Which Red Light Camera Notice Did You Get? How to Respond in California

A red light camera notice in the mail can be one of three things, and each one is answered in a different place: a court citation, an SB 720 civil notice from a city or county, or a notice that only asks who was driving. Read your notice first, then follow the section below that matches it.

Whether red light camera tickets are legal and whether you have to pay each kind: California Red Light Camera Tickets →

Traditional Red Light Camera Tickets (Court)

Under Vehicle Code 21455.5, a red light camera ticket is a notice to appear for a Vehicle Code 21453 infraction, mailed to the registered owner (Vehicle Code 40518). Under the Judicial Council’s 2026 bail schedule, running a red light (Vehicle Code 21453(a) or (c)) has a $100 base fine and a $486 total, and a right turn on red without a full stop (Vehicle Code 21453(b)) has a $35 base fine and a $234 total; the exact total can vary by county. A conviction adds 1 DMV point. You can contest it in court, including by Trial by Written Declaration (Vehicle Code 40902). In most courts you deposit the bail amount with your request for a trial by written declaration, and it is refunded if you are found not guilty or the charge is dismissed; courts that offer online trial by declaration through MyCitations generally do not require bail up front (Government Code 68645.4). As of October 2026, San Francisco (SFMTA) and San Jose (a one-year pilot that began issuing citations in January 2026) run programs of this kind.

Contesting a court citation in writing, step by step: Red Light Camera Ticket: Trial by Written Declaration →

SB 720 Civil Red Light Notices (City Review)

Under Vehicle Code 21455.9, in effect since January 1, 2026, a city or county that opts in issues civil notices: $100 for a first violation, no DMV point. You request an initial review within 30 calendar days of mailing, then an administrative hearing, then an appeal to the small claims or traffic division of the superior court within 30 days of the final decision.

A Notice That Only Asks Who Was Driving

Some notices are mailed to the registered owner before any citation is issued and ask who was driving. Vehicle Code 40518(c) lets the agency or its camera vendor mail a notice of nonliability before a notice to appear, so it is not a citation. The Assembly’s analysis of SB 1303 (2012), which added that rule, calls these notices courtesy notices and says people call them “snitch tickets.” A real court citation names the court and the date to respond by (Vehicle Code 40518(b)).

The notice shows what it asks and by when. If you are unsure, check with the agency named on the notice, or ask the superior court for that county whether it has a case in your name. A court’s own courtesy notice about a citation that has been filed is different: answer that one by its date.

Grounds People Raise

• For a court citation, you were not the driver (the citation is mailed to the registered owner).
• For SB 720 notices, the vehicle was stolen, or was leased or rented from a rental company or a personal vehicle sharing program, shown by an affidavit of nonliability returned within 30 calendar days of the notice’s mailing with a copy of the police report or the written lease or rental agreement (Vehicle Code 21455.9(h)(6)(G)).
• A legal right turn on red after a complete stop.
• The photos or video do not clearly show the plate or the signal.
• You entered the intersection on yellow.
• For SB 720 notices, the violation happened during the program’s first 60 days, when only warning notices may be issued (Vehicle Code 21455.9(g)(1)).

If you are found guilty after a Trial by Written Declaration on a court citation, most courts let you ask for a new trial within 20 calendar days after the court delivers or mails its decision; courts that offer online trial by declaration through MyCitations do not, and you can appeal instead.