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Tennessee Speed & Red-Light Cameras Laws (2026)
Conditional: Red-light cameras are allowed in Tennessee, but only a P.O.S.T.-certified or state-commissioned law enforcement officer may authorize the citation, and a person who does not contest it pays no more than $50.
Red-light cameras are allowed in Tennessee, but only a P.O.S.T.-certified or state-commissioned law enforcement officer may authorize the citation, and a person who does not contest it pays no more than $50. Speed cameras may not be used to cite anyone on a public road except within the designated distance of a marked school zone or on an S-curve — a bend shaped like an "S" that blocks a driver's view through it. (TCA 55-8-198; Public Chapter 468 of 2015.) A 2026 bill to narrow the school-zone exception passed the Senate but died in the House, so the law is unchanged.
Official source: publications.tnsosfiles.com →
General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.
Speed & Red-Light Cameras in states bordering Tennessee
The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.
- AlabamaConditional
Alabama has no statewide ban on traffic cameras: camera enforcement is a local option, authorized city by city by a special local act in places such as Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.
Verified Jun 18, 2026 · Source: dot.state.al.us · Full Alabama rule →
- ArkansasRestricted
Arkansas bars automated speed enforcement except in a school zone, at a railroad crossing, or in a highway work zone (A.C.A. 27-52-110, 27-52-111). Even then, a certified law enforcement officer must issue the citation to the violator at the time of the violation. Arkansas Highway Police enforcing motor-carrier laws are exempt.
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: ardot.gov · Full Arkansas rule →
- GeorgiaConditional
Speed cameras are permitted only in school zones — Georgia has no open-road speed cameras. HB 651 (Act 711 of 2026), effective July 1, 2026, rewrote the rules: tighter sign standards, penalties for misuse, permit revocation, and limits on notices and fees. From July 1, 2027, new O.C.G.A. 40-14-19 bars any school-zone camera contract unless local voters approve it in a referendum. Cameras also require a Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) permit — see Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-20.
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: gov.georgia.gov · Full Georgia rule →
- KentuckyConditional
No Kentucky statute authorizes general red-light or speed cameras, and none are in use. The only automated speed enforcement allowed is in highway work zones, under HB 664 (2025).
Verified Jun 18, 2026 · Source: apps.legislature.ky.gov · Full Kentucky rule →
- MississippiRestricted
Mississippi bans automated traffic cameras: no county or city may use a camera or radar system to enforce traffic signals or speed limits. Existing systems had to be removed by October 2009.
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · Full Mississippi rule →
- MissouriRestricted
The Missouri Supreme Court struck down red-light and speed camera ordinances on due-process grounds in 2015, in the Tupper and Moline Acres line of cases. Camera tickets are not enforceable and the programs are largely defunct.
Verified Jun 18, 2026 · Source: stlouis-mo.gov · Full Missouri rule →
- North CarolinaConditional
North Carolina leaves traffic cameras to local option: red-light cameras and school-zone speed cameras are allowed only in cities and counties that a state enabling statute has authorized, and the fines must fund schools.
Verified Jun 18, 2026 · Source: ncleg.net · Full North Carolina rule →
- VirginiaConditional
Virginia allows red-light cameras at local option (15.2-968.1). Speed cameras are allowed only in work zones, school crossing zones, and high-risk intersection segments (46.2-882.1).
Verified Jun 18, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →
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