Gov. Kim Reynolds signs new law limiting traffic cameras in Iowa. Here are the new rules:
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Automated traffic enforcement cameras in Iowa will face new regulations after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law Friday with rules for how cities and counties can use the controversial devices.
House File 2681 places limits on how and when cities and counties can use traffic cameras to issue tickets, and standardizes the fines that drivers can receive.
The compromise resolves a longstanding dispute over traffic cameras at the Iowa Capitol, where some lawmakers have sought to ban them entirely, while others pushed for regulations or sought to preserve cities' control over the systems.
The law grandfathers in cities that already used traffic cameras before Jan. 1 by allowing their systems to remain in use while they seek a permit from the Department of Transportation to continue their operation. Cities must apply for their permit by July 1.
Cities that began using traffic cameras on or after Jan. 1 of this year will not be given a permit by the Department of Transportation until July 1, 2026, at the earliest.
What new regulations will traffic cameras face in Iowa?
Under the law, cities and counties seeking to install traffic enforcement cameras are required to first get a permit from the Iowa Department of Transportation.
They must submit a written justification for why the cameras are needed, including records of traffic violations, the severity of collisions, speed data and alternative methods under consideration to improve public safety at the location in question.
Other regulations in the law include:
Traffic enforcement cameras can be used to issue tickets only when someone is driving more than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Communities with a population of 20,000 or less cannot issue tickets from their cameras but can still issue warnings.
Local governments must place signs at least 500 to 1,000 feet in advance of any traffic cameras, notifying drivers that they are in use.
Anyone who is ticketed from the cameras can provide evidence they were not driving at the time the ticket was issued, if they provide the name and address of the person who was driving the car.
Any stored photos of license plates from the cameras must be deleted within 30 days unless they're part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Communities must submit annual reports by March 1 to the Department of Transportation, detailing the number of collisions and citations at any locations with traffic cameras.
Those regulations all take effect July 1.
How much can Iowans be fined when ticketed by a speed camera?
The law also standardizes the fines that drivers can receive for speeding if they are ticketed using a traffic camera.
The fines for speeding violations will be:
$75 for driving 11-20 miles per hour above the speed limit.
$100 for driving 21-25 miles per hour above the speed limit.
$250 for driving 26-30 miles per hour above the speed limit.
$500 for driving more than 30 miles per hour above the speed limit.
The law doubles those fine for speeding in a work zone.
Which cities collected the most money from traffic cameras?
An analysis of the law by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency shows Cedar Rapids issued the most tickets and took in the most revenue in fiscal year 2023 of any city in Iowa that uses traffic cameras.
Cedar Rapids issued 169,696 tickets and collected 94,037 fines. The city took in $7.2 million, which it designated to its general fund and spent entirely for public safety purposes, including police staffing, according to a city spokesperson. The company running the cameras took in $1.8 million.
Des Moines issued 125,768 tickets in fiscal year 2023 and collected 84,991 fines. The city took in $3.6 million, which it spent on its public safety radio system, and the company running the cameras took in $1.9 million.
Des Moines Register reporter Galen Bacharier contributed to this report.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs new traffic camera regulations into law
