How St. Louis Handles Privacy & Surveillance: A Practical Guide
St. Louis maintains 156 local ordinances across all categories, and 2 of those deal specifically with privacy & surveillance. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where St. Louis falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
License Plate Readers
St. Louis requires Board of Aldermen approval before any city agency can acquire, fund, or share automatic license plate reader data, under the city's surveillance technology ordinance.
Key details: Governing chapter: Ch. 15.192, Surveillance Technology Usage. Approval required: Board of Aldermen resolution plus public hearing. Data retention: Follows RSMo 109.200-109.310 records schedule. Exigent-use cap: 30 days without prior approval. Enacted: Ord. No. 71842, effective May 1, 2024.
Violators face civil suits for damages and attorneys' fees, unapproved data must be deleted and is excluded as evidence, and city employees face discipline for noncompliance.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. Louis actively enforces its license plate readers requirements.
Facial Recognition Ban
St. Louis prohibits police and its camera vendor from using artificial intelligence or facial recognition to identify drivers caught by red-light and speed cameras, or sharing captured images with such systems.
Key details: Scope: Automated red-light and speed camera program. Adopted: April 16, 2024 (Ord. No. 71821). Core rule: No AI/facial recognition used to ID drivers. Vendor rule: Cannot share footage with AI systems. Supervising agency: SLMPD and Board of Public Service.
No citizen penalty attaches to the AI ban itself; it binds SLMPD and the vendor as an operating rule, enforced through the vendor contract, the Board of Public Service's oversight, and the program's required annual public assessment to the Board of Aldermen.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. Louis actively enforces its facial recognition ban requirements.
The Bottom Line
St. Louis is tougher than many cities when it comes to privacy & surveillance. Out of the 2 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in St. Louis, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.
All of the above reflects St. Louis's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.