Prince William County, VA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 13-279
- Max intersections at once
- 10
- Penalty
- $50.00 civil, no court costs
- Signal grace period
- 0.5 seconds minimum
- Warning signs required
- Within 500 feet of camera
- Sunset clause in text
- 'in effect until August 31, 2025'
Summary
Prince William County can run photo red-light cameras at up to ten intersections at a time, hitting violators with a flat $50 civil penalty under County Code § 13-279 rather than a criminal conviction or license points. The section requires an engineering safety review, 500-foot warning signage, and monthly performance checks before and after any camera goes live.
(b)The county executive or the county executive's designee may install and operate traffic light signal violation monitoring systems at no more than ten intersections in the county at any given time for the purpose of imposing monetary liability on the operator of a motor vehicle for failure to comply with traffic light signals in the county in accordance with the provisions of this section.(c)The operator of a vehicle shall be liable for a monetary penalty of $50.00 if such vehicle is found, as evidenced by information obtained from a traffic light signal violation monitoring system, to have failed to comply with a traffic light signal within the county...(p)This section shall remain in effect until August 31, 2025.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 46 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
2-836. 00 with no court costs and states it 'shall not be deemed a conviction as an operator' and cannot be used against the owner's driving record or insurance. Before installing a camera the county must complete an engineering safety analysis addressing signal timing, set the yellow-light phase using Institute of Transportation Engineers methodology, and build in at least a half-second grace period after the light turns red before recording a violation. The county must post conspicuous warning signs within 500 feet of any monitored approach, run a public-awareness campaign before expanding the program, and evaluate every camera monthly with results made public.
Owners get 30 business days to inspect the recorded images, and unused violation data must be purged within 60 days of penalty collection, or within two business days if no summons issues within ten business days. Notably, subsection (p) states the section 'shall remain in effect until August 31, 2025,' a built-in sunset clause reflecting the demonstration-program structure Virginia law originally imposed on local photo-enforcement ordinances; anyone relying on this page should confirm with the county whether the program has since been reauthorized.
Violations & Fines
The registered owner (or lessee/renter) faces a $50.00 civil penalty per violation, capped by statute at $50 with no added court costs, and it is not treated as a criminal conviction, does not add points to a driving record, and cannot be used to raise insurance rates. A summons can be mailed directly to the owner of record; the owner can rebut the presumption of liability by filing an affidavit or testifying that someone else was driving, or by showing the vehicle had been reported stolen before the violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the fine for a red-light camera ticket in Prince William County?
How many intersections can have red-light cameras at once?
Can I fight a red-light camera ticket if I wasn't driving?
Is Prince William County's red-light camera program still authorized?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prince William County
Compare Prince William County to another location·View the Virginia mobility & curb rules overview
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