California Traffic Camera Tickets: Red Light Points vs. the Speed Pilot

California is the state where "not all camera tickets are the same" is most literally true, because the Vehicle Code now authorizes camera enforcement under several separate statutes and they do not all work the same way. A red light camera operating under Vehicle Code 21455.5 produces an ordinary traffic infraction against the driver, and a conviction can add a point to your license. A red light camera operating under the newer Vehicle Code 21455.9, and the AB 645 speed camera pilot under Vehicle Code 22425 and following, produce a civil penalty against the vehicle's registered owner with no points at all. Which statute your city uses decides which kind of ticket you got.

Two Legal Theories, Several Camera Programs

California's camera-enforcement law splits along one line: driver liability through the courts, or owner liability through a civil process. Vehicle Code 21455.5 is the driver-liability side. A red light violation caught by a 21455.5 system is prosecuted as an ordinary infraction against the driver, the same way an officer-issued citation is.

Everything the legislature has added since then sits on the civil owner-liability side. Vehicle Code 21455.9, effective January 1, 2026, lets any city, county, or city and county in the state run red light cameras as a civil penalty against the registered owner. The AB 645 speed camera pilot under Vehicle Code 22425 through 22431 does the same for speeding in six jurisdictions. Two further speed programs, the City of Malibu pilot at Vehicle Code 22435 and following and the Caltrans work-zone program at Vehicle Code 22445 and following, were added on top of that.

A separate section, Vehicle Code 21455.6, is understood to bar using the red-light-camera authorization as a basis for photo radar speed enforcement; confirm the current text of that section before relying on the specific rule, since it was not independently reopened for this article.

Red Light Cameras Under 21455.5: A Real Ticket Through the Courts

Section 21455.5 requires signage posted within 200 feet of an intersection that clearly indicates the system's presence, and it mandates a 30-day warning-only period for any newly installed system. The mailed document a driver gets is not an administrative notice; it is a "notice to appear" under Vehicle Code 40518, a court document. That notice must be delivered by mail within 15 days of the alleged violation, must offer a way for the registered owner or the alleged violator to view the photographic evidence, and sets an appearance date at least 10 days after delivery. Because the notice to appear functions as a court filing once it's submitted to the magistrate, this is a genuine legal proceeding, not a civil administrative process.

Red Light Cameras Under 21455.9: Civil, Points-Free, and Open Statewide

Vehicle Code 21455.9 took effect January 1, 2026 and creates a second way to run a red light camera. Unlike 21455.5, it defines "designated jurisdiction" as any city, county, or city and county in the state, and it is civil from end to end. Subdivision (h)(1) says a traffic control signal violation recorded by a system authorized under that section "shall be subject only to a civil penalty... and shall not result in the department suspending or revoking the privilege of a violator to drive a motor vehicle or in a violation point being assessed against the violator." The system captures images of the rear license plate, and the notice of violation goes to the registered owner.

The civil penalty is $100 for a violation where no fine has been assessed in the previous three years, $200 for one within three years of a separate prior violation, $350 after two priors, and $500 after three or more. No additional processing fees beyond electronic payment processing fees may be included, and late fees are capped at $50 for the first and $100 for any later one on the same violation. Before issuing citations, the jurisdiction must run a program of warning notices only for 60 days, and must publicly announce the system at least 30 days before enforcement starts.

Section 21455.9 does not replace the older law. Subdivision (m) says plainly: "This section does not affect a designated jurisdiction that utilizes an automated traffic enforcement system pursuant to Section 21455.5. A designated jurisdiction may utilize an automated traffic enforcement system pursuant to this section or Section 21455.5." So the points question turns on which statute your city's program runs under. That is worth confirming with the issuing agency named on the notice rather than assuming, and this article does not track which California jurisdictions have adopted which pathway.

The AB 645 Speed Camera Pilot: Civil, Points-Free, and Temporary

The speed pilot is a different animal. Under Vehicle Code 22426, penalties are tiered by how far over the limit a driver was going: $50 for 11 to 15 miles per hour over, $100 for 16 to 25 miles per hour over, $200 for 26 miles per hour or more over, and $500 for 100 miles per hour or more. The statute states directly that a pilot violation "shall be subject only to a civil penalty... and shall not result in the department suspending or revoking the privilege of a violator to drive a motor vehicle or in a violation point being assessed against the violator." Every new camera location must run a 60-day warning-notice-only period before it can issue an actual penalty.

The AB 645 pilot is narrowly geographic. Section 22425 defines the participating "designated jurisdictions" as the Cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach, plus the City and County of San Francisco. How many systems each may operate is set by 2020 Census population rather than by name: no more than 125 systems for a jurisdiction with a population over 3,000,000, 33 for 800,000 to 3,000,000 inclusive, 18 for 300,000 up to 800,000, and 9 for under 300,000. On the Census Bureau's April 1, 2020 figures, that puts Los Angeles (3,899,449) in the 125 tier, San Jose (1,013,419) and San Francisco (878,392) at 33, Long Beach (466,766) and Oakland (440,679) at 18, and Glendale (196,527) at 9. The whole program is set to repeal automatically on January 1, 2032, unless the legislature renews it.

Two More Speed Camera Programs That Are Not Part of AB 645

AB 645 is not the only speed camera authorization in the Vehicle Code. Vehicle Code 22435 and the sections following it create the City of Malibu Speed Safety Pilot Program, under which Malibu may run up to five speed safety systems on Pacific Coast Highway. That article took effect January 1, 2025 and is repealed as of January 1, 2032.

Vehicle Code 22445 and the sections following it create the State Highway Work Zone Speed Safety Program, effective January 1, 2026, under which the Department of Transportation may operate up to 35 speed safety systems in state highway work zones, meaning a state highway construction or maintenance area during any time when traffic is regulated or restricted through or around that area. Section 22445.6 repeals that article as of January 1, 2032 as well.

Neither program is part of the AB 645 pilot, so a speed camera on Pacific Coast Highway or in a Caltrans work zone is not evidence that the six-jurisdiction pilot has expanded.

Does a California Camera Ticket Affect Your License or Insurance

It depends on the statute behind the camera, not on the kind of camera. A red light conviction under Vehicle Code 21455.5 is an infraction conviction, so it adds a point under Vehicle Code 12810's catch-all rule for traffic convictions and is visible to insurers the way any moving violation is. A red light violation under Vehicle Code 21455.9 and a speeding violation under the AB 645 pilot are both civil penalties, and both statutes bar DMV points along with license suspension or revocation. If you are not sure which one you received, the paperwork will tell you: a 21455.5 citation is a notice to appear that names a court, while the civil programs issue a notice of violation from the city or agency.

What Happens If You Don't Pay

Because a 21455.5 red light camera case arrives as a court notice to appear, not paying or otherwise resolving it follows ordinary infraction failure-to-appear rules, the same as ignoring any traffic ticket. A 21455.9 notice of violation is a civil matter instead, with an initial review by the issuing agency, an administrative hearing, and then an appeal to the small claims division of the superior court within 30 days of the final decision. For the speed pilot, Vehicle Code 22426 sets a 30-day window to pay or contest the penalty under Section 22427, but the exact nonpayment machinery beyond that, including whether the pilot includes indigency-based reductions, was not independently confirmed for this article and should be checked against the current statute or the issuing city's program page before you assume a specific consequence.

Which Cities Actually Run the Speed Pilot

Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco are the only jurisdictions authorized to run the AB 645 pilot. They are not the only places in California where a camera can issue a ticket, because the Malibu and Caltrans work-zone programs sit outside AB 645 and the 21455.9 red light pathway is open statewide. Which of the AB 645 programs are actively issuing real penalties, as opposed to still in a warning-only period or not yet launched, was not independently reverified for this article; check the specific city's own program page before assuming a location is fully live.

What a Red Light Ticket Actually Costs

The $500 figure listed on the AB 645 fine schedule and the $50-$200 speed pilot tiers are the statutory civil penalties, but a red light camera citation under Section 21455.5 is different because it runs through the court system, and courts typically add assessments and fees on top of the base fine. A total cost in the $490-$500 range is commonly reported for a California red light camera citation of that kind, but that figure comes from court fee schedules and practice, not from Vehicle Code 21455.5 itself, which does not set a specific fine amount in the text reviewed for this article. Confirm the current total with your specific court before assuming a number. A red light penalty under Section 21455.9 works differently again: the statute fixes it at $100 to $500 depending on prior violations and bars added processing fees.

How to Fight a California Camera Ticket

Because 21455.5 red light citations go through the court system, the notice-to-appear process gives you the same rights any traffic infraction defendant has: to view the photographic evidence, to plead not guilty, and to have the case heard. Two defenses are specific to how camera systems work: showing the required signage wasn't posted within 200 feet of the intersection as 21455.5 requires, or showing the citation didn't reach the 30-day warning-only carve-out correctly for a newly installed system. A 21455.9 notice of violation follows the civil track instead, through an initial agency review, an administrative hearing, and an appeal to the small claims division. For the AB 645 speed pilot, the civil process under Section 22427 allows a contest as well, though its specific procedural details were not independently confirmed for this article.

Rental Cars and Out-of-State Plates

Vehicle Code 40518 already anticipates that the registered owner may not be the actual violator, referring to notice being given to "the registered owner of the vehicle or the alleged violator." Camera programs generally identify a vehicle's owner through routine DMV record lookups, a use federal privacy law permits for government agencies performing official functions and enforcement-related proceedings, so an out-of-state plate does not exempt a driver from either California program's reach.

Photographic Evidence Stays Confidential

Section 21455.5 limits who can see the images a red light camera captures: photographic records "shall be confidential, and shall be made available only to governmental agencies and law enforcement agencies," with limited exceptions for the vehicle's owner or the alleged violator to review the evidence against them. That confidentiality requirement is one of the due-process features built into California's law, and it is part of why the state's camera programs generally aren't used for unrelated surveillance purposes.

School Bus Stop-Arm Cameras Are a Different Program

Cameras that photograph drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus run under a separate legal framework from the red light and speed cameras described here, and that program is outside the scope of this article.

Information last verified on 2026-09-22. This article explains how the civil and legal process works in each state; it is not legal advice, and how a specific citation plays out depends on the facts of that case.

Related Resources

• Traffic Camera Ticket Laws by State
• Do You Have to Pay a Camera Ticket?
• How to Fight a Camera Ticket
• Can You Get a Speeding Ticket Without Being Pulled Over?
• DUI Laws by State

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Last updated: 2026-09-22.

More California Laws

• California Car Accident Laws
• California Dashcam Laws
• California DUI Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a California red light camera ticket put points on my license?

It depends on which statute the camera runs under. A conviction on a red light infraction under Vehicle Code 21455.5 adds a point under Vehicle Code 12810's general rule for traffic convictions and is visible to insurers. A violation under Vehicle Code 21455.9, the civil red light pathway effective January 1, 2026, carries no points and cannot trigger a license suspension or revocation. Check which program the issuing agency runs before assuming either answer.

Does California's AB 645 speed camera pilot put points on my license?

No. Vehicle Code 22426 explicitly bars both license points and suspension or revocation for a speed pilot violation; it is a civil penalty only.

Where does California's speed camera pilot operate?

The AB 645 pilot is authorized in six jurisdictions: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco. It is not the only speed camera law in the state. Vehicle Code 22435 and following let Malibu run up to five systems on Pacific Coast Highway, and Vehicle Code 22445 and following let Caltrans run up to 35 systems in state highway work zones.

How many speed cameras can each AB 645 city run?

The cap is set by 2020 Census population, not by city name: 125 systems for a jurisdiction over 3,000,000 residents, 33 for 800,000 to 3,000,000 inclusive, 18 for 300,000 up to 800,000, and 9 for under 300,000. That works out to 125 for Los Angeles, 33 each for San Jose and San Francisco, 18 each for Long Beach and Oakland, and 9 for Glendale.

How much is a California speed pilot ticket?

$50 for going 11 to 15 mph over the limit, $100 for 16 to 25 mph over, $200 for 26 mph or more over, and $500 for driving 100 mph or more.

How much is a red light camera penalty under Vehicle Code 21455.9?

$100 if no fine has been assessed in the previous three years, $200 within three years of one prior violation, $350 after two priors, and $500 after three or more. No processing fees beyond electronic payment processing may be added, and late fees are capped at $50 for the first and $100 for any later one.

Is California's AB 645 speed camera pilot permanent?

No. It is scheduled to repeal automatically on January 1, 2032 unless the legislature renews it. The Malibu pilot and the Caltrans work-zone program are both set to repeal on that same date.

What happens if I ignore a California red light camera notice to appear?

A notice to appear issued under Vehicle Code 21455.5 is a court document, not a bill. Ignoring it follows the ordinary consequences of missing a court date on a traffic infraction, not a simple late fee. A civil notice of violation under Vehicle Code 21455.9 works differently, with late fees and an administrative process instead.

How much does a California red light camera ticket actually cost with fees?

For a Section 21455.5 citation, a total in the $490-$500 range is commonly reported once court assessments are added to the base fine, but that figure comes from court fee schedules rather than the Vehicle Code text itself; confirm the current total with your specific court.