Jackson, MS Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Jackson Code ch. 119, §§ 119-1 to 119-10
- Adopted
- August 9, 2007 (Ord. No. 2007-21)
- First-offense penalty
- $75.00 civil fine
- Repeat penalty
- $150.00 for 3rd violation in 12 months
- Current status
- Inactive, barred by Miss. Code § 17-25-19 (2009)
- Appeal cost
- $50.00 filing fee to city council
Summary
Jackson's Code of Ordinances still contains Chapter 119, the Automated Traffic Signal Enforcement Ordinance adopted August 9, 2007, which set a $75 civil penalty for running a red light caught by camera. Mississippi Code Annotated section 17-25-19, enacted in 2009, bars any city from enforcing automated traffic cameras, so Jackson's system is off and the chapter sits unused on the books.
(b)Except as provided in (c) and (d) below, the owner of a motor vehicle is liable for a civil penalty of $75.00 if the motor vehicle proceeds into an intersection, at a system location, when the traffic control signal for that motor vehicle's direction of travel is emitting a steady red signal.(c)For a third or subsequent violation committed by the owner of the same motor vehicle during any 12-month period, the amount of the civil penalty shall be $150.00.(d)An owner who fails to timely pay the civil penalty shall be subject to a late payment penalty of $25.00.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55).
Full Breakdown
00 late-payment penalty if the fine went unpaid. Section 119-6 put the Jackson Police Department in charge of enforcement, requiring a mailed notice of violation within 30 days of the alleged violation and payment within 20 days of that notice, with receipt presumed five days after mailing. 00 filing fee. The ordinance was adopted under Mississippi's home-rule statute and cites a December 13, 2006 Mississippi Attorney General opinion finding cities could make red-light violations a civil offense. That legal landscape changed in 2009: the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 1568, now codified at Miss.
§ 17-25-19, which prohibits county and municipal governments from adopting or enforcing any ordinance that uses automated recording equipment to enforce traffic laws or collect penalties, and it required any jurisdiction already running such equipment to remove it before October 1, 2009. Jackson never repealed Chapter 119, and the roster of city officials printed in the same code file is dated effective July 1, 2025, confirming the chapter is still current text, but the city cannot lawfully operate the cameras it describes. The code contains no separate chapter authorizing photo speed enforcement in school zones; Chapter 119 addresses only red-light violations at signalized intersections.
Violations & Fines
As written, an unpaid $75.00 citation (or $150.00 for a third violation by the same vehicle within 12 months) drew a $25.00 late fee under section 119-5(d), and a person who lost an administrative hearing or failed to appear owed an additional $25.00 in hearing costs on top of the penalty under section 119-7(e). Appealing a liability finding to the city council cost a $50.00 filing fee under section 119-7(i). None of this is currently collectible: Mississippi's 2009 camera ban means the Jackson Police Department cannot lawfully mail a notice of violation generated by an automated system today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jackson currently run red-light cameras?
What did Chapter 119 originally penalize?
How would someone have contested a citation?
Does Jackson have a separate school-zone speed camera ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson
Compare Jackson to another location·View the Mississippi mobility & curb rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.