Seattle, WA Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- RCW 46.63.210-260 via SMC 11.50.570
- Camera uses
- stoplight, rail crossing, school/park/hospital/work-zone speed
- Prerequisite
- SDOT equity analysis + demonstrated need
- New-camera grace
- 30-day warning-only period since 6/16/2025
- Sample fines
- $139 red-light, $237 school-zone speed, $75 transit-lane
Summary
SMC 11.50.570 authorizes Seattle's automated traffic safety cameras to catch stoplight violations at signaled arterial intersections, railroad-crossing violations, and speeding in school, park, hospital, and work zones, plus transit-lane and ferry-queue violations, under RCW 46.63.210-260. SDOT must complete an equity analysis before adding or relocating a camera, and as of June 16, 2025 every new or relocated camera issues a penalty-free warning for its first 30 days.
A.Automated traffic safety cameras may be used to detect one or more of the following as authorized under RCW 46.63.210 through 46.63.260:1.Stoplight violations at intersections of two or more arterials with traffic control signals that have yellow change interval durations in accordance with Section 11.50.130, which interval durations may not be reduced after placement of the cameras;...3.Speed violations within school speed zones as described in RCW 46.61.440(1) and 46.61.440(2);...G.Beginning on June 16, 2025, a warning notice with no penalty shall be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle for an automated traffic safety camera violation listed under subsections 11.50.570.A within the first 30 days of operation of a newly located or relocated automated traffic safety camera.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
A authorizes automated traffic safety cameras to detect a specific list of violations: stoplight violations at intersections of two or more arterials with signalized yellow-change intervals that can't be shortened once a camera is installed; railroad-crossing violations; speeding in school speed zones and school walk areas within a mile of a school; speeding in public-park zones extending 300 feet from park property; speeding in hospital zones extending 300 feet from hospital property; speeding at locations with documented higher crash risk; speeding in roadway work zones when workers are present; speeding on state highways inside city limits designated as city streets; transit and carpool lane violations; and ferry-queue violations coordinated with the Washington Department of Transportation.
Subsection B requires SDOT to prepare an equity analysis, covering livability, accessibility, economics, education, and environmental health, and to document a demonstrated safety need before adding or relocating any camera. Cameras may photograph only the vehicle and license plate, never a driver's or passenger's face, and the images are restricted to law-enforcement use and barred from any other court proceeding under subsection D. Every camera location must be posted with warning signs at least 30 days before activation, per subsection E. Subsection G, added by Ordinance 127213 in 2025, requires that beginning June 16, 2025, any newly placed or relocated camera issue only a no-penalty warning notice for the first 30 days it operates, before real citations begin.
Violations & Fines
A stoplight, railroad-crossing, or speed-zone violation caught by an automated camera under SMC 11.50.570 is processed as a parking-style infraction under SMC 11.31.090 and 11.31.120: the schedule lists $139 for red-light and red-arrow camera violations, $237 for school-zone camera speeding, and $75 for camera violations of the transit-lane and traffic-control-obstruction rules, billed to the vehicle's registered owner unless the presumption of ownership is rebutted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What violations do Seattle's traffic cameras catch?
Does Seattle have to justify where it places a traffic camera?
Do new Seattle traffic cameras issue tickets right away?
How much is a red-light camera ticket in Seattle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
Compare Seattle to another location·View the Washington mobility & curb rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Red-Light Cameras in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle red-light cameras.