Rochester, NY Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Enabling law
- VTL § 1111-b (L. 2009, ch. 22)
- Program ended
- December 31, 2016
- Cameras allowed
- Up to 50 (now zero)
- Camera fine
- $50 civil, no points
- Speed cameras
- Not authorized upstate
Summary
Rochester ran red-light cameras from 2010 to 2016 under state authorization, then City Council killed the program. No red-light or school-zone speed cameras operate today; reviving them would need new Albany authorization the city does not currently hold.
Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1111-b (as added by L 2009, ch 22), which became effective May 28, 2009, granted the City of Rochester the authority to establish a "demonstration program imposing monetary liability on the owner of a vehicle for failure of an operator thereof to comply with traffic-control indications," i.e., red lights. (See Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1111-b [a] [1] [permitting a maximum of 50 cameras].) ... The penalty for a finding of liability is limited to only a monetary fine of $50. (See Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1111-b [e]; see also City Charter § 6-6 [F] [3].)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1111-b, added by Chapter 22 of the Laws of 2009, let Rochester install up to 50 red-light cameras carrying a flat $50 civil penalty adjudicated at the city Parking Violations Bureau. Cameras went live in October 2010 and grew to 32 intersections. City Council voted to end the contract, and the program stopped December 31, 2016. The state authorization has since lapsed: Rochester is absent from the current § 1111-b (which now names only Nassau County) and from the 2024 red-light expansion. New York bars school-zone speed cameras outside New York City and highway work zones, so Rochester operates none. Mayor Malik Evans has floated reviving cameras under Vision Zero, but that requires fresh Albany legislation.
Violations & Fines
While the cameras ran, each capture brought the vehicle owner a flat $50 civil fine, no license points, no insurance hit. Today only police enforce red lights under VTL § 1111(d): $75 to $225 plus an $88 state surcharge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rochester have red-light cameras right now?
Does Rochester have school-zone speed cameras?
Could red-light cameras come back?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rochester
New York rules heatmap·Compare Rochester to another location·View the New York mobility & curb rules overview
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