How to Dispute a Toll Bill or Violation in New York

On this page (13)

In short
Step 0: make sure the bill is real
Which kind of problem do you have?
Grounds for a dispute and the proof each one needs
Addresses, fax and phone numbers
Don't wait while you dispute
Escalation: the Toll Payer Advocate for each agency
Port Authority debts in collections
If your registration is suspended
Your dispute packet
Related pages
FAQ
Sources

In short

You can dispute a New York toll bill if the vehicle was sold, stolen, its plates were surrendered, or it is not yours and you did not rent or lease it. Send the proof with the coupon from page 1 of the bill. For a wrong charge on your E-ZPass account, write to E-ZPass within 180 days. If the service center can't fix it, each toll agency has a free Toll Payer Advocate.

This page covers the bills you get in the mail for MTA, Port Authority and Thruway crossings, all handled by the same E-ZPass New York / Tolls by Mail service center. It is general information, not legal advice. If a toll problem is part of a TLC summons, talk to a lawyer about it.

Step 0: make sure the bill is real

Before you pay or dispute anything, check that it is real. The Port Authority warns of a "widespread text scam" that uses the name "NY Toll Services." It says to use only EZPassNY.com, TollsByMailNY.com or the Tolls NY app to check your status and pay (Port Authority). Real Tolls by Mail bills are mailed to the registered owner at the address DMV has on file (Thruway). If you get a text, don't tap the link. Type the official address yourself. More on this in Is the 'NY Toll Services' text a scam?.

Which kind of problem do you have?

Disputes go to different places depending on what you got. Use this to find your path.

Where does my toll dispute go?

Answer a few questions · general information, not legal advice

Question 1What are you disputing?

What are you disputing?

A charge on my E-ZPass account statement
Note: What this means for you
Write to E-ZPass Customer Account Correspondence, PO Box 15187, Albany, NY 12212-5187, within 180 days of the toll. Include your account number, the date, crossing and why the charge is wrong.
A Tolls by Mail bill (Toll Bill)
Note: What this means for you
Pick your reason (sold, stolen, plate surrendered, not your vehicle, or other), attach the proof, and mail it with the coupon from page 1 of the Toll Bill. The instructions are on the back under 'How to Dispute this Toll Bill'.
A violation notice (Toll Evasion Notice)
Watch out: What this means for you
Fill in Section C on the back of the Toll Evasion Notice and mail it to E-ZPass Violation Payments and Inquiries, P.O. Box 15186, Albany, NY 12212-5186, or fax it to 718-390-9772.
A debt that is now with a collection agency
Watch out: What this means for you
For Port Authority debts in collections (registration not suspended), the Port Authority says to work with the collection agency directly. Check the agency's number first: Southwest Credit 1-877-391-0160, AllianceOne 1-866-505-2158, Transworld Systems 1-866-246-0157.
My registration is suspended for tolls
Important: What this means for you
Call the suspension line of the agency that asked for it, not DMV: Thruway (718) 313-9414, MTA (718) 313-9424, Port Authority (718) 313-9425, NYS Bridge Authority (347) 970-8145.

Grounds for a dispute and the proof each one needs

The Thruway and MTA list almost the same short set of reasons (only the Thruway page lists "not registered to me and I did not rent or lease it"). Your dispute is only as good as the paper you send with it.

Toll Bill dispute grounds and proof

Grounds and proof from the NYS Thruway cashless tolling page and MTA's How to Pay Tolls page, read 2026-10-12.

Your reason	Proof to send	TLC driver note
Vehicle was sold before the toll date	Proof of sale, such as a sales agreement	Common when a TLC car is sold or traded in but the old plates or tag kept being used
Vehicle was stolen	Police report	Send the report number and the date the theft was reported
Plate was surrendered	DMV plate surrender receipt	Useful when you returned TLC plates; the receipt date must be before the toll date
Plate or vehicle is not registered to you and you did not rent or lease it	Anything showing the plate is not yours (for example, your registration with a different plate)	Does not fit a car you leased or rented: the bill goes to the registered owner
Other reason	Supporting documents	For example, an E-ZPass statement showing the same toll was already paid

Two points trip up TLC drivers:

The bill goes to the registered owner. If you lease or rent a TLC vehicle, the owner or fleet gets the bill, not you. You can't dispute it as "not my vehicle." What the owner may then charge you is set by your lease and TLC's E-ZPass rules. See renting a TLC vehicle and tolls.
"Already paid" is an "other" reason. If your tag was read and the toll was charged, but a bill came too, send the E-ZPass statement line as proof. If you are an E-ZPass customer and simply want to pay the bill from your account, MTA says to use "Resolve Toll Bill (E-ZPass Customers)" on the Tolls by Mail website (MTA). The why did I get a toll bill page explains the usual causes.

Addresses, fax and phone numbers

E-ZPass account charge (within 180 days)
E-ZPass Customer Account Correspondence, PO Box 15187, Albany, NY 12212-5187.
Violation notice
Complete Section C on the back of the Toll Evasion Notice. Mail to E-ZPass Violation Payments and Inquiries, P.O. Box 15186, Albany, NY 12212-5186, or fax 718-390-9772.
Tolls by Mail bill
Follow 'How to Dispute this Toll Bill' on the back of the bill. Tear off the coupon at the bottom of page 1 and send it with your proof.
Phone numbers
E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail customer service: 800-333-8655. Replacement toll bills: 844-826-8400. Replacement violation notices: 718-313-9414.

All of these come from MTA's How to Pay Tolls page (updated April 23, 2025). The coupon instructions are on the Thruway cashless tolling page.

Why the coupon matters

The coupon carries the bill number that links your letter to the right account. Without it your proof may sit unmatched. Keep a photo of the full bill, the coupon and every page you send, and write the date you mailed it.

Situations TLC drivers often face

You switched to TLC plates. If you surrendered the old plates, the surrender receipt is your proof for any toll billed to the old plate after that date. Make sure the new plate is linked to your E-ZPass account so the next crossing is not billed by mail.
The car was sold to a fleet or dealer. Send the bill of sale or trade-in papers showing the date. The toll date must be after the sale.
Someone else had your car under a lease you gave them. If you are the registered owner, the bill is yours. The "not my vehicle" reason does not apply, because the car is registered to you. Collect from the lessee under your agreement instead.
The toll was paid twice. Send the E-ZPass statement line for the same date, crossing and time as "other" proof.

Don't wait while you dispute

Fees keep running. On MTA crossings a Tolls by Mail bill unpaid 30 days after the bill date gets a $5 late charge, and after 60 days a $50 fee for each unpaid bridge or tunnel toll (MTA). The toll bill late fee timeline shows each agency's steps. If you are sure the bill is wrong, send the dispute quickly. Call 800-333-8655 to confirm it arrived.

Escalation: the Toll Payer Advocate for each agency

If the service center does not fix the problem, go to the advocate of the agency that owns the crossing. Each one wants you to try the service center first.

Which advocate, and what they need first

From the MTA, Port Authority and Thruway Toll Payer Advocate pages, read 2026-10-12.

Agency	Crossings	Contact first	What to expect
MTA Bridges and Tunnels	RFK, Verrazzano, Throgs Neck, Whitestone, Queens-Midtown, Hugh L. Carey, Henry Hudson, Cross Bay, Marine Parkway	E-ZPass / Tolls by Mail service center	Online request form; allow at least four weeks; individuals only (attorneys go through the service center); options may include a settlement agreement
Port Authority	GWB, Lincoln, Holland, Goethals, Bayonne, Outerbridge	E-ZPass NY Service Center 800-333-8655, or the DMV suspension line 718-313-9425	Email reply to the registered owner within 10 days; no automatic fee dismissal program
NYS Thruway	Thruway roads and bridges	Tolls by Mail or E-ZPass NY Service Center	Thruway travel only; bring plate, account or violation number; cannot help once DMV has suspended (or is about to suspend) the registration

The full comparison is in Toll Payer Advocate: free help.

Port Authority debts in collections

Unpaid Port Authority violations can go to a collection agency. The Port Authority names three: Southwest Credit (1-877-391-0160), AllianceOne or its affiliate PMT Solutions (1-866-505-2158), and Transworld Systems Inc. (1-866-246-0157). It says "significant unpaid violations" may lead to a civil lawsuit by the Merani Law Firm (1-929-458-6275). If a call seems suspicious, the Port Authority says to call the agency back on its official number (Port Authority). For Thruway debts, the Thruway lists TSI Collections at 1-866-397-4688.

If your Port Authority debt is in collections and your registration is not suspended, the Port Authority says to keep working with the collection agency.

If your registration is suspended

DMV can suspend a registration for unpaid tolls under VTL §510(3)(d). DMV's page says not to contact DMV to dispute the toll. Call the agency's suspension line instead:

Thruway: (718) 313-9414
MTA: (718) 313-9424
Port Authority: (718) 313-9425
NYS Bridge Authority: (347) 970-8145

Driving on a suspended registration is a misdemeanor (DMV). For a TLC car this can stop you working. See unpaid tolls and registration suspension.

Your dispute packet

Before you mail a toll dispute

0 of 7 done

Checked the bill on TollsByMailNY.com or the Tolls NY app (not a text link)Scam texts use the name 'NY Toll Services'.
Picked one reason: sold, stolen, plate surrendered, not my vehicle, or other
Proof attached: sale papers, police report, plate surrender receipt, or statement
Coupon from page 1 of the Toll Bill (or Section C of a violation notice) filled in
Copies and photos of everything kept, with the mailing date written down
Called 800-333-8655 a few weeks later to confirm it was received
If still stuck: request help from the right agency's Toll Payer Advocate

Saved on this device only.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to dispute an E-ZPass toll?

MTA's How to Pay Tolls page says to write about an E-ZPass toll within 180 days, to E-ZPass Customer Account Correspondence, PO Box 15187, Albany, NY 12212-5187. Toll bills and violation notices have their own instructions on the back of the notice.

What proof do I need if I sold the car before the toll date?

Proof of sale, such as a sales agreement, sent with the coupon from page 1 of the Toll Bill. For a stolen car send a police report; for surrendered plates send the DMV plate surrender receipt.

Can I dispute a toll bill because I was leasing the TLC car?

Not with the 'not my vehicle' ground. The Thruway page says that ground is for a plate or vehicle that is not registered to you and that you did not rent or lease. If you leased the car, the bill goes to the registered owner, and how it is passed on to you depends on your lease and TLC's E-ZPass rules.

Does the Port Authority cancel violation fees automatically?

No. The Port Authority says there is no automatic fee dismissal program at its crossings. Its Toll Payer Advocate can look into an unresolved issue after you contact the E-ZPass New York Service Center (800-333-8655).

Should I call DMV if my registration was suspended for tolls?

No. DMV's page says not to contact DMV to dispute a toll violation. Call the suspension line of the agency that asked for the suspension: Thruway (718) 313-9414, MTA (718) 313-9424, Port Authority (718) 313-9425, NYS Bridge Authority (347) 970-8145.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on Oct 12, 2026.

MTA: How to pay tolls (updated Apr 23, 2025) mta.info
NYS Thruway: About cashless tolling thruway.ny.gov
MTA Office of the Toll Payer Advocate mta.info
Port Authority: Bridge and tunnel tolls (Toll Payer Advocate and collections) panynj.gov
Port Authority: E-ZPass (scam warning) panynj.gov
NYS Thruway: Office of the Toll Payer Advocate thruway.ny.gov
NY DMV: Registration suspensions for failure to pay tolls dmv.ny.gov

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.

TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.