Camera Ticket or Court Ticket? How to Tell Which One You Have

If a camera photographed your car and a ticket came in the mail, it can be one of three different things in California. Each is contested in a different place and on a different deadline, and sending your response to the wrong place can cost you the deadline. The paperwork itself tells you which one you have.

Three Questions to Ask About Your Notice

1. Who sent it? A city or county agency, such as a transportation or public works department, or the superior court?
2. What is it called? A notice of violation (or a warning notice) from an agency, or a notice to appear in court?
3. Where does it tell you to respond? To the agency for an initial review, or to the court by a due date?

Then match it to one of the three types below. If your notice does not fit any of them, follow its own instructions and look up the official website of the court or agency it names yourself.

1. AB 645 Speed Camera Notice

• Who sends it: the city, in one of the six AB 645 cities only: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco (Vehicle Code 22425(a)(2)).
• What it is: a notice of violation for going 11 mph or more over the limit, mailed to the registered owner and based on a photo of the rear plate (Vehicle Code 22426(b) and (e)). It is a civil penalty, not a court case. A city’s program starts with 60 days of warning notices, and so does each new street where cameras are added (Vehicle Code 22425(f)).
• Amount: $50, $100, $200 or $500 depending on speed (Vehicle Code 22426(c)). No DMV point (Vehicle Code 22426(a)).
• How to contest and by when: ask the city for a free initial review within 30 calendar days of the notice’s mailing date (Vehicle Code 22427(a)); if it is denied, request an administrative hearing within 21 calendar days after the review results are mailed; after the hearing, you can appeal to the superior court within 30 days (Vehicle Code 22428).

Check your city’s program status, camera count and warning dates. Speed Camera Tickets by City →

2. SB 720 Civil Red Light Notice

• Who sends it: a city or county agency that opted in under SB 720 (Vehicle Code 21455.9, in effect since January 1, 2026). As of October 9, 2026, we have not confirmed any place issuing these notices.
• What it is: a civil notice of violation for a red light violation, sent only after the agency’s 60-day warning period (Vehicle Code 21455.9(g)(1)). It is not a court case.
• Amount: $100 if there was no violation in the previous three years, then $200, $350 or $500 (Vehicle Code 21455.9(h)(3)). No DMV point (Vehicle Code 21455.9(h)(1)).
• How to contest and by when: ask the agency for a free initial review within 30 calendar days of the notice’s mailing date; then an administrative hearing; then, within 30 days of the final decision, an appeal to the small claims or traffic division of the superior court.

See which cities and counties have taken an official step toward SB 720 cameras. SB 720 Red Light Camera Cities →

3. Court Red Light Camera Citation

• Who sends it: a city running a traditional camera program under Vehicle Code 21455.5. The citation is a notice to appear for a Vehicle Code 21453 red light violation, mailed to the registered owner, and the copy filed with the court starts a court case (Vehicle Code 40518).
• Examples: San Jose (four intersections, citations since January 2026) and San Francisco (13 intersections). San Francisco’s program page sends questions about a notice to appear, and payments, to the Superior Court.
• Amount: $100 base fine (Vehicle Code 42001.15), $486 total under the Judicial Council’s 2026 bail schedule; some counties may charge more. A conviction adds 1 DMV point (Vehicle Code 12810).
• How to contest and by when: respond to the court by the date on the notice or courtesy notice. You can contest in court, including by trial by written declaration (Vehicle Code 40902), usually with the bail deposited when you file.

Learn how court red light camera tickets are contested. How to Fight a Red Light Camera Ticket →

Other Camera Laws

Two other laws allow civil speed camera notices: SB 1297, for up to five cameras on Malibu’s stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, and AB 289, for up to 35 Caltrans cameras in state highway work zones that ticket only when workers are present. Both use the same $50 to $500 schedule with no DMV point. We have not confirmed any AB 289 deployment.

TicketClear is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The instructions and deadlines on your notice control.