Speed cameras are allowed in 31 US states and Washington, DC, and they are running in 26 of those states and DC, according to our count of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) table dated November 2026. Eight states prohibit them, South Carolina generally does, and 10 states have no law on them at all. Many of the states that do allow cameras limit them to set places, such as school zones and highway work zones.
| Status | States |
|---|---|
| Permitted, cameras in place (26 states and DC) | Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, District of Columbia |
| Permitted, no cameras in place (5 states) | Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Vermont |
| Prohibited by state law (8 states) | Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Generally prohibited (1 state) | South Carolina, emergency use only |
| No state law or local ordinance (10 states) | Alaska, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Which states allow speed cameras?
Thirty-one states and Washington, DC, permit speed cameras, either through state law, local ordinance or both. The rules vary widely. DC allows them citywide and Oregon statewide, while Indiana allows them only at highway work sites when workers are present.
A few examples show how narrow or broad the permission can be:
- Statewide: Arizona, Colorado and Oregon permit cameras statewide, although Arizona keeps them off state highways.
- Work zones only: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Vermont.
- School zones only: Florida, Georgia and Rhode Island, along with North Carolina on paper.
- Named places: Pennsylvania lists Philadelphia and active work zones, and Illinois limits its safety zones to cities of 1,000,000 or more people.
- Trial periods: Minnesota's pilot program runs from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2029.
Which states have banned speed cameras?
Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin prohibit speed cameras, according to IIHS. South Carolina generally prohibits them too, authorizing them only for violations that occur during an emergency. In Idaho the ban comes from a law on license plate readers and similar devices used for traffic enforcement.
Which states have no speed camera law?
Alaska, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming have no state law or local ordinance on speed cameras in the IIHS table. None of them has cameras in place.
Why do speed camera counts differ?
Counts differ because they are compiled at different times and group the laws differently. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), last updated in October 2025, counted 19 states and DC with laws that permit cameras and 10 states with laws that prohibit them. The IIHS table is newer and counts states where the permission rests on a local ordinance, so we use it here. For a broader overview of driving rules, see our United States speed limit and camera guide.
Which states have speed cameras in use?
Twenty-six states and Washington, DC, have speed cameras in place. That leaves five states where cameras are allowed on paper but none are running: Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah and Vermont.
The spread has been fast. IIHS says only four Arizona and Utah communities used speed cameras in 1995, and that 338 communities in 26 states and DC operated them during 2025. Its running list stood at 387 communities in November 2026. The first two were Peoria and Paradise Valley, both in Arizona, in 1987.
Keep in mind that the list includes both large cities and small towns. It also changes often, so a place you drove through last year may have a camera program this year, or may have ended one.
How do speed cameras work in the US?
A speed camera measures your speed and, if it is above the set threshold, records the vehicle along with the date, time and location. IIHS describes three main kinds, and GHSA says citations are mailed to the vehicle owner.
How do fixed speed cameras work?
Fixed cameras stay in one place and use radar or detectors embedded in the road surface to measure speed at a single spot. If a vehicle goes faster than a preset speed, the system records the date, time, location and speed along with a photo of the vehicle.
How do mobile speed cameras work?
Mobile cameras are placed at the roadside, for example in marked or unmarked police cars, in containers or on poles, and they use radar or laser. Some communities require them to be staffed. New Mexico does not permit mobile enforcement vans on state and federal roads.
What are average speed cameras?
Average speed cameras measure your speed between two or more points, using license plate recognition to match each vehicle and work out the average. IIHS names Australia and the United Kingdom as countries that use them. Our guide to average speed cameras in the UK explains how this kind of system works in practice.
Do speed cameras photograph the driver?
It depends on the state, and some laws focus on the vehicle alone. Washington state law says a camera image must not reveal the face of the driver or of passengers in the vehicle. Maryland requires an image that shows a clear and legible view of the entire license plate.
Where do US speed cameras operate?
US speed cameras operate mainly on city streets, in school zones and in highway work zones. Which of those applies depends entirely on state law, and many states name their locations one by one.
- School zones: named in the laws of 16 states. Our guide to school zone speed cameras covers the hours state by state.
- Highway work zones: IIHS says cameras are used statewide in work zones in 14 states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
- Residential streets: Maryland allows them in certain jurisdictions on residential roads posted at 35 mph or less, and Delaware lists residential districts.
- Hospitals and parks: Washington lists hospital and public park speed zones as well as school zones.
- High-crash places: Hawaii and Washington both name high-risk or high-crash locations.
Are there speed cameras on interstates?
Mostly in work zones, because many states keep cameras off these roads otherwise. Oregon does not allow them on controlled-access highways, Arizona does not allow them on state highways, and Washington does not allow them on ramps to limited-access roads. Louisiana does not permit them on interstates except when the state operates them in construction zones with workers present, according to GHSA. In Arkansas, photos taken in interstate work zones go to an officer stationed further down the road.
How do you know a speed camera is ahead?
In most programs you should see a sign, and several states write that into law. GHSA says signs and publicity campaigns typically warn drivers that photo enforcement is in use.
- Washington: camera locations must be clearly marked with signs at least 30 days before a camera is activated.
- Maryland: before activation, the operator must publish the location on its website and in a local newspaper, and put a camera sign near the school zone sign.
- Georgia: from July 1, 2027, warning signs must flash yellow and show the vehicle's speed when the cameras are active, according to IIHS.
- Chicago: violations recorded in the first 30 days of a new camera bring warning notices only.
Do speed cameras reduce crashes?
Yes, studies consistently find fewer crashes and less speeding where cameras operate. IIHS found that the share of drivers exceeding limits by more than 10 mph fell 70% on residential roads in Maryland, 88% on a high-speed road in Arizona and 82% on city streets in Washington, DC, six to eight months after cameras arrived.
The crash numbers point the same way:
- In Montgomery County, Maryland, cameras were linked with a 19% lower likelihood that a crash involved an incapacitating or fatal injury.
- In New York City school zones, crashes fell 14% through March 2022 during the hours the cameras were running.
- A 2010 Cochrane Collaboration review of 28 studies found reductions of 11% to 44% in crashes with deaths and serious injuries near camera sites.
Longer studies in that review showed the trends holding or improving over time, which suggests the effect does not simply fade once drivers get used to the cameras.
Do Americans support speed cameras?
Support is mixed nationally and tends to be stronger where people live with cameras. A 2025 national survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found 47% of drivers supported cameras for drivers going more than 10 mph over the limit on residential streets.
Local surveys often run higher. In Montgomery County, 62% of drivers favored cameras on residential streets about seven and a half years after the program began. In Scottsdale, Arizona, support rose from 63% before cameras started on an urban freeway to 77% once they were running.
What do speed cameras mean for your next drive?
For your next drive, the rule of thumb is simple: the law can change at the city limit as easily as at the state line. A camera may be running in a school zone in one town and be banned in the next state. Knowing the rules ahead of time and following the posted limit will always serve you well, wherever you are, and a clear head on the road is worth a lot.
Ghost makes that much easier. It runs in the background next to any navigation app and warns you about known fixed speed cameras and average-speed zones about 700 meters ahead, which is roughly 0.4 mile, and again at 250 meters, with one tone and no voice. 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 and the limit still come first, and you stay relaxed, informed and focused on arriving safely.
