How far will state go to collect 520 tolls?

You’ve seen that blue flashing light every time you’ve driven across the 520 bridge. You know the camera is snapping a picture of your license plate, and you’re going to be getting a bill in the mail for the toll.

But really, how far is the state going to go to track you down, especially over just a couple of bucks?

We’re learning the state has a variety of tools to collect on toll-by-mail bills, and those bills are only going to go up if you don’t pay.

Toll-by-mail automatically costs $1.50 more than the listed toll when you go over the 520 bridge. But, if you don’t pay the bill when it comes in the mail, the state assesses you a $5 processing fee to send you a second bill. If you don’t pay that second bill, the state will assess you a $40 civil penalty. So a $5 bill for going over the bridge in a peak hour will turn into a $50 bill if you leave it unpaid.

Washington State Tolling Director Craig Stone told Mynorthwest.com that the processing center will go after every toll to recoup the money.

“We will be processing each of these through,” he said. “We will be sending notices of civil penalties out to individuals, even if they only have one toll.”

The $40 civil penalty is assessed on every toll bill that is more than 80 days old.

Overdue bills will also be sent to a collection agency, and that can come with interest penalties and dings to your credit.

But the real hammer the state has is that it won’t let you re-register your car unless you pay. It will withhold new car tabs until you settle your tab.

The state is getting ready to start sending out those $40 civil penalties, and Stone wants to make sure drivers are aware of that so they can mail in their payments.

Complicating matters is that many drivers might have thrown out the toll bills as junk mail because there’s nothing on the envelopes that would indicate they have anything to do with tolls.

“It does not say State of Washington,” Stone said while holding up a sample envelope. “It does not say Good To Go Program, so it’s very important that individuals pay attention to the mail as it comes in. We do this for security reasons because there’s actually information on our toll bills about that person and their account.”

The state reports there are a handful of people who have 50 or more unpaid toll bills that are about to receive that civil penalty. The state sent out courtesy reminders to them this week. The processing center has sent out 300,000 toll-by-mail bills so far.

You can dispute the bills in writing or in-person.

So far more than 70 percent of drivers using the 520 bridge are using the Good To Go system.

If you think you should have received a toll bill in the mail or could have thrown it out without realizing it, you are asked to call the customer service center a 866-936-8246.