A DC red light camera ticket costs $150 for running a signal or $100 for failing to stop before a right turn on red, and the fine doubles if you don’t pay or contest it within 30 days. These citations are issued to the vehicle’s registered owner, not the driver, so no points land on your license. Ignore them, though, and your car can be booted.
See the Photos Before You Decide Anything
The first move is to look at what the camera actually captured. D.C. posts the images, and often video, for every automated violation through the Photo Enforcement Moving Violations Public Inquiry Portal. You’ll need the ticket number and the PIN; both are printed in the lower right corner of the mailed notice.1District Department of Transportation. DC StreetSafe – Automated Traffic Enforcement
Five minutes with the footage usually settles the question. If the images clearly show your car entering the intersection after the light turned red, pay and move on. If something looks wrong, a plate that isn’t yours, an obscured tag, an emergency vehicle in the frame, you have a reason to contest.
Fines and the 30-Day Clock
The two red light camera violations in D.C. carry different fines:
- Running a red light (signal pass): $150
- Failing to stop before turning right on red: $100
Both are listed under DCMR 18-2103.7 on DDOT’s StreetSafe program page.2District Department of Transportation. DC StreetSafe FAQs If you don’t respond within 30 calendar days of the notice, the fine doubles: $150 becomes $300, and $100 becomes $200. The clock runs from the date the notice is mailed, so account for postal delivery if you plan to pay by check.
How to Pay
Pay online through the DC DMV ticket payment portal using your ticket number and plate information, or mail a check or money order to the address printed on the citation. Paying resolves the ticket and ends any risk of the late penalty.
How to Contest
D.C. gives you two routes to challenge the ticket, and either one must happen inside the 30-day window to avoid the doubled fine.3Department of Motor Vehicles. Contest Parking and Photo Enforcement Tickets
In-Person Hearing
You can walk into the DMV Adjudication Service Center without an appointment. You must be the registered owner or carry a signed power of attorney from the owner. Bring the citation, your vehicle registration, and any evidence you plan to rely on. For a rental car, bring the rental agreement showing the rental period included the citation date.3Department of Motor Vehicles. Contest Parking and Photo Enforcement Tickets
Mail Adjudication
To contest by mail, fill out the Mail Adjudication Hearing form that came with your notice (also available on the DMV website) and send it with the original ticket and any supporting evidence to:4Government of the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles. Mail Adjudication Hearing
DMV Adjudication Services
ATTN: Mail Adjudication
PO Box 37135
Washington, DC 20013
Your written statement needs actual facts or evidence supporting your position, not just a denial. The DMV sends a postcard confirming receipt. If none arrives, call DC 311 or the DMV to confirm your request was logged. The decision comes back by mail, and the DMV doesn’t publish a guaranteed timeline, so don’t count on a fast turnaround.
Defenses That Work
DC Code § 50-2209.02(d) names four situations in which the registered owner is not presumed liable:5D.C. Law Library. DC Code 50-2209.02 – Liability for Fines; Notice of Infraction; Hearing
- You were yielding the right of way to an emergency vehicle.
- Your vehicle or tags were reported stolen before the citation date.
- Your vehicle was part of a funeral procession.
- A police officer directed you through the intersection.
Outside those four, you can still raise factual challenges: the images don’t clearly show your vehicle, the plate number doesn’t match, or the camera or signal malfunctioned. How well those arguments land depends entirely on what the photos and video show, which is why pulling up the evidence first matters.
The Right-on-Red Trap
The $100 right-turn ticket is the one that surprises most drivers. D.C. allows right turns on red after a complete stop, and the camera enforces that stop literally. If your wheels don’t fully stop behind the white limit line before you start the turn, the system logs a violation. Stopping past the line counts. Slowing without stopping counts.
Drivers who checked traffic and turned safely still get the ticket, because the camera measures the stop, not the safety of the turn. If you drive in D.C. regularly, treat every right-on-red the way you would with a police officer watching: full stop behind the line, pause, then go.
No Points, But Your Car Is on the Hook
Because an automated camera, not an officer, issues the ticket, DC Code § 50-2209.01(c) bars the District from suspending your license for failing to answer, appear, or pay an automated enforcement citation.6D.C. Law Library. DC Code 50-2209.01 – Authorized; Violations as Moving Violations; Evidence No points go on your driving record either.
The vehicle itself is a different story. Once you have two or more unpaid tickets that are at least 61 days old, your car becomes eligible for booting or impoundment by the Department of Public Works.7Department of Motor Vehicles. Booted or Towed Vehicles Getting a boot removed means paying every outstanding ticket plus the removal fee, and if several tickets have already doubled, that number climbs quickly. No warning is required before the boot goes on.
Out-of-State Plates
If you were driving through D.C. on out-of-state plates, the ticket still reaches you by mail at your registration address. Enforcement across state lines is weaker, though. Automated camera tickets aren’t covered by the Non-Resident Violators Compact, the interstate agreement for officer-written violations. Maryland and Virginia have declined reciprocity with D.C. on camera tickets, so those states generally won’t act against their own residents’ licenses or registrations over unpaid D.C. camera fines.
That doesn’t make the ticket go away. D.C. can send it to collections, and the moment you drive or park in the District again with outstanding tickets, the booting rules apply to your car the same as any D.C.-registered vehicle.