California has speed cameras, but only in a few places. San Francisco and Oakland issue citations today, Los Angeles began activating cameras on October 26, 2026, and San Jose, Long Beach, Glendale and Malibu are close behind. The pilot cameras stay off freeways and interstates, so this is a city street story, not a highway one.
| City | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 33 locations | Citations since August 5, 2025 |
| Oakland | 35 cameras at 18 locations | Citations since March 15, 2026 |
| Los Angeles | Up to 125 | About 20 activated from October 26, 2026; warnings for 60 days |
| San Jose | 33 locations | Warnings planned from December 14; citations February 12, 2027 |
| Long Beach | 18 | Warnings expected in October; citations expected in December |
| Glendale | 9 locations | Scheduled to go live in fall 2026 |
| Malibu, Pacific Coast Highway | 21-mile stretch | Warning period delayed to November 2026 |
Are there speed cameras in California?
Yes, California now has speed cameras, in a limited pilot authorized by state law. Assembly Bill 645, passed in 2023, lets six cities test automated speed enforcement: San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach and Glendale.
The law caps each city by population, which is why the numbers in the table look the way they do:
- Over 3,000,000 people: up to 125 systems.
- 800,000 to 3,000,000 people: up to 33 systems.
- 300,000 to 800,000 people: up to 18 systems.
- Under 300,000 people: up to 9 systems.
Cameras can go on safety corridors, in school zones and on streets with a record of speed contests or exhibitions of speed. For where California fits nationally, see which states have speed cameras.
Which California cities have speed cameras?
San Francisco and Oakland have working programs today, Los Angeles has started, and four more places are at or near launch. Here is the local picture.
Where are the speed cameras in San Francisco?
San Francisco has cameras at 33 locations, on corridors including Geary Boulevard, Fulton Street, Lincoln Way, Market Street, Mission Street, the Embarcadero, Bryant Street, Harrison Street, Cesar Chavez Street, Alemany Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard. The first cameras went on in March 2025, and citations began on August 5, 2025.
Where are the speed cameras in Oakland?
Oakland runs 35 cameras at 18 locations, chosen from its High-Injury Network. They include stretches of MLK Jr. Way, Claremont Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, West Grand Avenue, Broadway, San Pablo Avenue, International Boulevard, Hegenberger Road, 73rd Avenue, Bancroft Avenue and 98th Avenue. Warnings began on January 14, 2026, and citations on March 15. Posted limits on these stretches run from 20 mph on parts of Broadway and 7th Street to 40 mph on Hegenberger Road, so the number changes a lot from one camera to the next.
Where are the speed cameras in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles may have up to 125 cameras, and about 20 were due on day one, October 26, 2026. FOX 11 named first sites at La Brea Avenue and 1st Street, Fairfax Avenue and Clinton Street, Melrose Avenue and Hayworth Avenue, La Cienega Boulevard and Pico Boulevard, plus sections of Sunset, Olympic and Venice Boulevards and Highland Avenue. All 125 are expected online by the end of 2026, and citations at the first sites are expected in late December. The full network spans the San Fernando Valley, central Los Angeles, the Westside, South LA and the Harbor area, and the sites were picked for crash history and high pedestrian activity.
When do San Jose's speed cameras start?
San Jose's warnings are set to start on December 14, 2026, with citations from February 12, 2027. KQED reports 33 locations, at least one in each of the city's 10 council districts, chosen for crash history and closeness to hospitals and senior centers. It is the last Bay Area city in the pilot to launch.
When do speed cameras start in Long Beach and Glendale?
Crews were installing Long Beach's 18 cameras in September 2026, including on Artesia Boulevard in North Long Beach. LAist reported warnings expected in October and citations in December, with half the cameras on high-crash streets and half in school zones or street racing areas. Glendale plans nine locations, and Streetsblog reported in March that it was scheduled to go live this fall.
Are there speed cameras on PCH in Malibu?
Malibu's cameras on Pacific Coast Highway are in testing, and the warning period has been pushed from late September to November 2026. This is a separate program from the six-city pilot, covering the city's 21 miles of PCH. Malibu is also finishing a traffic study of existing limits in the eastern part of the city, near Carbon Canyon and Tuna Canyon, due in November.
Are there speed cameras on California freeways?
No, the city pilot cameras are not allowed on California freeways. The law bars them from any state route, including freeways, expressways, US highways and interstates, and from certain public roads where the California Highway Patrol has primary jurisdiction.
Are there speed cameras in California work zones?
Caltrans has its own authority here, and it is narrow. It may run up to 35 speed safety systems, only in approved state highway work zones, only during published hours and only when workers are present. A public information campaign of at least 30 days comes first, followed by 60 days of warnings. Approved sites are listed on the department's website.
How do you know a speed camera is ahead in California?
You know from the sign: state law requires a "Photo Enforced" sign showing the posted limit no more than 500 feet before the camera. The sign must be visible from your direction of travel.
Oakland shows how this looks on the street. Its signs combine a speed limit sign with a "Photo Enforced" plaque, placed within 500 feet of each camera approach, and a contractor checks them every 30 days.
California also builds in a learning period:
- For the first 60 calendar days of a city program, only warning notices go out.
- The same 60 days apply again when cameras are added on new streets.
- Los Angeles counts those 60 days from each camera's activation date.
What is the speed limit in California?
California's general maximum is 65 mph on highways, unless signs say 70 mph or a lower number. Two-lane undivided highways are 55 mph unless posted higher after a traffic survey. Our guide to interstate speed limits by state compares California with the rest of the country.
- 70 mph: only where Caltrans has declared it and posted it, with California Highway Patrol approval.
- 65 mph: the general limit on highways. IIHS lists 65 mph on urban interstates.
- 55 mph: two-lane undivided highways, and any car or truck towing a vehicle or trailer, along with heavy trucks and school buses carrying students.
- 25 mph: business and residence districts, and near schools when children are going to or leaving school and a "School" sign is posted.
- 15 mph: alleys, and blind intersections and railroad crossings without a clear view.
What is California's basic speed law?
The basic speed law says you may never drive faster than is reasonable or prudent, whatever the sign shows. Weather, visibility, traffic and the road surface all count. The DMV handbook suggests reducing speed by 5 to 10 mph on wet roads, by half on packed snow and to no more than 5 mph on ice. If you cannot see farther than 100 feet, it says driving faster than 30 mph is not safe.
Do California speed cameras slow drivers down?
Yes, the first results show large drops in speeding. San Francisco reported in October 2026 that excessive speeding fell 84 percent at camera locations after 18 months, or more than 42,000 fewer speeding instances per day.
- Staying power: UC Berkeley's SafeTREC found excess speeding remained well below baseline 40 to 50 weeks after activation.
- Repeat notices: 63 percent of San Francisco notice recipients did not receive a second one.
- Oakland: vehicles speeding well over the limit fell an average of 70 percent across all 18 locations.
- Hegenberger Road: the 85th percentile speed fell from 57 mph in 2024 to 47 mph in 2026.
- Who gets notices: in Oakland, violations went to about 1.5 percent of vehicles passing the cameras.
- Trend: Oakland's daily violations fell about 26 percent, from roughly 3,800 a day in the first citation month to roughly 2,800 a day in June and July.
New York's long-running program points the same way, as our guide to NYC speed cameras shows. The law also holds cities to account. San Francisco says AB 645 requires at least a 20 percent reduction in excessive speeding at each camera location, and all 33 of its locations met at least one state-required measure.
What do California's speed cameras mean for your next drive?
For your next drive, the map is changing faster than most drivers realize. A street you have used for years in Los Angeles or Long Beach may have a camera by the end of the year, and the pilot runs for five years or until January 1, 2032. Keeping to the posted limit on the big city boulevards, the ones with the most crossings and the most people, is the habit that serves you best.
Ghost helps you keep up with that change. It runs next to Google Maps and warns you safely from the background with a banner and a tone over your music, about 700 meters (roughly 0.4 mile) ahead of a known fixed speed camera and again at 250 meters, and as you get closer it shows the exact distance clearly. It works on CarPlay, Android Auto and Apple Watch and covers more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide. Ghost does not warn about police checks and does not detect radar, so the signs still come first, and you get to enjoy the drive, whether that is Sunset Boulevard or the Golden Gate.
