SB 75: Speed Detection Devices and Red Light Cameras; standards for signs warning of a reduced speed limit in a school zone and signs warning of the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices; provide

Georgia law currently lets local governments use automated cameras to ticket speeders in school zones, but this bill rewrites several parts of that system. It changes the legal definition of a school zone to match official Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety maps rather than a flat 1,000-foot rule, and it defines a school zone speed limit that cannot vary more than twice a day for over an hour at a time. The bill requires new warning signs, placed a half mile before a school zone and at intersections leading to it, that show the school zone speed limit and warn drivers about automated cameras. It also requires a device showing drivers their actual speed. Camera-issued tickets would only be allowed for drivers going more than 10 miles per hour over the limit while the school zone limit is actively in effect, removing the old fixed one-hour-before-and-after window. The bill also lets district attorneys, solicitors-general, and other prosecutors pursue unpaid civil penalties tied to school zone camera violations. Most changes take effect July 1, 2025, though existing camera permits get until January 1, 2026 to comply with the new signage rules.

• Redefines 'school zone' to match official state or local government maps instead of a fixed 1,000-foot boundary from a school.
• Requires new signs a half mile before a school zone showing the school zone speed limit and warning of automated camera enforcement.
• Requires a sign or device that shows drivers an accurate reading of their vehicle's actual speed near camera-enforced zones.
• Limits camera-issued tickets to violations over 10 miles per hour above the limit and only while the school zone speed limit is actively in effect, removing the old one-hour-before-and-after window tied to class schedules.
• Lets district attorneys, solicitors-general, and municipal and probate court prosecutors pursue unpaid civil penalties for school zone camera violations.
• Sets different compliance deadlines for new camera permits (July 1, 2025) versus existing ones (January 1, 2026).

Drivers passing through school zones with speed cameras, local law enforcement agencies and school districts that operate or maintain the camera systems, the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety, and district attorneys, solicitors-general, and municipal and probate court prosecutors who handle unpaid citations.

Drivers would see new, more standardized warning signs farther in advance and a display of their actual speed before entering camera-enforced school zones. Camera tickets would only apply when the posted school zone limit is truly in effect, which could reduce citations issued outside actual school hours or under inconsistent signage.

• Section 1 redefines 'school zone' based on official state or local maps and adds a 'school zone speed limit' definition, capping how often it can change within a day (O.C.G.A. § 40-14-1.1).
• Section 2 requires signs showing the school zone speed limit and camera warnings to be placed a half mile before the zone and at intersecting roads, plus a speed-display device (O.C.G.A. § 40-14-6).
• Section 3 narrows when officers can exempt speed cases from the standard 10-mph-over threshold, limiting it to properly marked school zones, historic districts, and residential zones (O.C.G.A. § 40-14-8).
• Section 4 restricts camera-issued citations to violations more than 10 mph over the posted school zone limit occurring only while that limit is in effect, removing the prior fixed time window (O.C.G.A. § 40-14-18).
• Sections 5 through 8 authorize district attorneys, solicitors-general, and probate and municipal court prosecutors to enforce civil penalties tied to school zone camera violations (O.C.G.A. §§ 15-9-155, 15-18-6, 15-18-66, 15-18-96).
• Section 9 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, with existing camera permits given until January 1, 2026 to meet the new signage requirements.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
2. 2025-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
3. 2025-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
4. 2025-02-04Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
5. 2025-02-03Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Max Burns (R, SD-23)Primary sponsor
• John Albers (R, SD-56)
• Rick Williams (R, SD-25)
• Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
• Colton Moore (R, SD-53)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-51)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-13)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-4)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-14)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-16)
• Nabilah Parkes (D, SD-7)
• Michael 'Doc' Rhett (D, SD-33)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-35)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-24)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-32)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-48)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-2)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-52)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-1)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-47)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-11)

• school zone speed cameras
• traffic enforcement
• automated traffic tickets
• road safety signage
• speeding penalties