Portsmouth, VA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Speed camera penalty
- $100.00, 10+ mph over posted limit
- Red-light camera penalty
- $50.00 per violation
- Red-light camera cap
- 1 intersection per 10,000 residents
- Speed camera adopted
- Ord. 2023-37, May 9, 2023
- Red-light camera adopted
- Ord. 2023-121, Nov. 28, 2023
Summary
Portsmouth runs two separate photo-enforcement programs: school-zone and highway-work-zone speed cameras under City Code § 22-832, adopted in 2023, carrying a $100.00 civil penalty for going 10+ mph over the posted limit, and red-light cameras under § 22-842, adopted the same year, carrying a $50.00 penalty per violation.
The operator of a vehicle shall be liable for a $100.00 civil penalty pursuant to this section if such vehicle is found, as evidenced by information obtained from a photo speed monitoring device, to be traveling at speeds of at least ten miles per hour above the posted school crossing zone or highway work zone speed limit within such school crossing zone or highway work zone, while such zone is active. ... The operator of a vehicle shall be liable for a monetary penalty of $50.00 if such vehicle is found, as evidenced by information obtained from a traffic light signal violation monitoring system, to have failed to comply with a traffic light signal within the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Portsmouth adopted its photo speed monitoring program in school crossing and highway work zones by Ordinance No. 1 cited in § 22-831. 00 civil penalty if caught traveling at least 10 mph over the posted zone speed limit while the zone is active. Separately, Ordinance No. 00 monetary penalty for a vehicle that fails to comply with a traffic light signal. Both programs require conspicuous warning signs, within 1,000 feet of a work/school zone camera or 500 feet of a red-light intersection, and both create only civil liability, not a criminal conviction: neither penalty goes on a driver's operating record or affects insurance unless an officer personally issues the summons at the scene.
A vehicle owner can rebut the presumption of responsibility by filing an affidavit with the Portsmouth General District Court clerk naming the actual driver, or by testifying in court. Violation data must be purged within 60 days of penalty collection, and unexecuted summonses are purged even sooner.
Violations & Fines
A school-zone or work-zone speed camera violation under § 22-832(c) carries a $100.00 civil penalty for traveling 10+ mph over the posted limit while the zone is active; a red-light camera violation under § 22-842(k) carries a $50.00 penalty. Neither is a criminal conviction or added to a driving record unless an officer personally issues the summons on scene. Owners may rebut liability by affidavit filed with the Portsmouth General District Court clerk naming the actual driver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portsmouth have red-light cameras?
How fast do you have to be going to get a Portsmouth speed camera ticket?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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