Idaho License Plate Reader Laws (2026)

Idaho has a specific license plate reader statute, but it is short. Idaho Code § 49-1432 says an agency may use an ALPR and its data for law enforcement purposes, traffic flow analysis, or both. It limits law enforcement use to listed investigations, restricts access to authorized personnel, and requires training, access logging and semiannual audits. It says nothing about retention or vendors, and it has no express sharing rule.

Information reviewed October 1, 2026.

For related pages, see the Idaho entry in the state comparison, the ALPR laws hub, Are Flock cameras legal?, What are Flock cameras?, and our Idaho surveillance camera laws guide.

Is there an Idaho law on license plate readers?

Yes. Idaho Code § 49-1432 was added by Senate Bill 1180 (2025 Session Laws, chapter 316, section 1). The Legislature's bill page shows it signed by the Governor on April 4, 2025, effective July 1, 2025. The current code text shows no later amendment, and its history line reads "added 2025, ch. 316, sec. 1, p. 1320." The statute defines "agency" to mean the state, any political subdivision or any agency, and an "automated license plate reader" to mean a device that passively records plates on a roadway or any similar device.

What may Idaho agencies use plate readers for?

Subsection (2) says: "An agency may use an automated license plate reader and its data for law enforcement purposes, traffic flow analysis purposes, or both." For law enforcement, the data "shall not be used for any purpose other than the investigation of felony or misdemeanor crimes or traffic accidents or to search for missing or endangered persons." It may not be used to enforce traffic infractions other than those associated with a traffic accident.

Who can access the data, and what are the limits on misuse?

Under subsection (3), "Access to automated license plate reader data shall be limited to an agency's authorized personnel," with access controls. Non-law-enforcement use, including personal use, political activity and unrelated surveillance, is prohibited. Misuse subjects a person to discipline, administrative penalties and criminal prosecution "if applicable." The section does not name a specific offense or penalty.

What training, logging and audit rules apply?

The section requires training for authorized users. Under subsections (6) to (8), all access and queries must be logged in a secure audit system with the user's identity, date, time and purpose. The statute says: "Agencies shall conduct semiannual audits of automated license plate reader data access logs."

What does the Idaho section not say?

We read the full text of § 49-1432. It does not state a retention or deletion period. It has no express rule on sharing with other agencies or on out-of-state or federal access, no vendor rule, no public-records rule, and no private right of action. Subsection (3) does limit access to "an agency's authorized personnel," and the section defines "agency" as the state of Idaho, its political subdivisions or their agencies, but we found no court ruling on whether that limit bars out-of-state or federal officers from searching an Idaho agency's data. A secondary search summary mentioned a 45-day retention figure, and that figure does not appear in the enacted section or in S 1180 as we read it from the Legislature's PDF, so we do not state a retention period for Idaho.

Silence in this section does not mean Idaho has no other rule. One general statute bears on sharing with federal immigration officers: Idaho Code § 19-6102 bars a governmental entity from adopting, enforcing or endorsing a policy that "prohibits or discourages the enforcement of immigration laws," and from prohibiting or discouraging its peace officers, corrections officers and certain other officials from "assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary." It does not mention plate data, and we found no ruling on how it interacts with the purpose limits in § 49-1432(2). An agency policy, a records-retention schedule or another statute could also address these questions, and our research on those is thin. We opened the table of contents for Title 49, chapter 14, and for Title 74, chapter 1, and the full text of §§ 74-106 and 74-124. We saw only table-of-contents pages for Title 67, chapter 29, Title 19, chapter 49 and Title 49, chapter 4, and did not open their sections. We did not open Idaho State Police or Idaho Transportation Department ALPR policies, Attorney General opinions or state records-retention schedules. For 2026 we checked the Legislature's legislation index, not the session laws themselves.

Can I request Idaho plate reader data as a public record?

We could not resolve this. Idaho Code § 74-124 is a general exemption: nothing in the Public Records Act "shall be construed to require disclosure of investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes by a law enforcement agency," to the extent production would, for example, interfere with proceedings. It has no ALPR-specific text. Subsection (3) defines an investigatory record as information about an identifiable person "compiled by a law enforcement agency in the course of conducting an investigation of a specific act or omission," and requires an inactive investigatory record to be disclosed unless one of the listed harms applies. Whether routine plate scans fall within the exemption is unresolved, because we found no Attorney General guidance or court ruling on the question.

What have Idaho courts and agencies said?

We found no Idaho court ruling on plate readers. Searches of the Idaho courts site, CourtListener and Justia returned only the statute, so this is a statement about our search. We also did not locate or open an ALPR policy from the Idaho State Police, the Idaho Transportation Department or the Attorney General, which is different from concluding that none exists.

Did Idaho consider plate reader bills in 2026?

The Legislature's 2026 legislation index lists no license plate reader bill, and the current text of § 49-1432 shows no 2026 amendment. An East Idaho News item from September 2026 mentions a federal bill, which is not Idaho legislation.

Where are plate readers reported in Idaho?

This list is not complete, and the enumeration of local deployments is thin. Our records, drawn from an Idaho Capital Sun report dated August 6, 2026, mark the police departments of Twin Falls, Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Caldwell as active as of that date. We did not open council ordinance text or the cities' contracts.

How can I check my local system?

Because the section does not state a retention period, practice varies by agency. The Idaho Capital Sun reported in August 2026 that the Twin Falls and Idaho Falls police departments said they keep plate data for 30 days, following Flock's default setting. Ask your local agency whether it has a written policy and whether it keeps a retention schedule for plate data. For the technology itself, see What are Flock cameras?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Idaho have a license plate reader law?

Yes. Idaho Code § 49-1432, added by S 1180 and effective July 1, 2025, governs agency use of ALPRs, access, training, logging and semiannual audits.

What can Idaho law enforcement use plate readers for?

Investigating felony or misdemeanor crimes or traffic accidents, or searching for missing or endangered persons. Law enforcement may not use the data to enforce traffic infractions other than those associated with a traffic accident.

How long can Idaho agencies keep license plate reader data?

Section 49-1432 does not state a retention period. We did not review agency policies or the state records-retention schedule, so another rule may set one.

Does Idaho require audits of plate reader use?

Yes. The section requires access and queries to be logged with user, date, time and purpose, and requires agencies to conduct semiannual audits of the access logs.

Can I request Idaho plate reader data as a public record?

It is unresolved. Section 74-124 is a general exemption for law-enforcement investigatory records with no ALPR-specific text, and we found no guidance or ruling on whether it covers plate data.

Have Idaho courts ruled on plate readers?

We found no Idaho court ruling on plate readers in our searches.