HB 225: Motor vehicles; enforcement of speeding violations in school zones through automated traffic enforcement safety devices; repeal all laws

Georgia law currently lets local governments and police use automated traffic cameras to catch and fine speeding drivers in school zones, under O.C.G.A. § 40-14-18. This bill repeals that authority along with related definitions, rules for the companies that operate the cameras, calibration and self-test logging requirements, and a signage exception that let camera vehicles be less visible than normal. In the meantime, the bill immediately bars any local governing body or law enforcement agency from entering into or renewing a school zone camera enforcement contract on or after July 1, 2027, a restriction that itself expires July 1, 2028. Most of the repeal provisions (Sections 1 through 8) do not take effect until July 1, 2028, while the contract ban and other changes take effect as soon as the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without a signature.

• Repeals O.C.G.A. § 40-14-18, the law that allows school zone speed enforcement through automated cameras and civil penalties, effective July 1, 2028.
• Repeals related definitions and rules (O.C.G.A. §§ 40-14-1.1 and 40-14-1.2) about camera vendors and their legal status.
• Removes requirements for calibration testing and maintenance logs specific to automated traffic enforcement cameras.
• Bars local governments and police agencies from signing new or renewed school zone camera enforcement contracts on or after July 1, 2027.
• Adjusts the formula for calculating whether a police agency relies too heavily on speeding fines by removing camera penalties from that calculation.
• Restores the standard 500-foot visibility rule for speed detection vehicles, removing the exception that applied to camera vehicles.

Local governments and police departments that currently operate or contract for school zone speed cameras, the private companies that run those camera systems, and drivers who travel through school zones where cameras are in use. County and municipal law enforcement agencies that rely on camera fine revenue are also affected.

If enacted, cities and counties would lose the legal basis for ticketing drivers by camera in school zones, ending a revenue source and enforcement tool many jurisdictions have used. Local governments would also be blocked from renewing existing camera contracts starting in mid-2027, ahead of the full repeal in 2028.

• Section 1 and Section 2 repeal the definitions and vendor-status rules (O.C.G.A. §§ 40-14-1.1, 40-14-1.2) tied to automated traffic enforcement.
• Section 4 removes the camera exceptions from radar accuracy testing rules and deletes the requirement for a 30-day self-test log and 12-month independent calibration test for cameras.
• Section 6 removes the exception that let camera enforcement vehicles be less visible than the standard 500-foot rule for speed detection vehicles.
• Section 7 removes camera civil penalties from the calculation used to determine if a police agency is over-relying on speeding fines.
• Section 8 repeals O.C.G.A. § 40-14-18, the core law authorizing school zone camera enforcement and penalties.
• Section 9 adds a new Code Section 40-14-19 banning new or renewed school zone camera contracts on or after July 1, 2027, a ban that self-repeals on July 1, 2028.
• Section 10 sets most of the bill effective upon the Governor's approval, but delays the repeal in Sections 1 through 8 until July 1, 2028.

1. 2025-04-04Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
2. 2025-04-04Senate Third Read (Senate)
3. 2025-04-04Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
4. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (Senate)
8. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)

• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)Primary sponsor
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-12)
• Bill Yearta (R, HD-152)
• Dewey McClain (D, HD-109)
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   129 yea, 37 nay (3 not voting, 11 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #169

2. PassedSenate voteApril 4, 2025

   46 yea, 9 nay (0 not voting, 1 excused)

   PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE: Senate Vote #455

• school zone speed cameras
• traffic enforcement
• automated traffic enforcement
• school zone safety
• local government contracts