New Jersey License Plate Reader Laws (2026)

New Jersey now has an ALPR statute, but it is mainly a sharing and transfer law. Section 5 of the Privacy Protection Act, P.L.2026, c.4, provides that "[a] government entity shall not sell, share, or transfer automated license plate recognition information concerning the operation of a person's motor vehicle," with four exceptions. Retention, permitted uses and audits are not in the statute. They come from Attorney General Directive 2022-12, which is executive policy the Attorney General can change.

Information reviewed September 30, 2026.

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

What does the New Jersey statute cover?

The act defines an "automated license plate recognition system" as "a searchable database resulting from the operation of one or more mobile or fixed cameras combined with computer algorithms to read and convert images of license plates" into computer-readable data. A "government entity" includes State executive departments and instrumentalities, independent authorities, public higher education institutions, and political subdivisions and their instrumentalities.

The prohibition in section 5(b)(1) is about what a government entity does with the information, meaning selling, sharing or transferring it. The statute does not set retention periods, permitted uses or an audit program.

What are the four exceptions?

A government entity may share ALPR information:

1. with another government entity when permitted by law;
2. under a valid judicial order or judicial warrant;
3. with the person's knowing written consent; or
4. with a law enforcement agency of another jurisdiction for a criminal investigation, if the receiver certifies electronically or in writing that the information will not be used for civil immigration enforcement, will not be shared, sold, transferred or made searchable by the receiver, and that it is bound by the same restrictions and data security requirements under New Jersey law, State Police protocols and Attorney General directives.

Agreements for sharing with a law enforcement agency of another jurisdiction are governmental records under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). If a receiving agency violates the act or its agreement, the Attorney General may "by order, prohibit the sharing of automated license plate recognition information with that law enforcement agency or deny access to the government entity."

Does the statute cover vendors and federal law?

A government entity's use of a third-party ALPR vendor is not a sale, share or transfer, provided the vendor does not sell, share, transfer or make the data searchable to others unless it meets the exceptions and receives authorization from the government entity.

Section 5 does not restrict any action where the prohibition would be contrary to federal law, including 8 U.S.C. 1373 and 1644, a judicial order or a judicial warrant. "Judicial warrant" means a probable-cause warrant issued by a federal Article III judge or magistrate judge or the State equivalent.

A companion law signed the same day also reaches plate data. P.L.2026, c.5, which codifies the Attorney General's Immigrant Trust Directive and took effect immediately, provides in section 3(c) that a State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency or officer shall not, "when the sole purpose is to enforce federal civil immigration law," provide federal immigration authorities "any non-public personally identifying information regarding any individual," which it says "includes a social security number, credit card number, unlisted telephone number, driver's license number, vehicle license plate number," and other listed items, or provide access to any law enforcement "equipment, office space, database, or property not available to the general public." Section 3(d) keeps exceptions, including compliance with a valid judicial warrant or court order, joint task forces whose primary purpose is unrelated to civil immigration enforcement, exigent circumstances, and exchanging citizenship or immigration status information.

What notice and policy duties apply?

Except where notice would compromise a criminal investigation, a government entity compelled by judicial order, warrant or federal law to disclose ALPR information "shall provide notice of the disclosure to the person to whom the record or information pertains within 90 days of the disclosure." The notice states the record, the recipient and the basis.

Government entities must review their confidentiality policies and make any changes needed to comply no later than one calendar year after the effective date, which is about March 25, 2027, and those changes must be published prominently on their websites.

What can a person do about misuse?

Under section 5(g), a government entity that knowingly obtains, discloses or uses ALPR information for a purpose not permitted by section 5 "shall be subject to injunctive relief and civilly liable for damages to the person to whom the information pertains." The person, or a representative or guardian, may sue in Superior Court.

How long can New Jersey keep plate data?

The act sets no retention period, and none was found in the text read. Retention comes from Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2022-12, issued October 21, 2022 and effective January 23, 2023: "Records and ALPR data covered by this Section shall be retained for three years." Data is then purged unless tied to an active investigation or pending judicial process, in which case it is exported to the case file. The directive supersedes Directive 2010-5 and its 2015 revision and remains in force until repealed, amended or superseded by Attorney General order.

Because it is executive policy, this figure can change without a new law.

What else does Directive 2022-12 require?

The directive says "[a]n ALPR and the data it generates shall only be used for official and legitimate law enforcement purposes." Its main rules are:

• Scanning is limited to vehicles exposed to public view.
• An entry to a be-on-the-lookout list needs a legitimate and specific law enforcement reason.
• Stored non-alert data is limited to a be-on-the-lookout query, a crime-scene query and crime trend analysis. For crime trend analysis, disclosing personal identifying information requires specific and articulable facts and designated supervisor approval, or a grand jury subpoena.
• Automated access records are required.
• Each agency designates an ALPR Coordinator, and a State ALPR Coordinator runs the Statewide API for cross-agency access.

On private data, ALPR data collected by a private entity under an agreement with New Jersey law enforcement may be shared with New Jersey agencies. Private entities "may provide ALPR data to New Jersey agencies but cannot receive law enforcement-owned ALPR data." Sharing with agencies outside New Jersey requires a written agreement and State ALPR Coordinator approval, and only federally recognized law enforcement agencies may receive access.

What audits are required?

By January 31 each year, each Agency ALPR Coordinator audits the agency's program and sends the audit to the County and State ALPR Coordinators. The audit covers whether a policy is in place, that only authorized users have access, training dates, a random access survey, and known violations or complaints. The County or State Coordinator may audit at any time. By March 31 each year, the State ALPR Coordinator publicly reports which agencies completed audits and the violation and complaint counts. The Attorney General may suspend or revoke an agency's or employee's ALPR authority.

Can you request ALPR records in New Jersey?

Agreements for sharing with a law enforcement agency of another jurisdiction are governmental records under OPRA, per section 5(b)(2). Directive 2022-12 says stored ALPR data shall be treated as "criminal investigatory records" under OPRA and not provided to anyone other than a law enforcement agency unless a subpoena or court order authorizes it or criminal discovery rules require it. Whether a court would agree in a particular OPRA request was not researched. The annual State ALPR Coordinator report described above is public by the directive's terms.

Have New Jersey courts or cities addressed ALPR?

This page does not describe any New Jersey court holding on ALPR. Directive 2022-12 says it continues to apply the New Jersey Supreme Court's framework in State v. Donis, 157 N.J. 44 (1998), which the directive describes as limiting law enforcement access to personal identifying information linked to a license plate unless there is a particularized basis. The research did not open opinion text for the cases it identified, so none is characterized here. New Jersey Constitution privacy provisions and local ordinances were not researched.

One local record identified: Patch reported that the Edison council voted 6-1 on September 23, 2026 to expand its police department's use of Flock plate readers. That is a news report rather than an official council record, and the list of New Jersey deployments is not complete.

Last updated: September 30, 2026. Statutes and directives cited reflect the text reviewed on September 30, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does New Jersey have an ALPR law?

Yes, since March 25, 2026. Section 5 of P.L.2026, c.4 restricts government entities from selling, sharing or transferring ALPR information. Retention and use rules come from Attorney General Directive 2022-12.

How long does New Jersey keep license plate reader data?

Directive 2022-12 sets three years, then purge unless the data is tied to an active investigation or pending judicial process. The statute itself sets no retention period.

Can New Jersey share plate reader data with other states or immigration authorities?

The statute allows sharing with a law enforcement agency of another jurisdiction for a criminal investigation only if the receiver certifies the information will not be used for civil immigration enforcement and will not be shared, sold or made searchable. Section 5 also says it does not restrict action where the prohibition would be contrary to federal law, a judicial order or a judicial warrant.

Can I sue over misuse of my plate reader data?

Section 5(g) makes a government entity that knowingly obtains, discloses or uses ALPR information for a non-permitted purpose subject to injunctive relief and liable for damages to the person. The person may sue in Superior Court.

Who audits New Jersey agencies?

Under Directive 2022-12, each agency audits its program by January 31 each year, and the State ALPR Coordinator publicly reports by March 31 which agencies completed audits and the violation and complaint counts.

Is the three-year retention period a law?

No. It comes from an Attorney General directive, which is executive policy that can be amended or superseded by Attorney General order.