Dear Shadow Tribe,
Most states and municipalities are actively refusing to ban or meaningfully restrict Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers (ALPRs), despite growing public outcry over privacy risks and documented cases of misuse. While some cities have canceled contracts in response to that pressure, the broader pattern is one of continued deployment and limited oversight. No state has enacted an outright ban on the technology.
However, a smaller number of states have put meaningful restrictions in place through statute or executive action. These rules vary in strength and scope. None eliminate the systems entirely, and local or private deployments often continue even where state rules apply. Below is a summary of the states with the most substantial limits currently in effect, based on existing laws and recent executive measures.
1) New Hampshire maintains one of the strictest rules. State law requires that license plate data be deleted within three minutes unless the plate matches an active hot list (such as a stolen vehicle or a person with an outstanding warrant). This short retention window significantly reduces the ability to reconstruct people's travel patterns after the fact.
2) Maine limits ALPR use to specific, authorized purposes. Non-investigative data cannot be retained longer than 21 days, and misuse of the systems can constitute a Class E crime. The statute also narrows both the permitted uses and the length of time data may be kept.
3) Florida took executive action in 2026 through the Department of Transportation. All permits for ALPRs on the state highway system were revoked, and existing cameras on those rights-of-way were ordered removed within 30 days. The order does not cover city streets, county roads, or private property, so local and private installations continue.
4) Texas has restricted public funding rather than banning or restricting the cameras themselves. The governor directed state agencies to stop spending public money on Flock cameras. The state comptroller later prohibited the use of future grants administered by that office for ALPRs and similar vehicle-identification systems. The Department of Transportation also suspended new permits for cameras on state roads. Local governments remain free to fund systems with their own money, federal grants, or private sources.
5) Washington enacted a 2026 statute that sets a 21-day retention limit for most ALPR data. The law also prohibits use of the systems for immigration enforcement, restricts placement near schools, places of worship, and courts, and requires agencies to register their systems.
Other states have narrower rules. Virginia requires most data to be purged after 21 days. Illinois imposes retention limits and restricts certain sharing of data for immigration or reproductive-healthcare investigations. Idaho’s 2025 law limits ALPR use primarily to law enforcement and traffic-flow analysis. Missouri’s governor issued an executive order requiring a documented legitimate purpose for searches, monthly audits, and deletion of non-investigative records within 30 days. The order has not yet been codified into statute.
At the local level, dozens of cities and towns have canceled Flock contracts or disabled cameras in response to privacy concerns, data-sharing practices, or specific incidents of misuse. These decisions remain the exception rather than the rule, and in some cases these responses seem to be only temporary measures. The majority of jurisdictions that have adopted the technology continue to operate it under their own policies, which provide weaker protections than the state statutes listed above.
However, a smaller number of states have put meaningful restrictions in place through statute or executive action. These rules vary in strength and scope. None eliminate the systems entirely, and local or private deployments often continue even where state rules apply. Below is a summary of the states with the most substantial limits currently in effect, based on existing laws and recent executive measures.
1) New Hampshire maintains one of the strictest rules. State law requires that license plate data be deleted within three minutes unless the plate matches an active hot list (such as a stolen vehicle or a person with an outstanding warrant). This short retention window significantly reduces the ability to reconstruct people's travel patterns after the fact.
2) Maine limits ALPR use to specific, authorized purposes. Non-investigative data cannot be retained longer than 21 days, and misuse of the systems can constitute a Class E crime. The statute also narrows both the permitted uses and the length of time data may be kept.
3) Florida took executive action in 2026 through the Department of Transportation. All permits for ALPRs on the state highway system were revoked, and existing cameras on those rights-of-way were ordered removed within 30 days. The order does not cover city streets, county roads, or private property, so local and private installations continue.
4) Texas has restricted public funding rather than banning or restricting the cameras themselves. The governor directed state agencies to stop spending public money on Flock cameras. The state comptroller later prohibited the use of future grants administered by that office for ALPRs and similar vehicle-identification systems. The Department of Transportation also suspended new permits for cameras on state roads. Local governments remain free to fund systems with their own money, federal grants, or private sources.
5) Washington enacted a 2026 statute that sets a 21-day retention limit for most ALPR data. The law also prohibits use of the systems for immigration enforcement, restricts placement near schools, places of worship, and courts, and requires agencies to register their systems.
Other states have narrower rules. Virginia requires most data to be purged after 21 days. Illinois imposes retention limits and restricts certain sharing of data for immigration or reproductive-healthcare investigations. Idaho’s 2025 law limits ALPR use primarily to law enforcement and traffic-flow analysis. Missouri’s governor issued an executive order requiring a documented legitimate purpose for searches, monthly audits, and deletion of non-investigative records within 30 days. The order has not yet been codified into statute.
At the local level, dozens of cities and towns have canceled Flock contracts or disabled cameras in response to privacy concerns, data-sharing practices, or specific incidents of misuse. These decisions remain the exception rather than the rule, and in some cases these responses seem to be only temporary measures. The majority of jurisdictions that have adopted the technology continue to operate it under their own policies, which provide weaker protections than the state statutes listed above.
Conclusion
Public pressure has produced measurable limits in only a handful of states and a small number of individual communities. Most places, however, have not imposed comparable restrictions. No state has banned the systems outright. The practical effect for drivers is that the density of ALPR coverage still depends heavily on local decisions, even in states with stronger statewide rules. Driver beware.
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