Long Beach's speed cameras are live: what the warning period means, the fine schedule, and where the money goes

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Downtown Long Beach street with palm trees and high-rises at sunset

The pilot program uses rear license-plate photos only, shares nothing with police and sends the other half of ticket revenue to neighborhood traffic-calming projects.

By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 15, 2026

Long Beach's automated speed cameras began issuing warning notices Oct. 7, starting a 60-day countdown to real tickets.

The cameras flag drivers going 11 mph or more over the posted limit. Warnings run through Dec. 7. After that, the Long Beach Post reported, drivers who trip a camera face fines from $50 to $500 depending on speed.

What you'll get and when

The city's Speed Safety System page lists the timeline: warning period beginning Oct. 7, 2026; citation period beginning Dec. 7, 2026; and a pilot that ends in winter 2031. State law (Assembly Bill 645) authorized a five-year pilot in six jurisdictions: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, San Francisco and Long Beach, according to the city's FAQ. The Post's account lists Malibu among the pilot cities as well.

The city's FAQ says a violation is triggered at 11 mph or more over the limit, and that a registered owner's first violation at 11 to 15 mph over gets a warning instead of a penalty. The Post reported that a driver who gets no warning during the 60-day warning phase also receives only a warning for a first offense.

The Post listed these fines:

Speed over limitFine
11-15 mph$50
16-25 mph$100
26+ mph$200
100+ mph$500

Payment is due within 30 days, and payment plans and diversion programs are available, the Post reported.

Where the cameras are

The Post reported the cameras are installed at 16 locations, with two more coming soon, two in each City Council district, with a camera facing each direction of traffic. The city's public map is the authority on exact locations. Half are on streets with the most deadly or severe crashes; the other half are in school zones or areas with street racing problems. The city's FAQ says devices may only go on safety corridors with high injury rates, streets with a documented history of street racing, or school zones with limited enforcement hours, and that Long Beach is allowed up to 18 devices. "Photo Enforced" signs and the speed limit must be posted no more than 500 feet before each device, and the city is adding speed feedback signs ahead of them.

Privacy rules

The system photographs the rear license plate and rear of the vehicle, not the driver's face, and the law requires images of the rear window area to be excluded from notices, according to the city. The Public Works Department runs the program, and citation information will not be shared with the Long Beach Police Department or other law enforcement agencies, the city and the Post said. Verra Mobility was selected to provide, install, operate and maintain the technology under city oversight. Violations are civil, not criminal.

The money

Long Beach officials estimate that half of annual ticket revenue, roughly $2.5 million, will cover the cost of running the program, the Post reported. The other half is earmarked for traffic-calming measures in neighborhoods where studies show the need, such as crosswalks, no-turn-on-red signs and speed humps. State law bars spending the revenue on anything else.

Why the city says it's doing this

The Post reported 38 traffic deaths in Long Beach so far this year, more than double the number of homicides locally, after 53 fatal collisions last year, the city's deadliest on the roadways in more than a decade. Mayor Rex Richardson said the program has two main goals: "change dangerous driving behavior and help more people get to and from their destination safely."

What's next

  • Dec. 7, 2026: the warning period ends and fines begin.
  • Two more cameras: the Post reported two additional cameras are coming; a separate state bill also approved two on Pacific Coast Highway.
  • Check the map: the city maintains a public list of active device locations and enforcement hours.
  • Pilot length: the program is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2031, under state law.

Want more local news? Read more at The Southbound 105.

Cover photo: Eric Fredericks, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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