The Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles will be offering a three-month amnesty program for toll violators to resolve their toll debt for a fraction of the cost. Senate Joint Resolution 5, passed by the Delaware General Assembly, established the toll amnesty program for eligible toll violations on Route 1 and I-95. Anyone with outstanding toll violations incurred on Route 1 or I-95 between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2020 is eligible to participate in the toll amnesty program. From October 1 through December 31, 2021, civil penalties will be waived for outstanding toll violations if tolls due plus an amnesty fee are paid.

Starting October 1, letters will be mailed to the registered owners of approximately 640,000 vehicles with unpaid toll violations and civil penalties to notify them of the waiver period. Those with outstanding violations are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this unique amnesty program, which will only be offered for a limited time. To participate in this program or for more information, visit de.gov/tollamnesty for Frequently Asked Questions, online payment portal access, support resources, and more.

Governor John Carney, who signed the legislation creating the toll amnesty program on Friday, commented, “This 90-day toll amnesty program will help DelDOT collect unpaid tolls and provide relief for motorists who have outstanding violations from traveling I-95 and Route 1. These programs have been successful in resolving these debts in other states, and I encourage anyone with violations to take advantage of this opportunity.”

“The tolls on Route 1 are there to help cover the cost of keeping our roads safe and in good working order. Unfortunately, close to $143 million owed by toll scofflaws is now going uncollected with some drivers facing thousands of dollars in fines and fees for $1 violations,” said Senator Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, the prime sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 5. “I want to thank DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski, Controller General Ruth Ann Jones, and Governor John Carney for working with me and others to create a three-month amnesty program that will have a positive impact for all parties involved.”

Jana Simpler, Director of the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, said “Through this program, eligible participants have the opportunity to settle their accounts for a fraction of the amount owed. In preparation, please ensure your current vehicle registration address on file with the Division is accurate.”

After December 31, 2021, full resolution of any outstanding toll violations will require payment of all civil penalties.

Route 1 and I-95 register 70.6 million toll transactions annually, and about one million of those result in a violation. Of those violations, about 623,000 motorists have between one and ten violations.

Temporarily closed on March 17, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, Delaware’s three toll plazas will resume cash collection at the I-95, Biddles, and Dover Toll Plazas on Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. Those drivers operating vehicles without a valid E-ZPass transponder mounted must again use the cash lanes to pay their tolls.

In addition, to the toll cash lanes reopening, all Delaware Toll Plazas will also reopen for walk-in services.

We continue to take every precaution to safeguard our employees and customers by following the guidelines set forth by the Delaware Public Health State of Emergency Declaration, (https://governor.delaware.gov/health-soe/)

More than 70 percent of vehicles passing through Delaware’s toll plazas utilize E-ZPass, and for information on creating an E-ZPass account please visit www.ezpassde.com.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) continues to review operational needs while keeping the health and safety of our employees and customers in mind. To that end, all public facing buildings that deliver various services will be going cashless across the State, including toll plazas and all Division of Motor Vehicle locations, effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

At DelDOT’s four DMV locations, only credit or debit cards will be accepted, and the Department continues to urge all customers to utilize mydmv.delaware.gov which offers more than 20 services online, including renewal of Delaware Driver License/ID, renewing vehicle registration, and changing your home address.

The following DMV services will be suspended until further notice:
• All Class D and Commercial Driver License (CDL) road exams
• All motorcycle safety courses conducted at all DMV locations
• All vision tests will be temporarily waived
• All emissions testing for vehicles
• All Auto Theft Unit (ATU) transactions

DMV lobbies will be continually monitored with the goal of keeping them below 50 people. We are also encouraging customers that need to conduct DMV business to come into the facilities alone and ask family members or others with them to not come into the buildings with them.

At the state’s three toll plazas, there will be no toll collectors working to collect cash payments. All traffic will be directed through the EZPass lanes and motorists without EZPass will receive a bill in the mail for the toll with no penalty or processing fee. The Route 896 southbound ramp to I-95 southbound will temporarily close due to the road configuration that does not permit access to the EZPass lanes. A detour will be posted.

If you are feeling sick, please do not visit public facilities and avoid public transportation. For more information on the state’s response to the Coronavirus, visit de.gov/coronavirus.