Washington, DC Privacy & Surveillance: License Plate Readers (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- D.C. Code § 50-2443
- Enacted
- May 2, 2025, D.C. Law 25-325
- Rulemaking deadline
- Within 1 year of applicability date
- Required feature
- Shared LPRS database across agencies
- Required feature
- Usage and privacy policy
- ICE/federal sharing
- Not named in the statute itself
Summary
Washington, D.C.'s license plate recognition systems, the cameras that log every plate they scan and check it against enforcement databases, are cabined by a single statute: the Mayor must adopt rules governing how District agencies use, secure, and share that data. D.C. Code § 50-2443 requires a unified database across agencies, real security safeguards, and a usage and privacy policy protecting residents' privacy and civil liberties.
"LPRS" means license plate recognition system, which is an electronic device that may be handheld, mounted on a vehicle, or positioned in a stationary location and is capable of recording data on, or taking a photograph of, a vehicle or its vehicle identification tag and comparing the collected data and photographs to existing databases for investigative and enforcement purposes... Within one year after the applicability date of this section, the Mayor shall issue rules to: (1) Ensure that all District agencies equipped with LPRS for enforcement of parking or moving violations utilize the same database of information; ... (3) Maintain reasonable security procedures and practices, including operational, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect LPRS information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure; and (4) Implement a usage and privacy policy in order to ensure that the collection, use, maintenance, sharing, and dissemination of LPRS information is consistent with respect to individuals' privacy and civil liberties.
Full Breakdown
C. Code § 50-2431(8) defines "LPRS" broadly: an electronic device, handheld, vehicle-mounted, or fixed, that records or photographs a vehicle's tag and compares the data against existing databases for investigative and enforcement purposes. That definition covers the parking-enforcement plate readers used by the Parking Enforcement Management Administration as well as any fixed automated license plate reader camera network a District agency deploys. C. " The statute does not name any specific outside recipient, so it neither bars nor authorizes sharing plate data with federal agencies such as ICE by its own terms; that question is left to the privacy policy the Mayor must issue under paragraph (4).
Council notes attached to this section flag that its implementation has been affected by subsequent legislation, including a 2026 technical-correction act, so the specific one-year rulemaking deadline should be confirmed against the current applicability record before being treated as binding.
Violations & Fines
Section 50-2443 is a rulemaking mandate directed at the Mayor, not a penalty provision aimed at residents, so it carries no fine schedule of its own. Misuse of LPRS data by a District employee would instead be addressed through the agency's own personnel rules and the privacy policy required under paragraph (4); a resident who believes plate data was shared or retained improperly has no separate private right of action written into this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does D.C. law require a single database for license plate readers?
What security standards apply to license plate reader data in D.C.?
Can D.C. share license plate reader data with ICE or other federal agencies?
When did D.C.'s license plate reader privacy rule take effect?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington
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