AB2376 - Vehicles: automated enforcement systems.

Amended IN Assembly March 16, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 2376 Introduced by Assembly Member Lackey February 19, 2026 An act to amend Section 13350 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. Sections 40245, 40246, 40247, and 40248 of, to amend the heading of Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 40245) of Chapter 1 of Division 17 of, and to add Article 5 (commencing with Section 40275) to Chapter 1 of Division 17 of, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2376, as amended, Lackey. Vehicles: licensure. Vehicles: automated enforcement systems. Existing law, until January 1, 2030, authorizes a local agency, as defined, to install automated forward-facing parking control devices on city-owned or district-owned parking enforcement vehicles for the purpose of taking photographs of parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes. Existing law requires a qualified and designated employee of a city, county, city and county, or contracted law enforcement agency for a special transit district to review these photographs for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a bicycle lane and to issue a notice of violation to the registered owner of a vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. Existing law requires these photographic records to be confidential and makes these records available only to public agencies to enforce parking violations. Existing law requires any local agency that implements a parking enforcement program under these provisions to provide to specified committees of the Legislature an evaluation report on, among other things, the automated enforcement system’s effectiveness and impact on traffic outcomes, by December 31, 2028. Existing law prohibits the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle in certain places and under certain conditions, including within an intersection, on a sidewalk or crosswalk, or in front of a fire station. This bill would instead authorize local agencies to install forward-facing parking control devices on specified enforcement vehicles for the purpose of taking video images of parking violations and expand the automated parking control device program to include the enforcement of the parking violations described above. The bill would similarly require any local agency that implements an automated device program for the enforcement of these additional parking violations to submit an evaluation report to specified committees of the Legislature by December 31, 2030. The bill would extend the operation of the program’s provisions to January 1, 2033. The bill would also authorize a local agency to establish an enhanced curb management system that records images of vehicles for the purpose of enforcing parking violations or automating parking payments if certain requirements are met. The bill would require the governing body of the local agency to adopt a public ordinance or resolution that would authorize the use of a system in specified locations, including, among others, passenger loading zones and commercial loading zones. The bill would require a local agency that automates parking payments by charging vehicles a fee for access to outline the fee, and any adjusted rates, in an ordinance or resolution. The bill would require the system to record images of the vehicle and license plate at the time of the violation. The bill would require the image data to be reviewed and approved by a peace officer or person authorized to enforce parking laws before mailing the notice of violation. The bill would require the notice of violation to be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within 15 calendar days, as specified. The bill would require the image data collected by the system and any identifying information to be confidential and would require that the image data only be used for the purpose of processing parking violations and charging vehicles a fee for access. The bill would require a local agency to observe a public information campaign for at least 60 days before issuing citations, as specified. The bill would require a local agency to report periodically to the Legislature on the system’s impact, as specified. The bill would expand the definition of “local agency” to include the parking enforcement agencies of the University of California, the California State University, or a college of the California Community Colleges, thereby authorizing these institutions to implement an automated parking control device program or an enhanced curb management system. 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. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to immediately revoke a person’s privilege to drive a motor vehicle upon receipt of a duly certified abstract of the record of a court, that the person has been convicted of, among other things, reckless driving causing bodily injury or specified felonies. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Illegally parked vehicles, such as those blocking transit stops, bicycle lanes, or crosswalks, or double-parked in travel lanes, create safety hazards and contribute to traffic congestion. Pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, and transit riders are put at risk when forced into vehicle lanes by blocked sidewalks, bicycle paths, or bus zones. Poor compliance in loading zones also leaves delivery drivers with few options, often leading to double-parked vehicles. Clearing these obstructions will improve overall road safety and traffic because these violations are very short in nature, and they go uncited the vast majority of the time. (b) Due to limited parking enforcement personnel, many curb parking violations go unchecked, especially in busy urban areas, which undermines the ability to change driver behavior. Traditional enforcement, such as writing a ticket and placing it on a windshield, is resource intensive and often impossible when violations are transient or after hours. Automated enforcement systems can supplement scarce personnel by reliably detecting violations, thereby promoting better compliance with existing parking laws. (c) California and other jurisdictions have seen positive results from automated traffic enforcement and automatically paid loading zones. For example, the City and County of San Francisco’s pilot program using bus-mounted cameras to enforce transit-only lanes significantly reduced transit delays by up to 20 percent and improved traffic flow. New York City Transit’s deployment of bus-mounted cameras to enforce bus lane, bus stop, and double-parking violations reduced bus stop violations by 40 percent, improved bus speeds by 5 percent, and reduced collisions by 20 percent in those corridors. Programs in the City of Pittsburgh and the City of Philadelphia to automate curbside enforcement and other hazard violations and payment for loading zones have led to significant reductions in double parking, improved traffic flow, and greater economic activity in urban cores. These outcomes demonstrate that automated enforcement and paid loading zones can increase safety, efficiency, and accessibility. (d) The Legislature is mindful that automated license plate recognition and camera systems must include safeguards for privacy and accuracy. Successful programs have implemented strict data retention limits and oversight, for instance, requiring that any recorded images be destroyed within a defined short period after citation processing. It is the intent of the Legislature that any authorization of automated curb enforcement shall incorporate robust privacy protections. Public awareness efforts, including warning periods for drivers, are also critical to ensure the program’s fairness and acceptance. (e) Under existing law, local agencies must provide installment payment plans for “indigent,” or low-income, individuals with unpaid parking citations. Local agencies are required to place a link to information describing payment programs in a prominent, readily accessible location on the parking citation section of their internet websites. SEC. 2. The heading of Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 40245) of Chapter 1 of Division 17 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: Article 3.6. Procedure on Photographic Imaging of Parking Violations Occurring in Bicycle Lanes SEC. 3. Section 40245 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 40245. (a) A local agency may install automated forward facing forward-facing parking control devices on city-owned or district-owned parking enforcement vehicles vehicles, or on vehicles owned by an institution, for the purpose of taking photographs video images of parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes, as described in Section 21207. 21207, and parking violations, as described in Section 22500. The devices shall be angled and focused so as to only capture photographs video images of parking violations and not 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 photographs video images are captured. A local agency may only install forward facing 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 Section 21211, 21211 or 22500, a local agency 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 an institution, a city, county, city and county, or a contracted law enforcement agency for a special transit district, who is qualified by an institution, a city, county, city and county, or district to issue parking citations, shall review photographs video images for the purpose of determining whether a parking violation occurred in a bicycle lane. lane or in violation of Section 22500. 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 bicycle lane or a violation of Section 22500 observed by the designated employee in the recordings is subject to a civil penalty. (d) The registered owner shall be permitted to review the photographic 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 photographic video image evidence may be retained for up to 30 days after final disposition of the citation. The photographic video image evidence shall not be retained for more than six months from the date the information was first obtained, after which time the information shall be destroyed. (2) Notwithstanding Section 26202.6 of the Government Code, photographic video image evidence from forward facing forward-facing automated enforcement devices that does not contain evidence of a parking violation occurring in a bicycle lane or a violation of Section 22500 shall be destroyed within 15 days after the information was first obtained. Photographic obtained, or 30 days after the final disposition of the citation, whichever is later. 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 local agency meets the requirements of this subdivision, the requirements of subdivision (f), and the requirements of subdivision (e) of Section 40247. (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 photographic 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, “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. the following definitions shall apply: (1) “Institution” means the University of California, the California State University, or a college of the California Community Colleges. (2) “Local agency” means a public transit operator as defined in Section 99210 of the Public Utilities Code, a local city, county, or city and county parking enforcement authority, or the parking enforcement authority of an institution. SEC. 4. Section 40246 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 40246. (a) A local agency that implements an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes pursuant to this article pursuant to Section 21211 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, no later than December 31, 2028. (b) A local agency that implements an automated enforcement system to enforce parking violations pursuant to Section 22500 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 no later than December 31, 2030. (b) (c) A report submitted pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code. SEC. 5. Section 40247 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 40247. (a) A designated employee of a local agency, including a contracted law enforcement agency, shall issue a notice of parking violati [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]