ALPR Laws
State by State.
Which states protect you from mass license plate surveillance — and which leave you completely exposed. Updated 2026.
| State | Status | Key Provisions |
|---|---|---|
| California | Partial | SB 34 (2016) limits ALPR data retention to 60 days for most agencies. Law enforcement must adopt usage policies. No warrant requirement for access. |
| Colorado | Partial | HB 22-1065 requires agencies to publish ALPR policies and limits data sharing. Does not restrict collection or require warrants. |
| Florida | No protection | No state ALPR oversight law. Agencies set their own policies. Major Flock deployment state with minimal regulation. |
| Georgia | No protection | No state ALPR law. Home state of Flock Safety. Extensive deployment with no statutory limits on retention or access. |
| Illinois | Partial | Requires ALPR users to adopt written policies. Chicago has one of the largest camera networks in the US with limited oversight. |
| Kansas | Pending | Multiple documented abuse cases have spurred legislative discussion. No law passed as of 2026. |
| Maine | Strong | One of the strongest ALPR laws in the US. Requires a warrant to access historical ALPR data. Strict limits on retention and use. |
| Michigan | No protection | No state ALPR oversight law. Significant Flock deployment in metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing with no statutory protections. |
| Minnesota | Partial | Data Practices Act provides some access controls. No specific ALPR statute. Legislative proposals introduced but not passed. |
| Montana | Strong | SB 344 requires a warrant for ALPR data access in most cases. One of the strongest protections in the country. |
| New Hampshire | Strong | RSA 261-A prohibits government entities from operating ALPR systems except in limited circumstances. Near-ban on government ALPR. |
| New Jersey | Partial | AG guidelines limit retention to 5 years and require data security measures. No warrant requirement. |
| New York | Partial | New York City has extensive camera coverage. State law provides limited oversight. Legislative proposals introduced in 2025. |
| Oregon | Partial | Requires agencies to adopt policies. Portland has restricted certain ALPR deployments through local ordinance. |
| Tennessee | No protection | No ALPR oversight law. Nashville and Memphis have significant Flock deployment with no statutory limits. |
| Texas | No protection | No state ALPR law. Major deployment state — Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin all have extensive Flock networks. |
| Utah | Partial | HB 175 (2019) limits ALPR data retention to 9 months and requires public agencies to publish policies. |
| Vermont | Strong | Act 125 limits ALPR retention to 18 months for most uses and requires warrants for long-term tracking of a specific vehicle. |
| Virginia | Partial | 7-day default retention limit — one of the shortest in the US. Law enforcement can extend to 60 days with documented justification. No warrant required for access. |
| Washington | Partial | Agencies must adopt policies and purge data. No warrant requirement. Seattle has debated more restrictive measures. |
| Wisconsin | Pending | ACLU Wisconsin documented multiple abuse cases in 2025. Legislative proposals introduced but not passed as of 2026. |
| All other states | No protection | No specific ALPR oversight laws. Agencies operate under their own departmental policies with no statutory restrictions. |
What Strong Protection Looks Like
The strongest state laws — Maine, Montana, Vermont, New Hampshire — typically require one or more of the following: a warrant before law enforcement can access historical ALPR data, strict limits on data retention (days, not months), public transparency requirements, and prohibitions on sharing data with out-of-state agencies without legal process.
Virginia's 7-day retention limit is notable — while it doesn't require a warrant, the short window severely limits how useful the data is for anything other than immediate investigations.
What Federal Law Says
Nothing. There is no federal law governing ALPR data collection, retention, access, or use. The patchwork of state laws means your privacy protections depend entirely on where you live — and can change if you cross a state line.
The ACLU, EFF, and several members of Congress have called for federal ALPR legislation, but as of 2026, none has passed.
What You Can Do
Contact your state representative and express support for ALPR oversight legislation. The ACLU maintains state-specific advocacy resources. In states with no protections, tools like UnFlocked that help you understand and navigate the surveillance landscape are among the few practical options available.