Privacy & Surveillance in Detroit, MI (2026)
3 verified privacy & surveillance rules for Detroit, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Security Camera Rules
Detroit requires City Council approval before any city department, including police, buys or installs surveillance cameras, license-plate readers, or similar tech: private home cameras aren't covered.
Detroit City Camera Surveillance Approval Rules
Some RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 17-5-452
No City department may engage in a surveillance technology procurement until: (1) The City department has provided the City Council with a Surveillance Technology Specification Report as described in Section 17-5-453 of this Code; ... and (3) The City Council has voted to approve the surveillance technology procurement.
Facial Recognition Ban
Detroit requires City Council to vote and hold public hearings before any department, including police, can acquire or deploy facial recognition or other biometric surveillance technology.
Detroit Facial Recognition Council Approval
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code § 17-5-452
No City department may engage in a surveillance technology procurement until:(1)The City department has provided the City Council with a Surveillance Technology Specification Report as described in Section 17-5-453 of this Code;(2)The City department has publicly released the related Surveillance Technology Specification Report in accordance with Subsection (c) of this section and City Council ...
License Plate Readers
Detroit requires City Council to publicly vote to approve any license plate reader or camera surveillance purchase, with mandatory reports on data retention and any sharing with federal agencies like ICE.
Detroit License Plate Reader Approval Rules
Significant RestrictionsDetroit City Code §§ 17-5-451, 17-5-452
Surveillance technology includes, but is not limited to: ... b. Automatic license plate readers; ... No City department may engage in a surveillance technology procurement until: (1) The City department has provided the City Council with a Surveillance Technology Specification Report ... and (3) The City Council has voted to approve the surveillance technology procurement.
Looking for Wayne County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Detroit city rules.
Privacy & Surveillance in Wayne County →