Research · By jurisdiction
License Plate Reader Laws by State
ALPR rules differ from state to state. Some states have statutes on retention, sharing or use; some courts read their state constitution more broadly than the Fourth Amendment. We publish a state only when we can verify what's actually different there.
37 of 51 jurisdictions published. 14 more have been researched without enough verified sources for a page yet. We would rather show you an honest “not yet covered” than a page that repeats general information with a state name on it.
How we decide to publish a state
A state page goes live only when it has at least two of the following, each checked against the primary source:
- A state statute or regulation that addresses license plate readers
- A state appellate decision on ALPR or comparable location surveillance
- A state constitutional privacy provision that courts have interpreted more broadly than the Fourth Amendment
- A documented state or agency ALPR policy on retention, sharing or audits
Every published state page shows its sources and the date it was last reviewed. Read our editorial standards.
How the covered states compare
This table summarizes what each state’s ALPR statute says on four questions that come up in criminal cases. “Not in statute” means the text we reviewed doesn’t address it, not that the practice is allowed. Agency policies, court decisions and other laws can add rules. Each state page has the details and sources.
| State and law | Retention limit | Is an alert alone enough to stop a car? | Sharing | Statutory exclusion of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No statute (state regulation: up to 5 years) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute. Regulation: criminal justice or public safety purposes only; no sale; dissemination log required | No statute (regulation is silent) |
| Arizona | No statute (one agency: 30 days) | No statute (agency policy: alert alone isn't reasonable suspicion) | No statute | No statute |
| Arkansas | 150 days (60 for private users), unless kept for an ongoing investigation; current wording not verified | Not in statute (State Police rules, listed as proposed, require verification) | No sale or trade; law enforcement data showing an offense may go to other police; disclosure only to owner, with consent, or as DPPA permits | Yes. Not admissible if disclosure would violate the Act (§ 12-12-1806); court may exclude if required rules weren't adopted and published (§ 12-12-1805(a)(3)(B)); current wording not verified |
| California | No statewide maximum verified | Not verified | Only with California public agencies; AG says no out-of-state or federal agencies | Not verified |
| Colorado | No statute (agencies: Clear Creek 21 days, Boulder 14 days) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute | No statute |
| Connecticut | 21 days, with exceptions (from Oct. 1, 2026) | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Confidential; Connecticut agencies, and NY, RI and MA police or certain task forces with a written declaration; others, including federal, need a probable-cause warrant | Admissibility conditioned on compliance or a Superior Court warrant (§ 13(c)); not an express exclusion rule |
| District of Columbia | Not in statute (MPD: up to 90 days, as reported in 2020) | Not in statute | Not in statute | Not in statute |
| Florida | Maximum set by state records schedule (period not verified) | Not in statute | Confidential; disclosure to criminal justice agencies, and to a registered owner about their own plate unless active investigative information | Not in statute |
| Georgia | 30-month maximum, as described by the State (statute text not verified) | Statute text not verified | Statute text not verified. Dept. of Public Safety policy cites it as barring Open Records Act disclosure | Statute text not verified |
| Hawaii | No statute (one agency: 90 days) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute | No statute |
| Idaho | Not in statute (one agency: 30 days, the vendor's standard) | Not in statute (agency policy: alert alone isn't reasonable suspicion) | Not in statute | Not in statute |
| Illinois | Not in statute | Not in statute | Out-of-state sharing only after a written declaration; no sharing for health care or immigration enforcement | Not in statute |
| Indiana | Not in statute (one agency: 30 days) | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Not in statute | Not in statute |
| Iowa | 30 days; police may copy data relevant to an ongoing criminal case or investigation | Not in statute | Not in statute | Not in statute |
| Kansas | Not in statute (one agency: generally 30 days) | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Agencies need not disclose plate data or camera locations under the Open Records Act; possible 2027 expiration not verified | Not in statute |
| Kentucky | 90 days, with exceptions (including retention for a lawful law enforcement purpose) | Not a suspicion rule; an officer or dispatcher must visually confirm the plate matches the alert before a stop | Only for the deploying entity's purposes; no sale or sharing except listed cases, such as law enforcement, subpoenas, insurers and financial institutions | Not in statute |
| Louisiana | Not in statute (one agency: 60 days) | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Not in statute | Not in statute |
| Maine | 21 days (non-investigative data) | Not in statute | Confidential; use limited to law enforcement and related proceedings | Not in statute |
| Maryland | Not in statute (state coordination center: up to 1 year, in a procedure dated 2012) | Not in statute | Not subject to the Public Information Act; no sale; no uploading to other agencies in or out of state, except the state coordination center | Not in statute |
| Massachusetts | No statute (one agency: 7 days) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute | No statute |
| Minnesota | 60 days (not tied to an active investigation) | Not in statute | Other law enforcement agencies only under the statute's access standards; no sale | Not in statute |
| Montana | 90 days, unless a preservation request or warrant | No. An alert alone isn't reasonable suspicion | Law enforcement or criminal justice purposes only; protected from disclosure except to the registered owner; no sale except as § 46-5-117 allows | Planning data only: collected without a warrant or recognized exception, it can't be used as evidence. No rule for law enforcement data |
| Nebraska | 180 days, with exceptions | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Not a public record; disclosed only to the registered owner, with the owner's consent, under a court order, or as the result of a match | Yes. Data and derived evidence inadmissible if disclosure would violate the Act (§ 60-3207) |
| New Jersey | Not in statute (AG Directive 2022-12: 3 years) | Not in statute (AG Directive: officer may need to confirm a wanted person is in the vehicle) | No sale or sharing except to government entities when permitted by law, by judicial order or warrant, with consent, or to certified police of other jurisdictions | Not in statute |
| New Mexico | Not in statute | Not in statute | Confidential; no sharing if reasonably believed for immigration enforcement or protected activity; out-of-state access needs a written declaration; private data needs consent or court order | Not in statute |
| North Carolina | 90 days, unless a warrant or sworn preservation request | Not in statute | Confidential; to criminal justice officers (including federal) on written request; no sale | Not in statute |
| Ohio | Not in statute | Not in statute | ALPR data in a law enforcement database isn't a public record; no sharing rule | Not in statute |
| Oklahoma | No fixed period; program data kept only while needed as evidence | Not in statute | Program data: no sale, and no sharing the section doesn't authorize; exempt from the Open Records Act except evidence | Not in statute |
| Oregon | 30 days (data not tied to a court proceeding or ongoing investigation) | Not a suspicion rule; officer must visually confirm plate, state and vehicle match the alert before a stop | Other police may query; non-Oregon government entities only for a permitted purpose, relevant data only, no unrestricted or ongoing access | Not in statute |
| Pennsylvania | No statute | No statute | No statute | No statute |
| South Carolina | No statute | No statute | No statute | No statute |
| Tennessee | 90 days (as enacted in 2014; current text not verified) | Not in statute (as enacted) | Confidential; not open to public inspection (§ 10-7-504(a)); no sharing rule | Not in statute (as enacted) |
| Texas | No statute (one agency: 1 year) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute | No statute |
| Utah | 9 months, unless a preservation request, disclosure order or warrant | Not in statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | Protected record; no sale; government entities may share by memorandum of understanding; private data only by warrant or disclosure order | Not in statute |
| Virginia | 21 days (audit trails 2 years) | No. An alert alone isn't reasonable suspicion | Not with any other state, federal, private or commercial database; other agencies only for permitted purposes | Yes. Evidence from violations of subsections D, F, L or M is not admissible by the Commonwealth |
| Washington | 21 days, with exceptions | No. An alert alone isn't reasonable suspicion | Only as required in a judicial proceeding; direct access only for authorized in-state agencies; private ALPR data only with a probable-cause warrant | Yes. Information from a knowing violation of section 3 is inadmissible |
| Wisconsin | No statute (one agency: 30 days) | No statute (agency policy requires confirmation) | No statute | No statute |
Coverage status
| State | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Published | |
| Alaska | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR-specific statute found in official sources. |
| Arizona | Published | |
| Arkansas | Published | |
| California | Published | |
| Colorado | Published | |
| Connecticut | Published | |
| Delaware | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR-specific statute found in official sources. |
| District of Columbia | Published | |
| Florida | Published | |
| Georgia | Published | |
| Hawaii | Published | |
| Idaho | Published | |
| Illinois | Published | |
| Indiana | Published | |
| Iowa | Published | |
| Kansas | Published | |
| Kentucky | Published | |
| Louisiana | Published | |
| Maine | Published | |
| Maryland | Published | |
| Massachusetts | Published | |
| Michigan | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found (bills pending). One agency policy found. |
| Minnesota | Published | |
| Mississippi | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR-specific statute found in official sources. |
| Missouri | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found in official sources. |
| Montana | Published | |
| Nebraska | Published | |
| Nevada | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found. One agency policy found. |
| New Hampshire | Researched, no page yet | Statute found (RSA 261:75-b, in force). Page pending a second verified source. |
| New Jersey | Published | |
| New Mexico | Published | |
| New York | Researched, no page yet | No statute found. A key court source was inaccessible. |
| North Carolina | Published | |
| North Dakota | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found (a 2025 bill failed). |
| Ohio | Published | |
| Oklahoma | Published | |
| Oregon | Published | |
| Pennsylvania | Published | |
| Rhode Island | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found. One agency policy found. |
| South Carolina | Published | |
| South Dakota | Researched, no page yet | No statute found. An agency source was inaccessible. |
| Tennessee | Published | |
| Texas | Published | |
| Utah | Published | |
| Vermont | Researched, no page yet | Researched. Current status of the statute is being confirmed. |
| Virginia | Published | |
| Washington | Published | |
| West Virginia | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found in official sources. |
| Wisconsin | Published | |
| Wyoming | Researched, no page yet | No ALPR statute found (a 2026 bill was not introduced). |
Until your state is covered
The federal framework applies everywhere. See license plate readers and the Fourth Amendment. A licensed defense attorney in your state can explain any state-specific rules.