Red Light Camera Ticket Lawyers in Los Angeles County
A lawyer can contest a red light camera ticket in court, and our attorneys do it for drivers in Los Angeles County, the surrounding counties and across California. We check whether the camera program and the photo evidence meet the Vehicle Code’s requirements, and the first step is a free consultation.
What a Red Light Ticket Means for Your Record
Running a red light is a violation of VC 21453(a), which requires a driver facing a steady red light to stop at the limit line and stay stopped until the signal allows them to go. It is an infraction (VC 40000.1).
A conviction adds one point to your DMV record (VC 12810(f)). That point counts toward the DMV’s negligent operator limits (VC 12810.5), and your insurer can see it.
A camera ticket arrives by mail. The notice must be mailed to the registered owner within 15 days of the alleged violation (VC 40518).
How Our Attorneys Fight Red Light Camera Tickets
A camera ticket depends on a program that must follow specific rules, and we check each of them:
- Warning signs. Signs must be posted within 200 feet of the intersection, visible to traffic from every direction (VC 21455.5(a)(1)).
- Start of the program. A new program must announce itself publicly at least 30 days before enforcement and issue only warning notices for its first 30 days (VC 21455.5(b)).
- Yellow light timing. The yellow interval must meet the mandatory minimums in the California traffic control manual (VC 21455.7).
- Mailing deadline. The notice must go out within 15 days (VC 40518).
- The photographs. The registered owner, or the person identified as the driver, has the right to review the photo evidence (VC 21455.5(g)), and we review it with you.
Our attorneys have over 45 years of combined experience in fighting traffic tickets. In over 90% of our cases the client has had their case dismissed, been found not guilty, or has had reduced fines and/or charges reduced to no points. Our Victory List shows 33 cases under VC 21453 listed as dismissed, as of October 8, 2026. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Questions About Red Light Tickets
Can a Lawyer Get a Red Light Camera Ticket Dismissed in California?
A lawyer can ask the court to dismiss it, and the court decides. The case turns on whether the city’s program and the evidence meet the rules above: the warning signs, the start-up warning period, the yellow light timing, the 15-day mailing deadline and the photographs. We check each requirement against your ticket and present what we find in court. Our post on how red light tickets are contested covers more of the process.
How Many Points Is a Red Light Ticket in California?
One point. The Vehicle Code assigns one point to traffic convictions that involve the safe operation of a vehicle, and a red light conviction is one of them (VC 12810(f)). If the court allows traffic school and you complete it, the conviction is kept confidential and no point is added. That option is available once in any 18-month period (VC 1808.7).
Will a Red Light Ticket Raise My Insurance?
It can. California’s Good Driver discount is at least 20% off the rate you would otherwise pay (Insurance Code 1861.02), and it requires no more than one violation point in the past three years (Insurance Code 1861.025). A red light point on top of another one can cost you that discount. A conviction kept confidential through traffic school is not visible to insurers (California Courts Self-Help Guide). Read more in our post on red light tickets and auto insurance.
What If I Wasn’t the Driver in the Camera Photo?
The notice goes to the vehicle’s registered owner (VC 40518), and it includes a photo of the driver. The Vehicle Code allows the issuing agency to set up a procedure in which a registered owner who was not driving signs an affidavit of nonliability that identifies the driver, and the agency then issues the notice to that person (VC 40520(c)). Courts explain this step in their own red light guidance, for example the San Francisco Superior Court’s red light camera page. In a free consultation we review the photo and the notice with you.
Do I Have to Go to Court for a Red Light Camera Ticket?
Not always. A red light ticket is an infraction, so a lawyer can appear in court in your place (Penal Code 977 and Penal Code 19.7). California also allows a trial by written declaration for infractions (VC 40902; California Courts Self-Help Guide). When we take your case, we handle the court appearances.
Where We Fight Red Light Tickets
Our office is in Glendale, and we defend red light and camera tickets in courts across Los Angeles County. We also take cases in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties, and anywhere else in California. See our Los Angeles traffic ticket lawyer page and our county traffic ticket guides.
Related
- Our Glendale office
- Stop sign tickets
- How red light tickets are contested
- Red light camera violations in Culver City
- Red light tickets and auto insurance
Fight Your Red Light Ticket
A camera ticket is a case like any other, with rules the city has to follow. Call (310) 455-6810 or contact us today for your free consultation.
Sources
California Legislative Information
- VC 21453(a)(opens in a new tab)
- VC 40000.1(opens in a new tab)
- VC 12810(f)(opens in a new tab)
- VC 12810.5(opens in a new tab)
- VC 40518(opens in a new tab)
- VC 21455.5(a)(1)(opens in a new tab)
- VC 21455.7(opens in a new tab)
- VC 1808.7(opens in a new tab)
- Insurance Code 1861.02(opens in a new tab)
- Insurance Code 1861.025(opens in a new tab)
- VC 40520(c)(opens in a new tab)
- Penal Code 977(opens in a new tab)
- Penal Code 19.7(opens in a new tab)
- VC 40902(opens in a new tab)
California Courts Self-Help Guide
- California Courts Self-Help Guide(opens in a new tab), Traffic school
- California Courts Self-Help Guide(opens in a new tab), Trial by written declaration
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
- San Francisco Superior Court(opens in a new tab), Red light camera citation