AB1837 - Video imaging of parking violations.

Enrolled August 24, 2026 Passed IN Senate August 19, 2026 Passed IN Assembly August 20, 2026 Amended IN Senate June 15, 2026 Amended IN Assembly April 23, 2026 Amended IN Assembly March 12, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1837 Introduced by Assembly Member Mark González (Coauthors: Assembly Members Hoover, McKinnor, and Nguyen) (Coauthor: Senator Arreguín) February 11, 2026 An act to amend Sections 40240, 40240.5, and 40241 of the Vehicle Code, relating to parking violations. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1837, Mark González. Video imaging of parking violations. Existing law authorizes a public transit operator in the state, until January 1, 2027, and authorizes the City and County of San Francisco indefinitely, to enforce parking violations in specified transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops through the use of video imaging, and to install automated forward facing parking control devices on city-owned public transit vehicles for the purpose of video imaging parking violations occurring in transit-only traffic lanes, as specified. Existing law requires a public transit operator, prior to issuing notices of parking violations, to issue warning notices for the first 60 days and to make a public announcement of the program. Existing law requires a designated employee, or a contracted law enforcement agency, to review video image recordings for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop and to issue a notice of violation to the registered owner of a vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. Existing law makes these video image records confidential and provides that these records are available only to public agencies to enforce parking violations. Existing law requires a public transit operator that implements an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations in transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops to submit a report to specified committees of the Legislature by no later than January 1, 2025. This bill would extend the authorization for the use of video imaging to enforce parking and stopping violations until January 1, 2034. The bill would require that a public transit operator issue warnings for 60 days prior to issuing notices of violations when it uses video imaging for enforcement of a violation that it has not previously used video imaging to enforce. The bill would require a public transit operator that uses video imaging to enforce parking violations to report to the Legislature, as specified. The bill would exempt the City and County of San Francisco from this requirement. The bill would allow only local agencies to use video image records to enforce parking violations and would prohibit the use or access of these records for general law enforcement purposes or by federal authorities, as specified. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 40240 of the Vehicle Code, as amended by Section 155 of Chapter 28 of the Statutes of 2022, is amended to read: 40240. (a) (1) A public transit operator, as defined in Section 99210 of the Public Utilities Code, may install automated forward facing parking control devices on city-owned or district-owned public transit vehicles, as defined by Section 99501 of the Public Utilities Code, for the purpose of video imaging of parking violations occurring in transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops. Citations shall be issued only for violations captured during the posted hours of operation for a transit-only traffic lane or during the scheduled operating hours at transit stops. (2) The devices shall be angled and focused so as to capture video images of parking violations and not unnecessarily capture identifying images of other drivers, vehicles, and pedestrians. The devices shall record the date and time of the violation at the same time as the video images are captured. Transit agencies may share the relevant data, video, and images of parking violations collected by automated forward facing parking control devices with the local parking enforcement entity and local agency in the jurisdiction where the violation occurred. A transit operator may only install forward facing cameras pursuant to this section if the examiner or issuing agency, as described in Section 40215, includes options to reduce or waive the payment of a parking penalty if the examiner or issuing agency determines that the person is an indigent person as defined in Section 40220. (b) (1) Prior to issuing notices of parking violations pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 40241, a public transit operator, in partnership with a city, county, city and county, or local enforcement authority, shall commence a program to issue only warning notices for 60 days and shall also make a public announcement of the program and provide the public with information about the enforcement program, existing parking regulations, and the payment options available for low-income persons at least 60 days prior to commencement of issuing notices of parking violations. (2) A public transit operator shall issue a notice pursuant to paragraph (1) when it uses video imaging for enforcement of a violation described in subdivision (a) that it has not previously used video imaging to enforce. (c) A designated employee of a city, county, city and county, or a contracted law enforcement agency for a special transit district, who is qualified by a city, county, city and county, or district to issue parking citations, shall review video image recordings for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop. A violation of a statute, regulation, or ordinance governing vehicle parking under this code, under a federal or state statute or regulation, or under an ordinance enacted by a city, county, city and county, or special transit district occurring in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop observed by the designated employee in the recordings is subject to a civil penalty. (d) The registered owner shall be permitted to review the video image evidence of the alleged violation during normal business hours at no cost. (e) (1) Except as it may be included in court records described in Section 68152 of the Government Code, or as provided in paragraph (2), the video image evidence may be retained for up to six months from the date the information was first obtained, or 60 days after final disposition of the citation, whichever date is later, after which time the information shall be destroyed. (2) Notwithstanding Section 26202.6 of the Government Code, video image evidence from forward facing automated enforcement devices that does not contain evidence of a parking violation occurring in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop shall be destroyed within 15 days after the information was first obtained. Video image data and records collected pursuant to this section shall not be used or processed by an automated license plate recognition system, as defined in Section 1798.90.5 of the Civil Code, unless the public transit operator, city, county, city and county, or local enforcement authority meets the requirements in this paragraph and paragraph (1), the requirements of subdivision (f), and the requirements of subdivision (e) of Section 40241. (f) Notwithstanding Article 1 (commencing with Section 7922.500) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 7922.525) of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 10 of Title 1 of the Government Code, or any other law, the video image records are confidential. Local agencies shall use and allow access to these records only for the purposes authorized by this article. These records shall not use biometric identifying technology, including, but not limited to, facial recognition technology that identifies specific individuals. These records shall not be used or accessed for general law enforcement purposes or by federal authorities without a court order from a federal or California court of competent jurisdiction. Any images of other drivers, nonrelevant vehicle license plates, or pedestrians unnecessarily captured shall be blurred. (g) The following definitions shall apply for purposes of this article: (1) “Local agency” means a public transit operator as defined in Section 99210 of the Public Utilities Code or a local city, county, or city and county parking enforcement authority. (2) “Transit-only traffic lane” means any designated transit-only lane on which use is restricted to mass transit vehicles, or other designated vehicles including taxis and vanpools, during posted times. (h) A public transit operator shall not implement a new program pursuant to this section on or after January 1, 2032. (i) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2034, and as of that date is repealed. SEC. 2. Section 40240 of the Vehicle Code, as amended by Section 156 of Chapter 28 of the Statutes of 2022, is amended to read: 40240. (a) The City and County of San Francisco may install automated forward facing parking control devices on city-owned or district-owned public transit vehicles, as defined in Section 99211 of the Public Utilities Code, for the purpose of video imaging of parking violations occurring in transit-only traffic lanes and at transit stops. Citations shall be issued only for violations captured during the posted hours of operation for a transit-only traffic lane or during the scheduled operating hours at transit stops. The devices shall be angled and focused so as to capture video images of parking violations and not unnecessarily capture identifying images of other drivers, vehicles, and pedestrians. The devices shall record the date and time of the violation at the same time as the video images are captured. Transit agencies may share the relevant data, video, and images of parking violations collected by automated forward facing parking control devices with the local parking enforcement entity and local agency in the jurisdiction where the violation occurred. The City and County of San Francisco may only install forward facing cameras pursuant to this section if the examiner or issuing agency, as described in Section 40215, includes options to reduce or waive the payment of a parking penalty if the examiner or issuing agency determines that the person is an indigent person as defined in Section 40220. (b) Prior to issuing notices of parking violations pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 40241, the City and County of San Francisco shall commence a program to issue only warning notices for 60 days and shall also make a public announcement of the program and provide the public with information about the enforcement program, existing parking regulations, and the payment options available for low-income persons at least 60 days prior to commencement of issuing notices of parking violations. (c) A designated employee of the City and County of San Francisco who is qualified to issue parking citations shall review video image recordings for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop. A violation of a statute, regulation, or ordinance governing vehicle parking under this code, under a federal or state statute or regulation, or under an ordinance enacted by the City and County of San Francisco occurring in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop observed by the designated employee in the recordings is subject to a civil penalty. (d) The registered owner shall be permitted to review the video image evidence of the alleged violation during normal business hours at no cost. (e) (1) Except as it may be included in court records described in Section 68152 of the Government Code, or as provided in paragraph (2), the video image evidence may be retained for up to six months from the date the information was first obtained, or 60 days after final disposition of the citation, whichever date is later, after which time the information shall be destroyed. (2) Notwithstanding Section 26202.6 of the Government Code, video image evidence from forward facing automated enforcement devices that does not contain evidence of a parking violation occurring in a transit-only traffic lane or at a transit stop shall be destroyed within 15 days after the information was first obtained. Video image data and records collected pursuant to this section shall not be used or processed by an automated license plate recognition system, as defined in Section 1798.90.5 of the Civil Code, unless the public transit operator, city, county, city and county, or local enforcement authority meets the requirements of this paragraph and paragraph (1), the requirements of subdivision (f), and the requirements of subdivision (e) of Section 40241. (f) Notwithstanding Article 1 (commencing with Section 7922.500) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 7922.525) of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 10 of Title 1 of the Government Code or any other law, the video image records are confidential. Public agencies shall use and allow access to these records only for the purposes authorized by this article. (g) For purposes of this article, “transit-only traffic lane” means any designated transit-only lane on which use is restricted to mass transit vehicles or other designated vehicles, including taxis and vanpools, during posted times. (h) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2034. SEC. 3. Section 40240.5 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 40240.5. (a) A public transit operator that implements an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations pursuant to this article, shall provide to the transportation, privacy, and judiciary committees of the Legislature an evaluation report of the enforcement system’s effectiveness, impact on privacy, impact on traffic outcomes, cost to implement, change in citations issued, and generation of revenue. The evaluation report shall include the precise data and methodology used to draw the conclusions contained in the evaluation report. The evaluation report shall be submitted as follows: (1) For a public transit operator that implemented an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations prior to January 1, 2027, the report shall be submitted by January 1, 2029. (2) [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]