SB 274: Automated license plate recognition systems.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law prohibits a public agency, which includes the state, a city, a county, a city and county, or any agency or political subdivision of the state, a city, a county, or a city and county, including, but not limited to, a law enforcement agency, from selling, sharing, or transferring automated license plate recognition (ALPR) information, except to another public agency, and only as otherwise permitted by law. Existing law defines ALPR information as information or data collected through the use of an ALPR system.

This bill would provide that “public agency” does not include a transportation agency, a public transit operator, or a local department of transportation or public works department, as specified. The bill would, beginning January 1, 2026, require new, updated, expansions of, or addendums of contractual agreements with ALPR vendors, manufacturers, or suppliers to mandate that no default access is provided to any national ALPR database and that an agency’s collected scans are by default not accessible to any other agency, and would impose new requirements on sharing between California state law enforcement agencies. The bill would authorize a law enforcement agency to use ALPR information only for purposes of locating vehicles or persons when either are reasonably suspected of being involved in the commission of a public offense. The bill would prohibit a public agency from retaining ALPR information for more than 60 days after the date of collection if it does not match information on an authorized hot list, as defined, and as of January 1, 2026, would require a public agency to delete all ALPR information that has been held for more than 60 days and does not match information on an authorized hot list within 14 days. By imposing new requirements on public agencies, which include local agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law defines an ALPR operator as a person that operates an ALPR system, which does not include a transportation agency. Existing law defines an ALPR end-user a person that accesses or uses an ALPR system, which does not include, among other things, a transportation agency.

This bill would additionally exclude from the definitions of “ALPR operator” and “ALPR end-user” a public transit operator, a local department of transportation or public works department, or an airport or airport operator, as provided.

Existing law requires an ALPR operator and ALPR end-user to maintain reasonable security procedures and practices, including operational, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, to protect ALPR information from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.

This bill would require those security procedures and practices to include safeguards for managing which employees can see the data from their systems, as specified, and requiring data security training and data privacy training for all employees that access ALPR information.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 2

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. March 2, 2026Veto sustained.
2. March 2, 2026Stricken from file.
3. October 1, 2025In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
4. October 1, 2025Vetoed by the Governor.
5. September 23, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
6. September 13, 2025Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 28. Noes 6. Page 3051.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
7. September 13, 2025In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
8. September 13, 2025Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 41. Noes 29. Page 3436.) Ordered to the Senate.
9. September 13, 2025Joint Rule 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)
10. September 5, 2025Ordered to third reading.
11. September 5, 2025Read third time and amended.
12. September 5, 2025Assembly Rule 69(b)(1) suspended.