Baltimore County, MD Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Speed threshold
- 12 mph over posted limit
- School zone radius
- Half-mile from school
- Bus camera penalty
- Up to $250 per violation
- Signage wait period
- 30 days before citations issue
- Red-light cameras
- Not authorized in county code
- Revenue set-aside
- 2% to pedestrian safety programs
Summary
Baltimore County runs no red-light camera program; its photo enforcement is limited to speed monitoring systems in school zones and separate school bus stop-arm cameras, both authorized under Article 18 of the County Code and state transportation law.
§ 18-4-103. LIMITED USE IN SCHOOL ZONES. (a) The Police Department, in consultation with other offices and departments of the county government, may develop a program for the procurement, use and implementation of speed monitoring systems in school zones, in accordance with § 21-809 of the Transportation Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The Department shall use portable speed monitoring systems where feasible. (b) ... the Department may use and implement speed monitoring systems on or around a designated roadway segment within up to a half-mile radius of a school for any of grades kindergarten through grade 12 where school-related activity occurs, including: (1) Travel by students to or from school on foot or by bicycle; or (2) The dropping off or picking up of students by school buses or other vehicles.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29 | Zoning Regulations: Supplement 10).
Full Breakdown
Article 18, Title 4 of the County Code lets the county use and enforce citations from speed monitoring systems that record vehicles traveling at least 12 miles per hour over the posted limit. Under § 18-4-103, the Police Department may deploy portable speed cameras on or around any roadway segment within a half-mile radius of a school serving grades K-12, covering students walking or biking to school and school bus loading and unloading. Before enforcing at a new camera location, § 18-4-102 requires warning signage to go up under state Transportation Article § 21-808(b)(1)(vii), and the county cannot issue a citation until at least 30 calendar days after that signage is installed.
Separately, Title 5 authorizes the Board of Education to install school bus monitoring cameras, with the Police Department issuing the citations under § 18-5-102. There is no county ordinance authorizing red-light cameras at intersections; that enforcement tool is not part of the Baltimore County program. The Police Department must report annually to the County Council on the bus camera program's effect, including camera counts, routes, violation and citation breakdowns by time, location and census tract, unpaid-fine data, and any use of camera footage for unrelated law-enforcement investigations.
Violations & Fines
A school bus monitoring camera citation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation under § 18-5-103; any increase requires County Council approval. At least 2% of that revenue must fund student pedestrian safety and driver-awareness programs under § 18-5-104. School zone speed camera penalties are set by state law (Transportation Article § 21-809) rather than the County Code itself, and no citation may issue from a newly placed or moved camera until the required warning signage has been up for 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Baltimore County have red-light cameras?
How fast do you have to be going to get a school zone camera ticket?
How much is a school bus camera fine in Baltimore County?
Can the county ticket me the day it moves a speed camera to a new spot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baltimore County
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