Camera tickets
A ticket that arrives in the mail after a camera caught your car is often a different kind of ticket from one an officer hands you.
How they usually differ
- Owner vs driver. Many camera programs charge the registered owner, not the driver, as a civil or administrative violation. Some states treat a camera ticket like any other moving violation instead.
- Points and insurance. Where the camera ticket is an owner-liability civil penalty, it usually carries no points and doesn't reach your driving record. Where it is a moving violation, it can.
- Deadlines still bite. Unpaid camera fines can bring late fees, collections, or registration holds even when no points apply.
The notice itself says which kind you have: look for "owner liability", "civil penalty" or "notice of violation" versus a court summons.
Which states allow red light cameras?
26 states and DC allow red light cameras by law, 9 ban them, and the rest have no state law either way. In 14 of the states that allow them, a camera ticket adds no points to your license.
Tap a column to sort.
| State | Red light cameras | Points | Fine cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Alaska | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Arizona | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Arkansas | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| California | Allowed | Can add points | Set locally |
| Colorado | Allowed | No points | $75 |
| Connecticut | Allowed | No points | Set locally |
| Delaware | Allowed | No points | Set locally |
| District of Columbia | Allowed | On your notice | $150 |
| Florida | Allowed | No points | $158 |
| Georgia | Allowed | No points | $70 |
| Hawaii | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Idaho | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Illinois | Allowed | No points | $100 |
| Indiana | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Iowa | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Kansas | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Kentucky | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Louisiana | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Maine | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Maryland | Allowed | No points | $100 |
| Massachusetts | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Michigan | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Minnesota | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Mississippi | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Missouri | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Montana | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Nebraska | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Nevada | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| New Hampshire | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| New Jersey | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| New Mexico | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| New York | Allowed | No points | $50 |
| North Carolina | Allowed | No points | $50 |
| North Dakota | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Ohio | Allowed | No points | Set locally |
| Oklahoma | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Oregon | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| Pennsylvania | Allowed | No points | $100 |
| Rhode Island | Allowed | On your notice | Set locally |
| South Carolina | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| South Dakota | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Tennessee | Allowed | No points | $50 |
| Texas | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Utah | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Vermont | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Virginia | Allowed | No points | $50 |
| Washington | Allowed | No points | $145 |
| West Virginia | Banned | Not used | Not used |
| Wisconsin | No state law | Not used | Not used |
| Wyoming | No state law | Not used | Not used |
Contesting one
Most notices list ways to contest: you weren't the driver (where the state allows a driver affidavit), the car was stolen or sold, or the photos don't show the plate clearly. Ask to see the photos and video, which most programs post online with your notice number.
Camera notice for a rental car? How rental companies handle tickets →
What else do people ask?
Do camera tickets go on your driving record?
It depends on the state. Owner-liability civil camera tickets usually do not carry points. In states that treat camera tickets as moving violations, they can. Your notice says which kind it is.
What if I wasn’t driving?
Many programs let the owner name the driver or sign an affidavit. The notice lists the options and deadline.
Red light camera sources (23)
- Safety camera laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
- Speed and Red Light Cameras, Governors Highway Safety Association.
- C.R.S. 42-4-110.5, Colorado Revised Statutes.
- N.C.G.S. 160A-300.1, North Carolina General Assembly.
- NY Vehicle and Traffic Law 1111-a, New York State Senate.
- Va. Code 15.2-968.1, Virginia Law.
- RCW 46.63.220, Washington State Legislature.
- Fla. Stat. 316.0083, Florida Senate.
- Stop on Red Tampa violation notice, City of Tampa.
- ORS 810.436, Oregon Revised Statutes.
- Photo enforcement, District Department of Transportation.
- Red-light and Speed Safety Camera Guidelines for Connecticut Municipalities, Connecticut DOT.
- Ohio Rev. Code 4511.093, State of Ohio.
- Camera Ticket, Parma Municipal Court.
- Red Light Cameras, Baltimore County, Maryland.
- O.C.G.A. 40-6-20, Justia (Georgia Code).
- 625 ILCS 5/11-208.6, Illinois General Assembly.
- 75 Pa.C.S. 3116, FindLaw (Pennsylvania statutes).
- Tennessee AG Opinion 10-17, traffic cameras, Tennessee Attorney General.
- Wilmington FAQ, City of Wilmington, Delaware.
- La. R.S. 32:44, Justia (Louisiana Revised Statutes).
- High court knocks down red light cameras, The Missouri Times.
- Traffic safety camera pilot state law provisions, City of Minneapolis.