Kirkland, WA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)

Kirkland has never deployed red-light cameras; its only automated enforcement program targets speeding in school zones under KMC Chapter 12.14, Automated Traffic Safety Cameras, adopted by Ordinance 4681 in 2019 and amended by Ordinance 4880 in 2024. KMC 12.14.010(b)(2) limits camera operation to the school year, excluding summer recess and weekends, running only during two 30-minute windows on each school day: 30 minutes before and after the school start time, and 30 minutes before and after the school end time, extended for combined zones covering multiple start or end times. Every camera location must be marked with signs telling drivers they are entering a zone monitored by automated enforcement, per KMC 12.14.010(c).

A citation isn't automatic just because a camera captures an image. KMC 12.14.030 requires the police department to mail a notice of infraction to the registered owner within 14 days, and the issuing officer must attach a certificate based on inspecting the photos that states the facts supporting the ticket; that certificate is prima facie evidence at any hearing. Owners can request a hearing under KMC 12.14.040 to contest the notice, and KMC 12.14.050 lets a registered owner overcome the presumption of liability only with a sworn statement that the vehicle was stolen or in someone else's control.

Under KMC 12.14.080, the penalty is capped at whatever the city charges for other parking infractions, and by KMC 12.14.060 these tickets are processed like parking infractions rather than moving violations, so they don't appear on the owner's driving record. Fine revenue is restricted to traffic-safety purposes under KMC 12.14.080(b), including school-zone signage and Safer Routes to School work, and by KMC 12.14.090 the camera vendor's pay cannot be tied to ticket revenue.