Orange County, CA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Automated traffic cameras banned outright
- Citation
- Orange County Code § 6-1-140
- Effective
- October 21, 2014 (Ord. 14-006)
- Scope
- Unincorporated Orange County only
Summary
Unincorporated Orange County bars installation of any automated traffic enforcement system, including red-light cameras, on county streets or for traffic enforcement in unincorporated areas, per County Code Section 6-1-140.
Automated traffic enforcement systems, as the term is used in California Vehicle Code Section 21455.5, as it now exists or hereinafter may be amended or re-worded, shall not be installed within any locations in unincorporated Orange County, used for any purpose on a County street or highway that is within the jurisdiction of the County of Orange, or used for any purpose related to traffic enforcement within the unincorporated areas of Orange County.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 157).
Full Breakdown
Orange County's Codified Ordinances flatly prohibit automated traffic enforcement systems, the term used in California Vehicle Code Section 21455.5, which covers red-light cameras, from being installed anywhere in unincorporated Orange County. The ban reaches any county street or highway under county jurisdiction and any location used for traffic enforcement in the unincorporated areas. The Board of Supervisors added this article, effective October 21, 2014, by Ordinance No. 14-006. The rule binds only the unincorporated pockets of the county; Orange County's 34 incorporated cities, including Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine, each set their own red-light camera policy under their own municipal codes and are not covered by this section.
Violations & Fines
No penalty applies to drivers: the ban targets the County itself, forbidding installation of any red-light or automated enforcement camera on county roads or for enforcement in unincorporated areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Orange County use red-light cameras?
Does this ban apply inside Anaheim or Santa Ana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange County
California rules heatmap·Compare Orange County to another location·View the California mobility & curb rules overview
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