What North Carolina law says about red light cameras and school-zone speed cameras

The North Carolina General Statutes (ncleg.gov, retrieved 29 Oct 2026) have G.S. 160A-300.1, headed “Use of traffic control photographic systems”, for cameras at traffic signals, and two sections for speed cameras in school zones: G.S. 160A-300.4, for municipalities, and G.S. 153A-246.1, for counties, each headed “Use of electronic speed-measuring systems to enforce speed limits in school zones”. This page quotes those sections, G.S. 8-50.4, and Session Law 2025-47. It does not apply them to any notice, and it does not say which cities, towns, or counties use cameras. Confirm what your paper says.

A North Carolina speeding citation that an officer hands to the driver is a different paper. See What a North Carolina speeding ticket is.

US overview: What a mailed camera notice is. Contrast: What an NYC camera notice is · Three different California camera notices · Florida Notice of Violation vs Uniform Traffic Citation · Maryland school-zone speed monitoring vs SafeZones work-zone cameras · Colorado automated camera notices: CDOT Speed Enforcement vs local AVIS · Washington automated camera notices: local programs vs WSDOT work-zone cameras · Virginia automated camera notices: photo-speed, red light, and school-bus cameras · Tennessee automated camera notices: unmanned ASE, school-zone / S-curve speed, and school-bus cameras · Pennsylvania automated camera notices: red light, work-zone speed, Philadelphia speed, and school-bus cameras · Illinois automated camera notices: red light, Chicago safety-zone speed, school-bus stop-arm, and railroad-crossing cameras, plus state work-zone speed camera citations · New Mexico city camera notices: Albuquerque ASE and Santa Fe STOP speed cameras · Iowa automated speed camera citations: Iowa DOT-permitted fixed and mobile systems under Iowa Code chapter 321P · Texas red-light camera and city speed camera prohibitions: what Transportation Code chapter 707 and § 542.2035 say · Alabama camera notices: the state work-zone speed camera pilot under Act 2026-475 and city red-light camera local acts · Louisiana camera citations: what R.S. 32:43 to 32:49 say about school-zone speed cameras and red light cameras · Oregon camera citations: what ORS 810.434 to 810.444 say about city photo red light, city photo radar, and highway work-zone photo radar · Rhode Island camera citations: what chapters 31-41.2 and 31-41.3 say about red light cameras and school-zone speed cameras.

The General Statutes and session law text below is quoted from the North Carolina General Assembly’s site as shown when retrieved on 29 Oct 2026.

What G.S. 160A-300.1 says about red light cameras

G.S. 160A-300.1(a): “A traffic control photographic system is an electronic system consisting of a photographic, video, or electronic camera and a vehicle sensor installed to work in conjunction with an official traffic control device to automatically produce photographs, video, or digital images of each vehicle violating a standard traffic control statute or ordinance.”

G.S. 160A-300.1(c): “Municipalities may adopt ordinances for the civil enforcement of G.S. 20-158 by means of a traffic control photographic system, as described in subsection (a) of this section.” It continues: “Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 20-176, in the event that a municipality adopts an ordinance pursuant to this section, a violation of G.S. 20-158 at a location at which a traffic control photographic system is in operation shall not be an infraction.” and “An ordinance authorized by this subsection shall provide that:”

(1) “The owner of a vehicle shall be responsible for a violation unless the owner can furnish evidence that the vehicle was, at the time of the violation, in the care, custody, or control of another person. The owner of the vehicle shall not be responsible for the violation if the owner of the vehicle, within 30 days after notification of the violation, furnishes the officials or agents of the municipality which issued the citation either of the following:”
a. “An affidavit stating the name and address of the person or company who had the care, custody, and control of the vehicle.”
b. “An affidavit stating that the vehicle involved was, at the time, stolen. The affidavit must be supported with evidence that supports the affidavit, including insurance or police report information.”
(1a) “Subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not apply, and the registered owner of the vehicle shall not be responsible for the violation, if notice of the violation is given to the registered owner of the vehicle more than 90 days after the date of the violation.”
(2) “A violation detected by a traffic control photographic system shall be deemed a noncriminal violation for which a civil penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be assessed, and for which no points authorized by G.S. 20-16(c) shall be assigned to the owner or driver of the vehicle nor insurance points as authorized by G.S. 58-36-65.”
(3) “The owner of the vehicle shall be issued a citation which shall clearly state the manner in which the violation may be challenged, and the owner shall comply with the directions on the citation. The citation shall be processed by officials or agents of the municipality and shall be forwarded by personal service or first-class mail to the address given on the motor vehicle registration. If the owner fails to pay the civil penalty or to respond to the citation within the time period specified on the citation, the owner shall have waived the right to contest responsibility for the violation, and shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00). The municipality may establish procedures for the collection of these penalties and may enforce the penalties by civil action in the nature of debt.”
(4) “The municipality shall institute a nonjudicial administrative hearing to review objections to citations or penalties issued or assessed under this section.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy.

G.S. 160A-300.1(d) states that the section “applies only to” the cities and towns it names and to the municipalities in one county it names. This page does not repeat that list, and it does not say whether any of those places uses cameras. Subsections (b), (b1) and (c1), on equipment standards, warning signs and the yellow light interval, are not covered on this page.

What G.S. 160A-300.4 and G.S. 153A-246.1 say about school-zone speed cameras

Session Law 2025-47, Section 13, added these sections. Its Section 13(f) states: “This section becomes effective October 1, 2025.”

G.S. 160A-300.4 applies to municipalities and G.S. 153A-246.1 applies to counties. The text quoted below is from G.S. 160A-300.4. G.S. 153A-246.1 has matching subsections. Its wording differs in naming a county where G.S. 160A-300.4 names a municipality, with one exception, and in sub-subdivision (d)(1)a. The exception is in G.S. 153A-246.1(d)(5), which reads: “A person may appeal the decision to the district court in the county where the violation occurred within 30 days of notification of a final decision by the municipality.” This page does not say how that sentence applies to a particular notice.

G.S. 160A-300.4(a): “An electronic speed-measuring system is a mobile or fixed device consisting of an automated traffic camera and sensor capable of measuring speed and producing one or more digital photographs of a motor vehicle violating a posted speed limit.” G.S. 160A-300.4(b): “An electronic speed-measuring system shall be approved, calibrated, and tested for accuracy in accordance with G.S. 8-50.4.” G.S. 160A-300.4(c) begins: “Any electronic speed-measuring system installed or in use on a street or highway shall be identified by appropriate advance warning signs conspicuously posted not more than 1,000 feet from the location of an electronic speed-measuring system.” The rest of subsection (c), on sign standards and Department of Transportation right-of-way, is not covered on this page.

G.S. 160A-300.4(d): “A municipality may adopt ordinances for the civil enforcement of G.S. 20-141.1 by means of an electronic speed-measuring system.” It continues: “Notwithstanding the provisions of G.S. 20-141.1 and G.S. 20-176, in the event that a municipality adopts an ordinance pursuant to this section, a violation of G.S. 20-141.1 detected by an electronic speed-measuring system shall not be an infraction if a citation is issued in accordance with this subsection.” and “An ordinance authorized by this subsection shall provide that:”

(1) “The owner of a vehicle shall be responsible for a violation unless the owner can furnish evidence that the vehicle was, at the time of the violation, in the care, custody, or control of another person. Notification of the violation shall be given in the form of a citation issued to the owner of the vehicle no more than 60 days after the date of the violation. The owner of the vehicle shall not be responsible for the violation if the owner of the vehicle furnishes, within 30 days of notification of the violation, to the officials or agents of the municipality that issued the citation either of the following:”
a. “An affidavit stating the name and address of the person or company who leased, rented, or otherwise had the care, custody, or control of the vehicle at the time of the violation. If the owner provides an affidavit under this sub-subdivision, the identified person or company may be issued a citation complying with the requirements of subdivision (3) of this subsection.”
b. “An affidavit stating that the vehicle involved was, at the time of the violation, stolen or in the care, custody, or control of some person who did not have permission of the owner to use the vehicle.”
(2) “A violation detected by an electronic speed-measuring system shall be deemed a noncriminal violation for which a civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) shall be assessed and for which no points authorized by G.S. 20-16(c) or G.S. 58-36-65 shall be assigned to the owner or driver of the vehicle.”
(3) “The citation shall contain all of the following:”
a. “The recorded image of the vehicle speeding.”
b. “The vehicle registration number and state of issuance.”
c. “The date, time, and location of the violation.”
d. “The recorded speed.”
e. “A copy of a certificate sworn to or affirmed by a sworn law enforcement officer authorized to enforce the speed limit in the applicable school zone stating that, based upon inspection of photographically recorded images, the owner's vehicle was operated in violation of G.S. 20-141.1.”
f. “The process for paying the civil penalty or contesting responsibility for the violation.”
(4) “The citation shall be processed by officials or agents of the municipality and shall be served by any method permitted for service of process pursuant to G.S. 1A-1, Rule 4 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, or by first-class mail to the address of the registered owner of the vehicle. If the owner fails to pay the civil penalty or to respond to the citation within 30 days of receiving the citation, the owner waives the right to contest responsibility for the violation and is subject to an additional penalty not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00). The municipality may establish procedures for the collection of these penalties and may recover the penalties by civil action in the nature of debt.”
(5) “The municipality shall provide a nonjudicial administrative hearing process to review contested citations or penalties issued or assessed under this section. If the decision is adverse to the person contesting the citation, the decision shall contain instructions explaining the manner and the time within which the decision may be appealed. A person may appeal the decision to the district court in the county where the violation occurred within 30 days of notification of a final decision by the municipality. Enforcement of an adverse decision shall be stayed pending the outcome of a timely appeal.”
(6) “If the registered owner of a motor vehicle who receives a citation fails to pay a penalty imposed under this section when due, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall refuse to register the motor vehicle in accordance with G.S. 20-54(14). The municipality shall coordinate and establish procedures for providing appropriate notice to the Division of Motor Vehicles.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. Subsection (e), on local agreements, is not covered on this page.

What G.S. 8-50.4 says about school-zone speed camera results

G.S. 8-50.4(a): “The results of the use of an electronic speed-measuring system as described in G.S. 160A-300.4 and G.S. 153A-246.1 shall be admissible as evidence in nonjudicial administrative hearings held pursuant to G.S. 160A-300.4(d)(5) or G.S. 153A-246.1(d)(5).” G.S. 8-50.4(b): “Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the results of an electronic speed-measuring system are not admissible unless all of the following are established:”

(1) “The electronic speed-measuring system employed was approved for use by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the Secretary of Public Safety pursuant to G.S. 17C-6.”
(2) “The electronic speed-measuring system was calibrated and tested for accuracy in accordance with the standards established by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the Secretary of Public Safety for that particular system.”

That is the statute’s statement. Subsections (c) and (d), on calibration certificates and notice of the approval rules, are not covered on this page.

What the red light and school-zone sections say about amounts and time limits

The fifty-dollar civil penalty, the 90-day notice statement, and the one-hundred-dollar amount quoted above are in G.S. 160A-300.1, for cameras at traffic signals. The two-hundred-fifty-dollar civil penalty, the 60-day citation statement, the fifty-dollar additional penalty, and the district court appeal statement quoted above are in G.S. 160A-300.4 and G.S. 153A-246.1, for school-zone speed cameras. This page does not say how any of these statements applies to a particular notice.

Paths the citation describes (not which to choose)

Read which city, town, or county, or which official or agent acting for one, issued your notice, whether it is about a red light camera or a school-zone speed camera, the amount, the date, and the response instructions printed on it. We do not tell you which path to choose or what step to take.

Violation.com does not collect North Carolina civil penalties. If you upload a camera notice, we summarize what the notice shows. It is not legal advice.

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Sources retrieved 29 Oct 2026:

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Information on this page was last checked against official sources on November 3, 2026.