How to Pay Tolls in California (2026 Guide) | FasTrak & Pay-by-Plate Options

California toll roads just raised their prices, killed the EV carpool discount, and switched entirely to cashless collection. Whether you’re a daily commuter or a first-time visitor, here’s exactly what you need to know before you drive.

The short answer: get a FasTrak Flex transponder, fund your account, and tolls handle themselves automatically. Everything else in this guide fills in the details that matter.

Why California Tolls Feel Complicated (And Why They’re Not)

California has 29 tolled facilities spread across five separate regional agencies. There’s no single phone number, no single website, and no single rulebook that covers everything. That’s the source of most of the confusion.

Once you understand that FasTrak is the universal payment layer across all of them, things click into place fast. Think of it like a tap-to-pay card that works at every register, regardless of which store you’re in.

The five agencies you’ll encounter are the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), the Golden Gate Bridge District, the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). One FasTrak account works across all of them. 😎

FasTrak vs Pay-by-Plate: The Core Difference

Option 1: FasTrak (The Right Choice for Regular Drivers)

FasTrak is California’s electronic toll collection system. A small transponder on your windshield communicates with roadside gantries, and your account gets charged automatically every time you pass through a toll.

Why FasTrak saves you money in 2026:

• You pay the lowest published toll rate on every facility
• The 2027 rate tables already show FasTrak users paying $0.25 to $1.00 less per crossing than Pay-by-Plate users
• One account covers multiple vehicles in your household
• You can use express lanes, which require a transponder anyway

Sign up through the Bay Area FasTrak portal or the SoCal FasTrak portal. Both transponders work statewide, so either works fine no matter where in California you’re based.

Option 2: Pay-by-Plate (Fine for Visitors, Costly for Regulars)

Pay-by-Plate is what happens when you drive through a toll without a transponder. Cameras photograph your license plate, and a bill gets mailed to the registered owner. You then pay online, by phone, or by mail.

The catch: Pay-by-Plate rates are identical to FasTrak rates in 2026, but that gap widens starting January 1, 2027. From 2027 onward, a License Plate Account user pays $0.25 more per Bay Area bridge crossing, and an uninvoiced Pay-by-Plate user pays $1.00 more. Multiply that by a five-day commute and FasTrak pays for itself almost immediately.

The Two FasTrak Transponders: Pick the Right One

FasTrak Standard vs FasTrak Flex

This is a detail a lot of guides skip, and it genuinely matters.

The FasTrak Standard tag emits a static signal. It works fine for bridge tolls and basic toll roads. However, it cannot communicate occupancy information, which means it does not qualify you for carpool discounts on express lanes. It is being phased out for HOT lane access entirely.

The FasTrak Flex tag has a three-position mechanical switch on its face. You flip it to declare your vehicle occupancy before entering a tolled zone:

• Position 1: Solo driver
• Position 2: Two occupants
• Position 3+: Three or more occupants

Get the Flex. Overhead gantries now communicate Flex switch data to California Highway Patrol beacons, which can visually flag a potential occupancy mismatch for law enforcement. Setting your switch to 3+ with only one person in the car is not just a billing issue. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21655.5, it can result in a significant fine.

Special Cases: Metallic Windshields and Exterior Tags

Some vehicles, particularly higher-end European models and older commercial trucks, use metallic oxide glass that blocks the 915 MHz RFID signal. If your windshield has that type of glass, an exterior-mounted tag is available that attaches to your front license plate. It functions identically to a standard Flex tag, just mounted outside the car where the signal travels freely.

Bay Area Bridge Tolls in 2026: What You’re Actually Paying

The $8.50 Baseline (And What’s Coming Next)

As of January 1, 2026, the seven state-owned Bay Area bridges each charge a baseline two-axle toll of $8.50. This is a $0.50 increase from 2025, approved directly by the BATA board to cover the 30 to 40 percent rise in construction and maintenance costs since 2020.

The seven bridges covered by this rate are the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Antioch Bridge, the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, the Carquinez Bridge, the Dumbarton Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge.

Toll escalation schedule through 2030:

Source: BATA 2026 Toll Increase and HOV Policy Updates

So 2026 is actually your grace period. Everyone pays the same $8.50 right now regardless of payment method. That parity disappears in 2027, and suddenly FasTrak looks very appealing.

The New Carpool Rules: 3+ Only Starting 2026

This one caught a lot of Bay Area commuters off guard. Effective January 1, 2026, BATA standardized the carpool discount requirement across all seven state bridges to three or more occupants during weekday commute hours (5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday).

Previously, bridges like the Dumbarton and San Mateo-Hayward allowed two-person carpools to qualify for the 50% discount. That is over. Two people in the car lets you use the carpool lane physically, but you still pay the full $8.50 toll.

Three people in the car? You pay 50% of the posted toll. That’s worth knowing if you can coordinate a third rider on a regular commute.

The Golden Gate Bridge: Its Own Rules, As Always

The Golden Gate Bridge operates under the independent Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and it sets its own prices. Tolls are collected southbound only. Here are the 2026 rates:

Source: Golden Gate Bridge Tolls and Payment

Carpoolers with 3+ occupants can use the discounted rate of $7.75, but only during specific windows: 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Outside those windows, you pay the full $9.75 FasTrak rate even with a full carpool. Also worth noting: vehicles with dual rear tires are ineligible for the carpool rate regardless of how many people are inside.

Open Road Tolling Is Coming

Starting March 2026, crews began demolishing toll booths on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, replacing them with overhead gantry structures as part of California’s first major Open Road Tolling (ORT) conversion. Drivers maintain highway speeds through the gantry, which eliminates the lane weaving and queue congestion that toll plazas typically create.

The Antioch and Carquinez bridges follow in 2027, with the rest of the Bay Area network completing the transition by 2028. For FasTrak users, nothing changes operationally. For everyone else, it confirms that cash is completely and permanently gone from Bay Area bridges.

Southern California Toll Roads: The Regional Breakdown

Orange County TCA Roads (73, 133, 241, 261)

The Transportation Corridor Agencies manage a 51-mile network of toll roads in Orange County. These use distance-based pricing rather than dynamic congestion pricing, which makes them more predictable day to day.

A perk most people miss: TCA’s Frequent Driver Discount gives you a $1.00 discount on every toll in the following billing period once you spend $40 in tolls during a single statement period. Additionally, TCA has a partnership with Bristol Farms where every $100 spent at the grocery store deposits $5 into your FasTrak account, capped at $50 per month. Small things, but they matter for regular commuters.

On March 3, 2026, the TCA also signed the agreements for the 241/91 Express Connector, a direct median link between the 241 Toll Road and the 91 Express Lanes, scheduled to open in 2029. This will let drivers bypass one of the worst freeway-to-freeway interchanges in the country.

For visitors, TCA offers a one-time trip payment option at The Toll Roads website, and you have up to five days after your crossing to pay without incurring a violation.

The 91 Express Lanes: Dynamic Pricing and the Super Peak Trap

The 91 Express Lanes stretch across Orange County (operated by OCTA) and Riverside County (operated by RCTC). Rates adjust quarterly to keep traffic moving at a minimum of 45 mph, so what you pay depends heavily on when you travel.

Key 2026 details:

• Orange County minimum toll: $1.95
• Riverside County minimum toll: $1.75
• 3+ carpools travel free in Orange County (with a FasTrak Flex set to 3+)
• 3+ carpools in Riverside County receive a 50% discount in most hours

Here’s the part that trips people up: the Super Peak period. On weekdays between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastbound, even 3+ carpools must pay 50% of the posted toll in the Riverside segment. The corridor toward Riverside during evening rush is that congested, and the pricing reflects it honestly. Know this before you enter.

The 405 Express Lanes: Promotions Worth Knowing in 2026

The 405 Express Lanes in Orange County use a policy called “Three Ride Free.” Set your FasTrak Flex to 3+ and your carpool drives free at all times. Two-person carpools ride free during off-peak hours, and that window is still active in 2026.

Two active promotions for new users:

• Sign up for automatic replenishment and receive one free week of tolls
• Add a valid AAA member number at signup and earn a second free week

Heavy users can also earn up to a $50 monthly discount by completing more than 30 tolled transactions in a calendar month. If you work near the 405 corridor, that adds up meaningfully over a year.

LA Metro ExpressLanes: Reduced Penalties and the I-105 Expansion

The I-10 and I-110 ExpressLanes in Los Angeles are operated by LA Metro. One meaningful policy change in 2026: if you accidentally enter an express lane without a transponder, the penalty dropped from $25 to $4 plus the cost of the toll. Metro reduced the fee as part of an equity initiative to prevent low-income drivers from accumulating debt over an honest mistake.

Construction on the new I-105 ExpressLanes (Segment 1 from Sepulveda Blvd to Central Avenue) is actively underway in 2026, with nighttime lane reductions and ramp closures at the I-110 interchange continuing through late 2026. If that stretch is part of your route, account for potential delays.

San Diego I-15 and the SR-125 South Bay Expressway

SANDAG manages San Diego’s tolling. The I-15 Express Lanes are free for 2+ carpools, motorcycles, and transit vehicles without a FasTrak account. Solo drivers must have a FasTrak account to use it.

The SR-125 South Bay Expressway is different: all users pay. The FasTrak discount is significant though. A full trip from Otay Mesa to SR-54 costs $2.75 with FasTrak versus $3.50 with cash or credit at the booth. SR-125 is one of the few remaining California toll facilities that still accepts cash, making it a rare exception in 2026.

The End of the EV Carpool Discount: What You Need to Know Now

This is the single biggest change most California EV owners did not see coming. The Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal program officially ended on September 30, 2025. The federal government mandated the termination under Section 166 of Title 23 of the U.S. Code, citing degraded HOV lane speeds caused by too many solo vehicles in carpool lanes.

What this means starting in 2026:

• Your EV, hybrid, or zero-emission vehicle gets no special treatment unless it meets the standard occupancy requirement
• Solo EV drivers no longer receive the 15% discount on the 405 Express Lanes
• Solo EV drivers no longer qualify for the carpool rate on the Golden Gate Bridge
• The specialized FasTrak CAV tag now functions exactly like a standard Flex tag

The CHP completed its 60-day grace period in late 2025. In 2026, a solo driver caught in an HOV lane using a CAV decal faces fines up to $490. That white or green sticker on your bumper is now decorative. California car dealers are legally required under the Consumers’ Legal Remedies Act to disclose this change to prospective EV buyers.

If you bought an EV partly because of the carpool lane perk, this is genuinely frustrating. The policy is federal, and California attempted to extend it through 2027 and was denied. You need three people in the car now, same as everyone else.

Rental Cars and California Tolls: Avoid the Hidden Fee Trap

What Rental Companies Actually Charge

Most major rental agencies automatically enroll their vehicles in a toll-by-plate program like PlatePass or e-Toll. The two pricing models are worth understanding before you sign anything.

Convenience Fee Model (Avis, Budget, and similar): A daily fee of $6.95 to $7.95 applies to every day the vehicle is used on a toll road, plus the toll itself at the full undiscounted invoice rate. Drive the Bay Bridge twice on three separate days and you could easily pay $25 or more in convenience fees alone, on top of the actual $8.50 tolls.

All-Inclusive Model (Fox Rent A Car and similar): A flat rate of $13.99 per rental day covers all tolls regardless of volume. This only makes financial sense if you’re hitting toll roads heavily every single day of the rental.

If you decline both programs but drive through a toll anyway, the agency passes the cost to you with an administrative fee ranging from $15 to $90 per rental agreement. Not per toll. Per agreement. One missed $4 toll can result in a $90 administrative charge on your credit card.

How to Avoid Rental Toll Fees

You have three clean options that sidestep the rental company entirely:

1. Add the rental plate to your FasTrak account. Register the car’s license plate on your FasTrak account for the specific dates of your trip. Set a closure date matching your return date. Without a closure date, the next renter’s tolls come out of your balance.
2. Pay one-time online. The Golden Gate Bridge gives you 48 hours after crossing to pay online. TCA roads give you five days. Pay directly at the facility website and the rental company never enters the picture.
3. Pay cash through PayNearMe. Tolls can be paid in cash at over 60,000 retail locations, including 7-Eleven, CVS, and Walgreens, through the PayNearMe network.

Low-Income Assistance Programs: California Has Real Options

Bay Area Toll Payment Plan

If outstanding tolls and fees are blocking your vehicle registration renewal, the Bay Area Toll Payment Plan exists specifically for this situation. It’s available to households earning 200% of the Federal Poverty Level or less.

2026 income eligibility guidelines:

Source: Bay Area FasTrak Toll Payment Plan

You need at least $100 in outstanding tolls and penalties to qualify. After an initial qualifying payment (50% of tolls or $100, whichever is lower), the DMV registration hold releases immediately and you enter an interest-free payment plan for up to two years.

Express Lanes START Program

For low-income Bay Area residents, the Express Lanes START program offers real discounts on the I-880 and I-80 Express Lanes. Solo drivers receive a 50% toll discount. Two-person carpools receive a 75% discount. Both are income-verified and linked directly to your FasTrak account.

LA Metro Transit Rewards and Fee Waivers

LA Metro’s Transit Rewards Program ties toll accounts to public transit in a practical way: riders earn credits toward their ExpressLanes account by using buses or rail in the tolled corridors. Low-income LA County residents who qualify also receive a $25 account credit and a permanent waiver of the $1 monthly maintenance fee.

What Happens When You Don’t Pay a California Toll

The Penalty Escalation Schedule

Violation notices go to the registered owner within 21 days of a missed toll. The penalties escalate significantly with each ignored notice.

Penalty structure by facility:

Source: FasTrak Invoices and Penalties FAQ

Ignore the second notice and the agency can place a DMV hold on your vehicle. Registration renewal becomes impossible until the debt is resolved or you enter the payment plan described above.

One useful but obscure fact: toll violations are cleared from the vehicle record during a standard ownership transfer when you buy a used car. The exception is transfers to family members or into a revocable trust, where the violations stay with the vehicle.

Disputing a Charge You Don’t Owe

If you had a valid transponder that failed to read, the fastest fix is to backdate your license plate on your FasTrak account to cover the date of the crossing. The system typically dismisses the penalty automatically once it matches your account.

For substantive disputes (such as a vehicle you had already sold before the toll date), request an Administrative Review within 60 to 90 days of the notice. An unsatisfactory first review can be escalated to a second review or taken to municipal court.

Managing Your FasTrak Account: The Details That Matter

Account Types and What They Actually Cost

Three account structures exist, and they affect your long-term costs in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

Prepaid Account: You maintain a positive balance (minimum starting balance typically $40), with auto-replenishment when it drops below $10 to $25. This earns you the lowest per-toll rate and avoids monthly fees. Best option for regular California drivers.

Pay-As-You-Go Account: Tolls are processed individually without a standing balance. You lose per-toll discounts but avoid the upfront funding requirement. Fine for occasional drivers.

Invoice Account: The least efficient option for the user. The TCA charges a $2.00 monthly administrative fee on invoice accounts, and you pay the highest available rate on every crossing. There is rarely a good reason to choose this.

Account Hygiene That Prevents Real Problems

A few habits worth building early:

• Remove a sold vehicle from your account immediately. The new owner will rack up tolls that come out of your balance, and reversing that is a frustrating process.
• Update your license plate immediately after getting a new car or new plates. A plate mismatch routes your tolls as Pay-by-Plate instead of FasTrak, costing you the discount on every crossing.
• Keep your auto-replenishment threshold comfortably above zero. A suspended account from a negative balance means your transponder stops working and you start generating Pay-by-Plate invoices without realizing it.

Out-of-State Drivers: Does Your Home Transponder Work Here?

The short answer is probably not. E-ZPass from eastern states does not work on California toll roads. California participates in the Western States Toll Interoperability agreement, which covers Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and a handful of other western states. Check westerntoll.org for the current list before assuming your home transponder crosses state lines cleanly.

For visitors from outside the western interoperability zone, your practical options are:

• Use Pay-by-Plate (cameras photograph your plate and bill the registered owner or rental agency)
• Pay outstanding bills promptly at the facility’s website before the 30-day window closes
• For trips longer than a week, set up a limited-duration license plate account on the FasTrak website

New California Transportation Laws Effective January 1, 2026

Several new laws took effect alongside the toll changes this year that are relevant to regular California drivers:

• AB 382: Local authorities can now lower school zone speed limits to 20 mph, ahead of a mandatory statewide 20 mph school zone limit effective 2031.
• AB 1777: Law enforcement can issue non-compliance notices directly to manufacturers of autonomous vehicles for traffic violations committed by the vehicle’s software.
• AB 1299: Local governments can now waive parking penalties for those unable to pay and must offer payment plans to prevent vehicle towing.
• AB 544: E-bikes now require a rear reflector or red light at all times, not just after dark.

These don’t directly affect toll payment, but they shape the broader driving environment if California is your regular territory.

Your California Toll Quick Reference

For the people who want the condensed version before hitting the road:

Before you drive:

• Get a FasTrak Flex transponder (not the Standard tag)
• Fund your account with at least $40 and enable auto-replenishment
• Add all your vehicles with the correct license plates

On express lanes:

• Flip the switch to your actual occupancy before entering
• A wrong setting is not just a billing error; it is a potential citation

If you’re carpooling on Bay Area bridges:

• You need 3+ people to receive the 50% discount (changed January 1, 2026)
• Two-person carpools can use carpool lanes but pay the full $8.50 toll

If you drive an EV:

• The CAV decal program ended September 30, 2025
• Solo EV drivers pay the full rate everywhere, same as any other vehicle
• You need 3+ occupants for carpool pricing on bridges and express lanes

If you miss a toll:

• Pay within 30 days before it escalates to a violation
• Use the agency-specific website listed on the mailed notice
• Contact FasTrak customer service if you have a working transponder that failed to register

Drive California Without the Drama

California’s toll system asks more of you in 2026 than it did a few years ago: higher prices, stricter carpool rules, and no more EV shortcut. But once your FasTrak Flex is configured and your account is funded, the day-to-day experience genuinely runs itself. You drive, the gantry reads your tag, and money moves. That’s really it.

The one thing that creates serious problems is ignoring bills. A $4 toll becomes a first notice with fees, then a second notice with more fees, then a DMV hold. The escalation is fast and the system is intentional about it. Pay promptly, keep FasTrak funded, and none of that sequence is ever your problem.

California’s roads are yours to use. Just, you know, pay for them.

Sources and further reading:

• Bay Area FasTrak Official Site: transponder setup, Bay Area bridge tolls, payment plans, and penalties FAQ
• BATA 2026 Toll Increase and HOV Policy Updates: official 2026 to 2030 rate escalation tables and carpool policy changes
• Golden Gate Bridge Tolls and Payment: southbound toll rates by vehicle class and carpool discount hours
• The Toll Roads (TCA): Orange County toll road rates, one-time payments, frequent driver discounts, and rental vehicle guidance
• Metro ExpressLanes: LA express lane rules, reduced violation fees, equity programs, and account setup
• California Air Resources Board: End of CAV Decal Program: official termination details and enforcement guidance
• Express Lanes START Program: income-based toll discounts for qualifying Bay Area residents
• SANDAG FasTrak: San Diego I-15 and SR-125 South Bay Expressway toll information

Pavithra Vinoth

Pavithra Vinoth is the founder of nytollsinfo.com, where she simplifies U.S. toll systems through expert insights and custom-built calculators. Her research-driven tools help drivers avoid costly mistakes and make smarter car decisions.