California is shifting from traditional traffic stops to automated radar systems that can clock a speeding car, capture its license plate and trigger a ticket with little or no human involvement. The move reflects a broader effort to cut deadly crashes on some of the state’s most dangerous roads by relying on cameras and software instead of patrol cars and sirens. As cities begin to deploy these systems, the debate is no longer about whether automated enforcement is coming, but how it will work and who it will affect.
The change is unfolding first in a handful of large and midsize cities that have pushed for new authority from Sacramento to use cameras for speed and red light enforcement. Their early experiments, backed by state legislation and local safety campaigns, are setting the template for how automated radar enforcement could spread across California in the next few years.
From pilot authority to automated tickets
The legal foundation for California’s new camera programs is a set of state laws that give local governments explicit permission to use automated systems for traffic enforcement. Lawmakers have approved local California governments to establish automated traffic enforcement systems that can monitor speed limits and red light compliance, then issue fines based on the recorded violations. One key framework is described in California AB 645, a Vehicles speed safety system pilot program that outlines how selected jurisdictions can test camera-based enforcement on a limited basis, including rules for where cameras can be placed and how long the pilot can run.
State officials have framed these laws as part of a broader push to reduce traffic deaths, especially on corridors with a history of severe crashes. An update on the implementation of AB 645 describes a five year pilot structure and a process that requires each participating city council district to weigh in on camera locations, which is meant to keep decisions tied to documented safety problems rather than revenue goals. Separate statewide summaries of new California laws going into effect in 2026 note that lawmakers have approved automated traffic enforcement systems more broadly, signaling that what begins as a pilot in a few cities is expected to inform a larger rollout.
San Francisco and the Bay Area test the model
San Francisco is one of the first places in California to move from legislative authority to actual hardware on poles. City transportation officials have described why they are introducing speed safety cameras as a first for California, pointing to corridors like Geary Boulevard where high speeds have contributed to serious and fatal crashes. A city blog on why we are introducing speed safety cameras explains that the goal is to change driver behavior, not simply to punish, and it lays out a fine structure that starts with lower penalties for modest speeding and escalates for more extreme violations, with warning policies built in before full enforcement begins…