Following a special meeting held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the Currituck County Board of Commissioners formally adopted a joint resolution seeking a full toll waiver for locally registered vehicles across North Carolina’s state ferry system. The resolution backed alongside Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, New Hanover, and Pamlico counties, was passed immediately prior to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Ferry Division’s public listening session hosted at 6:00 p.m. at Knotts Island Elementary School.
The joint action comes in response to Senate Bill 257, which amends Article 6 of Chapter 136 of the North Carolina General Statutes to impose toll collection across all state ferry routes by January 1, 2027. The legislative mandate requires new vehicle tolls on historically free routes, including the Currituck–Knotts Island ferry route, and increases rates on existing tolled routes.
In the resolution, the Board of Commissioners and coalition counties call upon Governor Josh Stein and NCDOT leadership to establish a permanent fee waiver exempting all personal and commercial vehicles registered in counties with ferry terminals.
During the subsequent 6:00 p.m. NCDOT public listening session at Knotts Island Elementary School, residents and county officials were able to share concerns, calling out that local ferry routes provide necessary access to employment, healthcare, schools, and the county seat.
NCDOT is currently evaluating tolling rate-setting methodologies, payment collection methods, and administrative procedures for a proposed $150 annual coastal commuter pass. Recommended toll structures will be presented to the N.C. Board of Transportation on Thursday, October 8, 2026, with formal rate adoption expected on November 5, 2026, ahead of the January 1, 2027, implementation deadline.
Currituck County encourages all residents and commuters to submit formal comments on the proposed tolling plans through the NCDOT Ferry Division public input portal before the public comment window closes on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The survey is available at the following link: www.ncdot.gov/divisions/ferry/Pages/ferry-tolls.aspx
