accounts (as described in WAC 468-305-105).

(2) Pay By Mail: This tolling option allows the user to be billed by mail for toll transactions. Tolls paid using this tolling option are charged the Pay By Mail toll rate. This payment method is not yet available on the SR 167 HOT lanes.

(3) Manual payment: This tolling option is available only on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It requires payment at a tollbooth using cash, credit card, or a debit card that can be processed as a credit card (does not require a PIN). This option requires the vehicle to stop at the tollbooth facility to pay. Tolls paid using this tolling option are charged the cash toll rate.

Prior to using a toll facility, you can open a Good To Go!™ account online, in person or over the phone.

One or more vehicles can be on an account. Details on how to open a Good To Go!™ account and the options available are covered in WAC 468-305-300.

Yes. If you use a toll facility without a Good To Go!™ account and want to pay before receiving a Pay By Mail bill, you can open an account online or by phone within seventy-two hours to pay that toll or walk into any customer service center to pay in person.

(1) If you use a toll facility without an account, or if your account cannot be charged for any reason, a Pay By Mail toll charge will be assessed and a toll bill issued.

(2) If an account address is not available, Pay By Mail bills will be sent to the address of the vehicle's registered owner. It is the registered owner's responsibility to update their registration address with the department of licensing.

Toll charges must be paid or disputed within eighty days of using the toll facility. Pay By Mail bills will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle if no account holder address is available. If there are toll charges not paid by the due date of the bill, the subsequent bill will be assessed a reprocessing fee at a rate set by the commission. If a reprocessing fee is assessed, this fee must also be paid within eighty days of using the toll facility. Toll charges can be paid online, by mail, in person or by phone.

(1) If a toll charge is not disputed or paid within eighty days of the toll charge being incurred, the registered owner of the vehicle incurring the toll may be assessed a civil penalty. A civil penalty is defined in RCW 46.63.160(8) plus the initial toll charge and reprocessing fee.

(2) A notice of civil penalty (NOCP) will be sent by WSDOT to notify the registered vehicle owner of the civil penalty and shall include:

(a) A certification that the license plate in the photo is the license plate of the vehicle being assessed the toll;

(b) The total amount due; and

(c) Instructions for paying or disputing the NOCP.

(3) A notice of civil penalty may include information regarding one or more toll charges that were not paid and their associated civil penalties and reprocessing fees.

(1) You can pay the notice of civil penalty. Payment can be made with cash, check, certified check, credit, debit card, or by money order. Payments can be made online, in person, by mail, or telephone.

(2) You may dispute the notice of civil penalty according to the dispute instructions available online, or using the form provided with the notice.

(3) Failure to timely pay the total amount due or dispute the notice shall automatically result in liability for the amount set out in the notice, and a hold may be placed on the vehicle registration renewal. Unpaid amounts may also be transferred to a collection agency.

A customer may dispute the toll charges to a toll account or in a toll bill. A toll may be dismissed or adjusted if the customer provides evidence of documented mitigating circumstances as outlined in RCW 46.63.160(5). A customer can dispute tolls, fees and/or civil penalties with the dispute form provided with the notice of civil penalty or available online.

Registered owners wishing to dispute a fee or civil penalty may follow the dispute instructions available online, or use the form provided with the notice.

Only those vehicles authorized by the commission are exempt from paying tolls. The list of qualified vehicles and qualified uses may vary depending on the toll facility.

(1) In order to establish a vehicle's exemption approved by the commission, you may be required to meet the following procedures:

(a) Establish that the vehicle(s) is eligible for exemption by submitting a toll exemption application with related documentation as specified on the application; and

(b) Establish and maintain a Good To Go!™ nonrevenue account in good standing and equip the qualified vehicle with a pass.

(2) In rare cases specific exempt toll transactions may have charges reversed. To claim exemptions for specific exempt toll transactions debited from a toll account, the registered owner or its authorized representative must submit a written request which:

(a) Includes the Good To Go!™ toll account number or the toll bill number;

(b) Identifies the date and time of the transaction(s) for which a credit is being sought;

(c) Includes a signed statement that the qualified vehicle's use of the road met the exemption requirements; and

(d) Submit the written request within eighty days of the toll transaction date. The department may then issue a credit to the toll account.

(3) Failure to submit a certification of vehicle(s) exemption eligibility or timely submit a written request for toll transaction credit will result in a waiver of the ability to claim a toll exemption.

Rental agencies should establish rental accounts through the customer service center. Rental agencies will receive a monthly statement of toll charges detailing the tolling activities of their rental vehicles. The statement will include toll charge, time, date, location and amount due. The rental agency may elect to pay WSDOT directly for the tolls and seek reimbursement from the renter or they may provide WSDOT with the information regarding the renter and rental vehicle as required under RCW 46.63.160(10) within thirty days of the notice mailing. WSDOT may then issue a toll bill to the renter. If the rental agency fails to timely provide the requested information it may be held liable for the toll charges. To facilitate toll operations and collections, the department may use and allow various processes for toll transactions associated with rental agency vehicles.

(1) A customer can open a Good To Go!™ account online, in person, or over the phone. One or more vehicles can be connected or associated with an account. The Good To Go!™ terms and conditions contains a full explanation of the Good To Go!™ toll collection program.

(2) With a Good To Go!™ account, a customer can select from the following payment options:

(a) Pay As You Go. This account option allows the customer to be automatically charged at regular intervals after toll facilities are used. This option requires a valid debit or credit card to open.

(b) Prepaid. This account option allows the customer to prepay an amount to their account which will be charged as toll facilities are used. This option does not require a valid debit or credit card but requires a minimum prepaid amount to open. A valid debit or credit card or automated clearinghouse (ACH) can be used to automatically add funds to the account when the balance reaches a customer set minimum. Alternatively, a prepaid account can be replenished manually in person, online, or by phone.

(c) Unregistered account. This option allows a customer to open an account without any personal or vehicle information. The customer must use a Good To Go!™ Pass to be identified. Unregistered accounts must manually replenish and cannot use Auto Pay features.

(d) Invoiced. This account option is for restricted cases such as government agencies and other limited circumstances.

(e) Rental vehicle. This account option is for rental vehicle companies. Rental agencies can use these accounts to transfer liability to their customers within thirty days of billing, consistent with RCW 46.63.160(10).

(f) Nonrevenue. This account option is for entities such as public and private transit, law enforcement, fire departments, and other emergency vehicles that are exempt from tolls according to enacted law. It is the account owner's responsibility to maintain a registry with WSDOT of current fleet vehicles for exemption.

(3) With a Good To Go!™ account, a customer can select from the following options for vehicle identification:

(a) Good To Go!™ Pass. This vehicle identification option requires a Good To Go!™ Pass that is installed in a vehicle and is readable by the toll facility's electronic toll system. This vehicle identification method is the lowest cost option for the customer and WSDOT.

(b) Pay By Plate. This vehicle identification option allows a vehicle to be identified by its license plate registration through the photo toll system. A Pay By Plate fee is added to each toll. This option is not available on facilities without photo tolling such as the SR 167 HOT lanes. Each license plate can only be associated with one account, although one account can have multiple license plates or vehicles.

Prepaid accounts require periodic addition of funds, which can be done either automatically or manually.

(1) Auto Pay. A customer who has a prepaid account may choose to add funds automatically. The customer must provide a valid debit or credit card or provide ACH (automated clearing house) information. Auto Pay is not available on unregistered accounts.

(2) Manual account replenishment. A customer can opt to manually replenish a prepaid account. Manual replenishment can be done online, in person, or by phone. The customer is responsible to monitor the account and make necessary replenishments in order to avoid additional fees or penalties that may incur for insufficient funds.

If a customer transaction cannot be processed during automatic payment, the CSC will attempt to resubmit the payment request a second time. If a failure of payment results in unpaid tolls, the customer may receive a Pay By Mail bill(s) for current tolls and any continued use of toll facilities, with tolls charged at the higher Pay By Mail rate.

(1) A Good To Go!™ account may be designated with one of the following statuses:

(a) Active. An account is considered active if it is eligible to receive toll transactions.

(b) Closed. An account may be closed upon a customer's request, or by Good To Go!™ for lack of activity extending beyond two years.

(2) If an account is closed or has insufficient funds to cover a toll transaction, the customer will receive a Pay By Mail toll bill for any transactions that do not post to the account.

(3) If funds are available on a prepaid account at the time of closure, the customer will be refunded the balance, minus any outstanding tolls and fees.

When you close your toll account, you may request a refund by mail, online, by phone or in person if you have a registered toll account. Any outstanding fees or tolls will be deducted from the account balance prior to issuing an account refund. Refunds shall be issued within fifteen days from receipt of account closure. Refunds shall be made in the form of the original payment, when possible. For example, if deposit was made by credit card, the refund would be credited to the same credit card.

For accounts that cannot be refunded electronically, the customer will be issued a check by WSDOT to the account's last recorded mailing address. Refunds will not be issued to unregistered pass accounts.

Unless specified by the customer, the system will automatically apply each customer payment in the following order:

(1) Tolls, oldest to newest, regardless of any associated fees or penalties;

(2) Any pass purchase for which the purchase was invalidated due to returned payment;

(3) Any outstanding returned check fees;

(4) Any outstanding civil penalty;

(5) Any outstanding late fees;

(6) Any outstanding Pay By Plate fees; and

(7) Any outstanding administrative fees.

The process for handling dishonored checks described in WAC 468-20-900, Dishonored checks.

(1) Credit card. The CSC will accept and process the following types of credit cards as a customer's method of payment:

(a) MasterCard;

(b) VISA;

(c) American Express;

(d) Discover;

(e) Branded debit cards.

(2) Debit card. The CSC will accept and process debit cards. Debit cards that require a pin for processing will be accepted only for in-person transactions.

(3) Check. The CSC will accept the following forms of checks (in U.S. currency) as a customer's method of payment:

(a) Personal first-party check (no third-party checks will be accepted);

(b) Business check;

(c) Electronic check (automatic clearing house - ACH);

(d) Money order;

(e) Cashier's check;

(f) Traveler's check;

(g) Bank or teller's check;

(h) Government check (warrant);

(i) Voucher or similar draft guaranteed by a U.S. bank.

(4) Cash. The CSC will accept cash in the form of U.S. coin or currency.

(5) Electronic benefits transfer. The CSC will accept and process electronic benefits transfer (EBT) at walk-in CSC locations.

(6) Inter agency payment. The CSC will accept and process inter/intra agency payment (IAP) for accounts flagged as a state agency.

(7) Electronic check (ACH).

(a) The CSC will accept direct payment from your bank account via electronic check (also known as automatic clearing house - ACH) at the walk-in centers, mobile units, online, via phone, mail and fax. Foreign banks will not be accepted.

(b) ACH payments will require either a signed authorization or electronic signature authorization from the customer. The authorization can also be verbal for payments by phone.

The following forms of payments may be used to pay at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge tollbooths and the conditions under which payments will be accepted:

(1) U.S. coin and currency;

(2) Credit cards (MasterCard, VISA, Discover, or American Express);

(3) Branded debit cards (no pin); and

(4) Other noncash instruments authorized by the department.

Timely submitted disputes will be reviewed consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act. Brief adjudicative proceedings described in RCW 34.05.482 through 34.05.494 and a written decision will be provided.

You can appeal the final order made by the administrative law judge through superior court as specified in chapter 34.05 RCW.

Once you request a hearing, you will receive a notice of hearing which will contain the date and time of your tele-hearing and phone number to call. The registered owner of the vehicle, or designated agent, must attend the hearing. If you cannot attend on the date scheduled, you must notify the office of administrative hearings (OAH) by phone anytime up until fifteen minutes before the scheduled hearing date and time to request a new date. If you do not appear at a scheduled hearing without notification, you will be liable to pay the tolls, fees, and penalties.

An administrative law judge will issue a final order stating whether the registered owner is liable for tolls, fees, and/or civil penalties. Orders issued as the result of a hearing will be sent to the address provided in the request for a hearing.

The registered owner may request a copy of the evidence package for the administrative hearing or written dispute.

(1) WSDOT evidence. The department will provide for consideration by the administrative law judge the following:

(a) The vehicle license plate images associated with the NOCP(s);

(b) The vehicle registration information from department of licensing;

(c) The Pay By Mail toll bill(s); and

(d) Any other documentary or oral evidence pertaining to the toll violation.

(2) Other evidence.

(a) The registered owner will be afforded the opportunity to respond to the evidence with an oral statement and to present evidence that is reasonably related to the toll violation.

(b) All testimony of parties will be made under oath or affirmation.

(c) Documentary evidence may be received in the form of copies or excerpts or by incorporation by reference.

(d) The administrative law judge may exclude evidence that is irrelevant, immaterial or repetitious.

The decision provided by the administrative law judge in response to an administrative hearing is a final order.

After consideration of the evidence and argument as presented in either the Hearing Request Form, or at the administrative hearing, the administrative law judge will determine what tolls, fees and/or civil penalties are due.

If you are found liable, your payment is due within ten days of the order. If you do not pay the amount due a hold will be placed on your vehicle registration and the unpaid penalty may be transferred to a collections agency.

You can check with the department of licensing to find out if there is a hold on your vehicle registration renewal. To release the hold, you must pay your civil penalty. Payments may be made to the customer service center via phone, mail or internet. If the matter has been referred to a collection agency, payment should be directed to the collection agency.

Once an unpaid civil penalty has been forwarded to a collection agency, you must contact the collection agency and pay them directly the civil penalty and fees owed.