Los Angeles drivers may want to start paying more attention to the speed limit as the city’s first automated speed cameras officially go live Monday, Oct. 26. This will kick off a new enforcement program aimed at reducing speeding across L.A. About 20 cameras will be activated in the first round, with the city planning to activate cameras at 125 locations by the end of the year.
Each newly activated camera will have a 60-day warning period, and drivers caught speeding will receive warnings in the mail. After the warning period ends, drivers will begin receiving citations, with the cost depending on how much over the speed limit they were going.
Fines range from a minimum of $50 for going 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit to a maximum of $500 for going 100 mph or more over the limit. The citations are considered civil violations and will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner.
The cameras will eventually span all 15 Los Angeles City Council districts. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation focused on Priority Safety Corridors, identifying areas with a history of speeding and high rates of speed-related crashes. LADOT also took into account areas with vulnerable road users, including senior centers, schools and unmarked crosswalks.
In 2024, around one in five fatal crashes in L.A. were directly attributed to speeding, according to LADOT. Furthermore, fatal crashes in Los Angeles are up 13% this year, with the Los Angeles Police Department recording 254 through Oct. 10, compared with 224 during the same period last year.
The city said the cameras will only capture rear license plate information and not drivers’ faces. The cameras will not use facial recognition, and confidential information cannot be shared with law enforcement unless a court order is obtained. Violation and citation images can generally be held for up to 60 days, while images that don’t result in a violation are deleted within five days.
The city says Oakland saw a 70% decline in excessive speeding where cameras were located, while San Francisco reported an 84% drop. All 125 systems will be activated by the end of 2026, with each having its own 60-day warning period before citations start.
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