The California speed camera law, Assembly Bill 645, lets a short list of cities install automated cameras that photograph vehicles traveling at least 11 mph over the posted speed limit and mail civil fines to the registered owner. It took effect January 1, 2024, San Francisco turned on the first cameras in 2025, and the whole pilot program is set to expire on January 1, 2032.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22425 (2025)
A Quick Note on SB 452
If you searched for SB 452 expecting the speed camera law, that’s the wrong bill. SB 452 concerns firearm microstamping and has nothing to do with traffic enforcement.2California Legislative Information. California Code – SB-452 Firearms The speed camera statute is AB 645, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, and it added Sections 22425 through 22434 to the California Vehicle Code.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22425 (2025)
Which Cities Can Use Speed Cameras
Only six jurisdictions were named in the original bill, with Malibu added later through follow-up legislation:1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22425 (2025)
- Los Angeles
- San Jose
- Oakland
- Glendale
- Long Beach
- San Francisco
- Malibu
No other California city is authorized to run speed cameras. Each participating city also has a cap on how many systems it can operate at once, tied to population: up to 125 in Los Angeles, 33 in San Jose and San Francisco, 18 in Oakland and Long Beach, and 9 in Glendale and Malibu.3California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 7, Article 3
Cameras can only be placed in three types of locations: streets on a city’s high-injury network, streets with a documented history of street racing (at least four incidents in the prior two years), and school zones. The statute expressly bars cameras on state routes, freeways, expressways, U.S. highways, interstates, and any road under CHP jurisdiction in unincorporated county areas.4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman) Local city streets only.
What Triggers a Ticket and What It Costs
The camera doesn’t fire until a vehicle is going at least 11 mph over the posted limit. Ten over is not enough. From there, the fine scales with how far over you were:4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman)
- 11 to 15 mph over: $50, with a warning instead of a fine for first-time violators in this tier
- 16 to 25 mph over: $100
- 26 mph or more over: $200
- 100 mph or faster: $500
The notice of violation must reach the registered owner within 15 calendar days of the recorded offense and must include instructions for requesting an administrative review.4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman) You then have 30 days to pay or contest. Ignoring it does not make it disappear.
Civil Penalty, Not a Moving Violation
A speed camera citation is a civil penalty. That matters. No points go on your driving record, and because insurers raise rates based on points, a camera ticket should not affect your premiums.5California Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. AB 645 (Friedman) APCP Analysis The notice goes to whoever the vehicle is registered to, not necessarily the person who was driving.
Reduced Fines for Low-Income Drivers
Every participating city has to offer income-based relief. It is not optional and it is not a token discount:4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman)
- 80% off the fine if your income is at or below the federal poverty level, or you receive certain public benefits
- 50% off if your household income is up to 250% of the federal poverty level
- Community service in place of paying the fine, for qualifying individuals
- Payment plans with monthly installments capped at $25 and a processing fee of $5 or less
At 80% off, a $200 fine drops to $40 and a $50 fine drops to $10. You establish eligibility with proof of income or enrollment in a means-tested public assistance program.6Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Los Angeles Department of Transportation – Speed Safety System Use Policy
How to Contest the Ticket
Because the citation follows the registered owner rather than the driver, the most common defense is simply that you weren’t behind the wheel. You can submit a declaration naming the actual driver, or stating that the driver is unknown, and the city will either redirect the citation or dismiss it. This works much like the affidavit-of-non-liability process used with red light camera tickets.
If you want to fight the citation itself, there are three steps. Request an initial administrative review from the city’s transportation department. If that goes against you, request a hearing before a hearing officer. If you still disagree, appeal to superior court for a $25 filing fee.4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman) You have 30 days from receiving the notice to either pay or start that process.
What the Cameras Can and Cannot Capture
The cameras photograph only the rear of the vehicle, enough to capture the license plate and identify the make and model. Facial recognition is explicitly banned.6Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Los Angeles Department of Transportation – Speed Safety System Use Policy
Data retention is short. If no citation issues, images and data must be destroyed promptly. If a citation issues, photographic evidence can be kept up to 60 days after final disposition and administrative records up to 120 days. The city can keep a record that a vehicle was cited and fined for up to three years, but the underlying images must be purged within those shorter windows.3California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 7, Article 3 The data cannot be used for general surveillance, sold, or shared with third parties.
Where the Program Stands
San Francisco went first. The SFMTA activated cameras at 33 locations on March 20, 2025, ran a 60-day warning period, and began issuing monetary citations on August 5, 2025.7SFMTA. Speed Safety Cameras Camera locations include stretches of Fulton, Geary Boulevard, Mission Street, and Cesar Chavez Street, concentrated on the city’s high-injury network.
Los Angeles is deploying its full allotment of 125 cameras through the spring and summer of 2026, with the standard 60-day warning period applying at each new location before fines begin.8Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Speed Safety System San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach are at various stages of planning and procurement.
The whole program sunsets on January 1, 2032, and no individual camera system can operate longer than five years or past that date, whichever comes first.4California Legislative Information. AB 645 (Friedman) Whether the legislature extends or expands the program will depend on the safety data collected during the pilot.