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SB1624 • 2026
photo radar enforcement; civil penalty
SB1624 - photo radar enforcement; civil penalty
Crime
Education
Vetoed
The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.
- Sponsor
- David Gowan
- Last action
- 2026-06-19
- Official status
- Governor vetoed
- Effective date
- Not listed
Plain English Breakdown
The bill status is listed as vetoed; it has no effective date unless a legislative override occurs.
SB1624: Photo Radar Enforcement and Civil Penalties
This bill requires police to review photo evidence before issuing tickets, limits fines for most camera violations to $75 with a portion going to officer training equipment, and prevents these specific violations from affecting driver licenses or insurance rates.
What This Bill Does
- Requires law enforcement agencies to review photos recorded by cameras before deciding if a traffic violation occurred.
- Makes it illegal for private photo companies to decide if a violation happened; breaking this rule is a class 1 misdemeanor.
- Limits the fine for most speed or red light camera violations to no more than $75, excluding specific school crossing and certain red light cases.
- Requires that $15 of each collected fine be put into a fund used only for peace officer equipment.
- States that courts cannot send records of these violations to the state department, so they cannot lead to license suspension or revocation.
- Prohibits insurance companies from using these specific violations to raise rates, cancel policies, or refuse renewal.
Who It Names or Affects
- Drivers who receive notices for speed or traffic control device violations captured by cameras
- Law enforcement agencies that must review camera evidence before issuing citations
- Private photo enforcement companies operating in Arizona
- Car insurance providers setting rates and determining insurability
Terms To Know
- Notice of violation
- A letter sent by a company or city about a camera ticket that is not an official court document.
- Civil penalty
- A fine paid to the government for breaking traffic rules, which does not count as a criminal record under this bill.
- Peace officer training equipment fund
- A special account where money from fines is kept to buy gear and tools for police officers.
Limits and Unknowns
- The governor vetoed this bill, so it did not become law unless lawmakers later overrode that decision.
- The fine limits and insurance protections do not apply to red light violations under section 28-645 or school crossing violations under section 28-797.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: This amendment changes the law so that red light and school crossing violations are no longer treated as civil penalties under photo enforcement, while also requiring $15 of any remaining fine to go toward police equipment.
- Red light camera tickets and school zone speeding tickets will not be included in the new rules for civil traffic fines from photo systems.
- $15 out of every $75 civil penalty collected must be put into a special fund for peace officer training equipment.
- The text does not explain what happens to red light or school crossing violations if they are removed from this specific section.
- It is unclear how the remaining $60 of the fine will be used since only the portion for police equipment was specified.
Plain English: This amendment changes photo radar speeding tickets from criminal charges to civil fines, limits the fine amount to $75, and ensures these violations do not affect a person's driver license or car insurance rates.
- People caught by photo radar for speeding will face a maximum civil penalty of $75 instead of being charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor crime.
- These traffic violations cannot be used to suspend or revoke a driver's license, and courts are not allowed to send records of these tickets to the state motor vehicle department.
- Car insurance companies must ignore these specific photo radar violations when setting rates, deciding if someone can get insured, or choosing whether to cancel a policy.
- Law enforcement officers, rather than private camera companies, must review the photos and decide if a violation actually happened before issuing any citation.
- The amendment text does not explain how cities will collect these fines if people do not respond to the initial notice.
- It is unclear from this document whether existing photo radar systems in other Arizona towns are automatically allowed or need new approval under these rules.
Plain English: This amendment changes photo radar speeding tickets from criminal charges to civil fines, limits the fine amount to $75, and ensures these violations do not affect a person's driver license or car insurance rates.
- People caught by photo radar for speeding will face a maximum civil penalty of $75 instead of being charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor crime.
- These traffic violations cannot be used to suspend or revoke a driver's license, and courts are not allowed to send records of these tickets to the state motor vehicle department.
- Car insurance companies must ignore these specific photo radar violations when setting rates, deciding if someone can get insured, or choosing whether to cancel a policy.
- Law enforcement officers, rather than private camera companies, must review the photos and decide if a violation actually happened before issuing any citation.
- The amendment removes money from photo radar fines that was previously sent to the Peace Officer Training Equipment Fund, but it does not explain how this fund will be supported in the future.
- While the text says people do not have to respond to initial notices, it warns that ignoring them could lead to extra fees for formal legal service, though the exact amount of these new fees is not listed.
Bill History
-
2026-06-12
V
Governor vetoed
-
2026-06-12
Senate
Senate passed
-
2026-06-12
Senate
Senate passed
-
2026-06-12
Senate
Senate minority caucus
-
2026-06-11
Senate
Transmitted to Senate
-
2026-06-11
House
House third read passed
-
2026-06-10
House
House committee of the whole
-
2026-06-01
House
House committee of the whole
-
2026-03-24
House
House minority caucus
-
2026-03-24
House
House majority caucus
-
2026-03-03
House
House second read
-
2026-03-02
House
House Rules: C&P
-
2026-03-02
House
House Transportation & Infrastructure: DPA
-
2026-03-02
House
House first read
-
2026-02-27
House
Transmitted to House
-
2026-02-26
Senate
Senate third read passed
-
2026-02-17
Senate
Senate minority caucus
-
2026-02-17
Senate
Senate majority caucus
-
2026-02-16
Senate
Senate consent calendar
-
2026-02-04
Senate
Senate second read
-
2026-02-03
Senate
Senate Rules: PFC
-
2026-02-03
Senate
Senate Public Safety: DP
-
2026-02-03
Senate
Senate first read
Official Summary Text
SB1624 - photo radar enforcement; civil penalty
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SB1624 - 572R - H Ver
House Engrossed
Senate Bill
photo radar
enforcement; civil penalty
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1624
AN
ACT
amending sections 28-1602 and 41-1731,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to traffic enforcement and officer training.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 28-1602, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
28-1602.
Photo enforcement violations; law enforcement review; violation;
classification; service of process; no duty to identify photo or respond; civil
penalty; definitions
A. Notwithstanding any other law, if a person
receives a notice of violation in the mail for a violation of chapter 3,
article 3 or 6 of this title or of a city or town ordinance for excessive speed
or failure to obey a traffic control device that is obtained using a photo
enforcement system, the person does not have to do either of the following:
1. Identify who is in the photo.
2. Respond to the notice of violation.
B. The notice of violation must state the following:
1. The notice
of violation
is
not a court issued document and the recipient is under no obligation to
identify the person or respond to the notice
of violation
.
2. Failure to respond to the notice
of
violation
may result in official service that may result in an
additional fee being levied.
C. Before a citation is issued, a law enforcement
agency must review evidence that is recorded by a photo enforcement system to
determine whether a violation of chapter 3, article 3 or 6 of this title or of
a city or town ordinance for excessive speed or failure to obey a traffic
control device occurred.
D. A photo enforcement company may not determine
whether a violation of chapter 3, article 3 or 6 of this title occurred for the
purpose of
the issuance of
issuing
a
citation. A violation of this subsection is a class 1 misdemeanor.
E. In addition to any other means authorized by the
Arizona rules of civil procedure, alternative service of process must be sent
by certified mail with an additional copy by regular mail and a notice must be
posted on the front door of the business or residence and, if present and
accessible, a residence's garage door. Service of the complaint is complete on
filing the mailing receipt and proof of posting in the court having
jurisdiction of the violation. Notwithstanding any other law, a person's
driving privileges may not be suspended or revoked as a result of a citation
that is served by alternative service of process under this subsection.
F. If a law enforcement agency issues a citation as
a result of a photo enforcement system and serves the citation in a manner
other than what is prescribed by section 28-1593, subsection A, the
agency shall inform the person that there is no obligation to identify the
driver or respond to the citation. Failure to respond to the citation will
result in the probability that the person will be formally served pursuant to
state law and the Arizona rules of civil procedure which will likely result in
the person being required to pay the cost of the service.
G. If a person is found responsible
for a civil traffic violation that results from a photo enforcement system
, except for a red light violation pursuant to section 28-645 or
a school crossing violation pursuant to section 28-797:
1. The person is subject to a civil
penalty of not more than $75.
$15 of the civil penalty
collected shall be deposited in the peace officer training equipment fund
established by section 41-1731.
2. A department or agency of this
state may not consider the violation for the purpose of determining whether the
person's driver license should be suspended or revoked.
3. A court may not transmit abstracts
of records of the violation to the department.
4. An insurer may not consider the
violation as a traffic violation against the person for the purposes of
establishing rates for motor vehicle liability insurance or determining the
insurability of the person. An insurer may not cancel or refuse to renew any
policy of insurance because of the violation.
G.
H.
For
the purposes of this section:
1. "Notice of violation" means a notice
issued by a photo enforcement company or municipality that is not a uniform
traffic ticket and complaint.
2. "Photo enforcement system" has the same
meaning prescribed in section 28-601.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2. Section 41-1731, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
41-1731.
Peace officer training equipment fund; exemptions
A. The peace officer training equipment fund is
established consisting of monies deposited pursuant to sections 12-114
,
and
12-116.10
and
28-1602
.� The state treasurer shall administer the fund. Monies in
the fund may be used only for peace officer equipment.
B. The state treasurer shall invest and divest
monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from
investment shall be credited to the fund.
C. Monies in the fund:
1. Do not revert to the state general fund at the
end of the fiscal year.
2. Are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190
relating to lapsing of appropriations.
3. Are subject to legislative appropriation.
END_STATUTE