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Newport News, VA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Civil penalty
$50 per violation
Warning sign distance
300-500 feet before intersection
State authority
Va. Code § 15.2-968.1
Operator
city forces or private vendor

Summary

Newport News runs a red-light photo-enforcement program authorized by Va. Code § 15.2-968.1, fining violators $50 and requiring warning signs 300 to 500 feet before any monitored intersection.

(a)There is hereby established a traffic signal enforcement program as authorized by the provisions of Section 15.2-968.1 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. The approved system shall be installed, operated and maintained by city forces and/or private vendors at the discretion of and subject to the overall supervision of the city manager. All equipment and technology used to establish and operate this program shall be reliable and of the highest quality. The traffic signal enforcement program shall be established and operated at all times in conformity with the aforesaid Section 15.2-968.1.(b)Failure to comply with a traffic signal, as shown by any photographs, microphotographs, videotape or other recorded image as produced by the approved traffic light signal monitoring system is a violation of this section. The monetary penalty for failure to comply with a traffic light signal shall be fifty dollars ($50.00).(c)Conspicuous signs shall be placed on streets leading to intersections where the traffic light signal enforcement program is deployed. Such signs shall disclose the presence of the traffic light signal violation monitoring system at such intersections. The signs shall be placed not less than three hundred (300) feet nor more than five hundred (500) feet from the intersection.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).

Full Breakdown

Section 26-9.1 establishes a traffic signal enforcement program using photographs, videotape, or other recorded images to catch drivers who run red lights, operated by city forces or a private vendor under the city manager's supervision. The monetary penalty for a captured violation is $50. The city must post conspicuous signs disclosing the camera system between 300 and 500 feet from each monitored intersection, and enforcement proceedings must follow the procedures set by Va. Code § 15.2-968.1, using forms approved by the police chief and city attorney. A related program under §26-9.2 lets the school board run video cameras on school buses to record drivers who illegally pass a stopped bus; the code does not contain a separate school-zone speed-camera ordinance.

Violations & Fines

Running a red light captured by the monitoring system carries a $50 civil penalty under §26-9.1(b); it is enforced as a civil, not criminal, violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is running a red light caught on camera a criminal charge in Newport News?
No, §26-9.1(b) sets it as a civil violation carrying a $50 monetary penalty, not a criminal traffic offense.
Does Newport News also use cameras for school-zone speeding?
The code shows a stop-arm camera program for school buses under §26-9.2, but no separate school-zone speed-camera ordinance appears in the code.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Newport News

All Newport News rules

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