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

022 (which cannot be shortened once a camera is installed), railroad grade crossings, and school speed zones, and the city must post signs warning drivers they are entering a camera-enforced zone. Cameras can capture only images of the rear of the vehicle and its license plate; they may not reveal the driver's or a passenger's face. 040 makes prima facie evidence in any hearing. Proof that a particular vehicle committed the violation, combined with proof of registered ownership, creates a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner was driving; the owner can only overcome it with a sworn statement that the vehicle was stolen or in someone else's control at the time.

Rental car businesses that receive a notice have 18 days to identify the actual driver or renter, swear they cannot determine who was driving, or pay the fine themselves. Camera infractions are processed the same way as parking infractions rather than moving violations and are not added to the registered owner's driving record with the Department of Licensing. 040 separately confirms the city's authority to post automated cameras specifically in school speed zones alongside required warning signage. A person who gets a notice may respond by mail or request a hearing to contest it, and nothing in the chapter stops an officer from issuing an in-person infraction to whoever was actually driving when the violation occurred.