Kansas License Plate Reader Laws (2026)

Kansas regulates license plate reader data through its open-records law and little else. K.S.A. 45-221(a)(55) says a public agency does not have to disclose records that contain captured license plate data or that pertain to the location of an automated license plate recognition system. We found no Kansas statute that limits how agencies collect, keep, share or audit plate data.

Information reviewed September 30, 2026.

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

Is there a Kansas law on license plate readers?

Only in the open-records statutes. The Kansas Open Records Act defines the technology and then closes the resulting data to public requests, and it does nothing else. Under K.S.A. 45-217, an "automated license plate recognition system" means "one or more high-speed cameras combined with computer algorithms used to convert images of license plates into computer readable data." "Captured license plate data" means the global positioning device coordinates, date and time, photograph, license plate number and any other data captured by or derived from such a system.

We know this is a records-only regime because we opened each of the four provisions in full and scanned the statute indexes for the motor vehicle, criminal procedure, crimes, KBI and Highway Patrol, state departments, consumer protection, public utilities and roads chapters. Those index scans looked at section titles only and did not open section text, so a negative for those chapters is weaker than a full-text search. Treat "we found no statute" as a statement about our search.

What does the Kansas open-records exemption say?

K.S.A. 45-221(a)(55) lists among records a public agency is not required to disclose: "Records of a public agency that contain captured license plate data or that pertain to the location of an automated license plate recognition system." The list opens with the qualifier "Except to the extent disclosure is otherwise required by law."

The wording is permissive. It says an agency "shall not be required to disclose," which is different from saying an agency may not disclose. The section's history line shows the exemption was added by L. 2022, ch. 48, effective July 1, and the section was later amended by L. 2025, ch. 89. Kansas open-records exceptions are reviewed on a cycle: under K.S.A. 45-229(b), a new exception expires on July 1 of the fifth year after enactment unless the Legislature acts to continue it, which for a 2022 exception points to review in the 2027 session. An exception the revisor of statutes did not certify for review does not expire, and we did not confirm whether this one was certified, so check its status after the 2027 session. This page does not analyze how an agency may exercise its discretion to release such records.

Who receives a request for plate reader records in Kansas?

K.S.A. 45-220(j) is a routing rule. A request for records that contain captured license plate data or that pertain to the location of an ALPR system, submitted to a state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency, "shall be directed to the state or local law enforcement agency or governmental agency that owns, leases or contracts for the automated license plate recognition system." In practice that points a requester at the agency that controls the system, not at every agency that might hold a copy.

What does Kansas not regulate?

We found no Kansas statute that governs how long agencies may keep plate data, what purposes it may serve, whether it may be shared with other agencies or out of state, whether access must be logged or audited, or whether private operators may run readers. We also did not find a warrant requirement. We did not research the following, so we do not describe them as absent: Kansas Highway Patrol and KBI policies, Kansas Turnpike Authority and Department of Transportation plate reader use, Attorney General opinions on the exemption, and the state records-retention schedule.

Did the Kansas Legislature consider plate reader bills in 2026?

We found none. We scanned all 1,522 bills in the official 2026 bill status data by title and long title and saw no plate reader bill. HB2519, which continued certain open-records exceptions, amends several other statutes, not K.S.A. 45-221. SB403, which was introduced, concerns materials covering a license plate. Nothing we found changes K.S.A. 45-217, 45-220 or 45-221(a)(55).

What have Kansas courts said about plate readers?

We found no Kansas decision that decides whether plate reader use is a search or whether the data may be retained or released. A CourtListener search of Kansas state and federal courts returned four hits. One weighs plate reader evidence in a stop, two mention plate readers only as facts, and the fourth uses "LPR" to mean lawful permanent resident.

• In State v. Lowery, 420 P.3d 456 (Kan. 2018), a Missouri state trooper told the Junction City police officer who had stopped the car that a plate reader showed it in Columbia, Missouri three times since July 2015. The officer relied on that and other factors to hold the driver for a drug dog. The Kansas Supreme Court held the plate reads added nothing to reasonable suspicion because there was no evidence whether they came from one trip or three or that the car went on to Colorado, and it affirmed suppression of the evidence. The ruling weighs what plate reader hits prove; it does not decide whether plate reader use itself is lawful.
• In State v. Smith, No. 119,262 (Kan. Ct. App. July 12, 2019) (unpublished), the opinion recites that a patrol car's license plate scanner alerted that a truck was possibly stolen. The use of the scanner was not the issue decided.
• In State ex rel. KHP v. $28,350 in U.S. Currency (Kan. Ct. App. Jan. 10, 2025), a forfeiture case, the trooper learned from a plate reader database that the vehicle had passed through Georgia six times in six months. That is a background fact, not the holding.

We did not search for a court or Attorney General interpretation of the open-records exemption.

Where are plate readers reported in Kansas?

This list is not complete. According to a Wichita City Council presentation dated June 2, 2026, the Board of Bids and Contracts considered a change order for Flock Safety LPR products. Our records mark the Wichita Police Department deployment as approved as of that date. A Johnson County Post report says Gardner's Flock cameras were turned off, and our records mark the Gardner Police Department deployment as ended as of August 17, 2026.

How can I check my local system?

Because the open-records exemption is permissive and requests go to the owning agency, start by asking that agency for its written policy, retention schedule and vendor contract, and keep in mind that the exemption means the agency is not required to release the plate data itself. For the technology itself, see What are Flock cameras?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Kansas have a license plate reader law?

Only in its open-records statutes. K.S.A. 45-217 defines ALPR terms, 45-220(j) routes requests, and 45-221(a)(55) exempts plate data and camera locations from mandatory disclosure. We found no statute governing collection, retention, sharing or audits.

Are Kansas license plate reader records public?

An agency is not required to disclose records containing captured license plate data or records about the location of an ALPR system. The wording is permissive, so it says agencies are not required to disclose, not that they are forbidden to.

Where do I send a Kansas plate reader records request?

To the state or local law enforcement or governmental agency that owns, leases or contracts for the ALPR system, according to K.S.A. 45-220(j).

How long can Kansas police keep plate reader data?

We found no Kansas statute setting a retention period. We did not review agency policies or the state records-retention schedule, so a policy may set one.

Have Kansas courts ruled on plate readers?

We found no Kansas decision on whether plate reader use or data retention is lawful. In State v. Lowery (2018), the Kansas Supreme Court held that unexplained plate reader hits did not support reasonable suspicion to prolong a stop, and two other appellate opinions mention plate readers only as background facts.

Did Kansas pass a plate reader bill in 2026?

We found none in a title scan of the 1,522 bills in the official 2026 bill data.