How do you get traffic camera footage in Los Angeles?

By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

Who runs the cameras on Los Angeles streets and freeways

City intersections belong to LADOT. Its ATSAC system lets staff at the ATSAC Center monitor and adjust signal timing in real time, and the 2018 ATSAC fact sheet lists more than 590 CCTV cameras and more than 26,000 vehicle detectors.

Whether those cameras save anything is the first thing to settle. A Public Safety Committee report to the City Council, prepared after a November 2013 hearing on linking ATSAC to LAPD’s surveillance system, states that ATSAC cameras do not record images. That statement is from 2013, and the 2018 fact sheet lists an all-digital video surveillance system among LADOT’s future plans, so the system may have changed. Ask LADOT in writing whether any recording exists for your date and corner. A written answer that nothing exists still helps, because it tells your lawyer to put the effort elsewhere.

The freeways belong to Caltrans. Its District 7 serves Los Angeles and Ventura counties and runs the Los Angeles Regional Transportation Management Center with the California Highway Patrol, using closed-circuit television among other tools. On saved video, the Caltrans live traffic video FAQ is direct: “No, the camera video is not recorded and the images are not saved.”

How to ask Los Angeles agencies for records

The California Public Records Act gives you the right to ask. Under Gov. Code 7922.535, the agency has 10 days from receiving your request to decide whether it covers disclosable records and to tell you. In unusual circumstances, the agency head can extend that by written notice, for no more than 14 days. That deadline is for the answer. The records themselves can take longer.

City departments take requests through NextRequest. LADOT’s contact page sends public records inquiries there, and the city’s portal is at recordsrequest.lacity.org. LAPD’s CPRA Unit manual says the department accepts requests in person, by phone, in writing and through the city’s NextRequest portal. LA Metro runs its own request system, linked from its record services page.

A request that gets results names one place and one short stretch of time. Put in:

• the date and a 30 to 60 minute window around the crash
• the intersection or freeway exit, and each car’s direction of travel
• the records you want, such as video, still images, signal timing and incident logs
• a request for a written statement if no recording exists

LAPD video, 911 calls and how long the city keeps them

You can ask LAPD for body camera and patrol car video of the crash response, but police can hold back investigation files. Gov. Code 7923.600 generally exempts records of investigations by local police agencies from disclosure. In a DUI or hit-and-run case that is still open, expect a delay or a partial release.

Time works against you here. Gov. Code 34090.6 lets a city department head destroy routine video monitoring, which the statute says includes mobile in-car video, after one year. Recordings of telephone and radio communications can go after 100 days. Either step needs the approval of the city’s legislative body and the written consent of the agency’s attorney. The same section says recordings that are evidence in a filed claim or pending litigation must be kept until the litigation is resolved. Ask for the 911 audio and police radio traffic in the same request as the video.

That rule is one reason to file a government claim early when a city vehicle or a city street defect played a part. California generally requires an injury claim against a public entity within six months (Gov. Code 911.2). Our page on the six-month claim against a city vehicle walks through it.

Red-light and speed cameras in Los Angeles

Los Angeles ended its red-light camera program in 2011. On July 27 of that year, all 13 council members present voted to stop issuing the tickets from cameras at 32 locations (CBS Los Angeles).

Speed cameras are the new piece. Under the state pilot created by AB 645, LADOT said the first cameras would go live on Oct. 26, 2026, with up to 125 citywide and a 60-day warning period for each one (Spectrum News). They photograph the rear plate of cars going 11 mph or more over the limit.

Do not plan on using those photos in an injury claim. Vehicle Code 22425, subdivision (l), makes the photographic and administrative records of these systems confidential notwithstanding the Public Records Act and limits their use to purposes the statute allows. Photos that do not lead to a notice of violation must be destroyed within five business days.

Metro buses, shops and doorbell cameras

Transit and private cameras are often the only ones that caught the impact. Since November 2024, LA Metro has mounted bus-lane enforcement cameras on bus windshields, first on lines 720 and 212 and, from March 2025, on the 70 and 910/950. One camera records video of cars in the bus lane, and an LADOT traffic officer reviews the video and photo (LAist). If a Metro bus was near the crash, ask Metro for any onboard video and give the line, the direction and the stop. If the bus itself hit you, see our page on bus accident lawsuits.

For gas stations, liquor stores and apartment buildings, go in person the same day or the next. Ask the manager to export the clip and write down who owns the system. Neighbors with doorbell cameras will often share a clip when asked politely. If someone refuses, a lawyer can follow up in writing.

A preservation letter names the camera, the date and the time window, and asks the owner not to delete or overwrite the video. Send it by email and by mail, and keep proof of both.

What this means for your case

Treat the first week as your window. Agency video may never have existed, and private recorders overwrite old footage on their own schedules. Save your own phone video and photos too. If no footage turns up, the case still rests on other proof, such as the police report, witnesses and the damage to the cars. Our guide to getting a police report in California covers the report. If you were hurt on a Los Angeles street, our Los Angeles car accident lawyers can send the preservation letters and records requests while you get treatment.

Common questions

Related pages

Injury law FAQs

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 7, 2026.