Speed Safety Cameras Background & Frequently Asked Questions

All radar equipment is calibrated and certified by a third party vendor at least once a year and undergoes routine field inspection once a month. AB 645 mandates that cameras are calibrated and certified by a third party vendor at least once a year and are checked in the field every 60 days (Oakland performs field inspections every 30 days).

Calibration specification sheets are available at the calibration document page(PDF, 4MB) . 

Yes - Oakland installed warning signs within 500 feet of each speed camera approach in November/December 2025 before cameras began issuing violations in January 2026. This signage is field checked every 30 days by our contractor to account for potential vandalism and/or theft (AB 645 requires checks every 60 days). The city uses state and federally approved signage from the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This approved signage is a speed limit sign with a plaque underneath that reads “Photo Enforced”.

Visit Oakland's speed camera signage check page for verification.

The posted speed limit on Broadway between Water Street and Piedmont Avenue is 20 MPH. More information on speed limit setting on Broadway is available on Legistar.

Speed safety cameras have proven highly effective at preventing traffic deaths and injuries in cities across the Untied States and around the world, and Oakland's leadership has supported the multi-year effort to implement speed cameras through changes to state law.

No. This speed safety camera program is a completely separate and different kind of program. OakDOT contracted with speed safety technology vendor Verra Mobility to implement this program, not Flock Safety.

Assembly Bill 645, the authorizing bill for speed cameras, only authorizes the use of photographs that capture the rear of the license plate, not the windshield or face of driver. The legislation prohibits the use of video or facial recognition software. Camera footage may be retained for five days if no violation is issued, or 60 days if a violation is issued. Finally, footage is collected by the Department of Transportation and may not be shared or used for any other purpose.

AB 645 includes several provisions related to equity, including:

• Small fines that start at 11 mph over teh speed limit ($50) and offer a 50-80% fine reduction if unable to pay (vs. hundreds for traditional speeding tickets)
• Citations are non-moving violations, meaning no points on a driver's license or impacts to insurance
• Removing interactions between police and the community at traffic stops that have the potential to escalate

The state law specifies any speeding 11 miles per hour or over the posted speed limit would trigger a violation. Notifications of violations will be mailed to the registered owner of the speeding vehicle within two weeks of the violation.

It costs the City of Oakland approximately $3.5M a year to operate speed cameras. Any revenue that the program generates beyond the cost of operations must be dedicated to traffic calming improvements in Oakland, as per Assembly Bill 645, the authorizing legislation for speed cameras in Oakland. Please see the Impact Report(PDF, 232KB) and Use Policy(PDF, 110KB) for more details.

We are currently operating speed cameras at the maximum number of locations permitted by state law, Assembly Bill 645, which is the authorizing legislation for speed cameras in California. Under AB 645, a city of Oakland’s size may operate speed cameras at up to 18 locations. Adding additional speed cameras in Oakland would require a change to state law.