I got my first speeding ticket at 16, on Loynes Drive. Late afternoon, windows down, singing along to the radio in my royal blue 1981 Honda Civic hatchback. The speed limit was something like 15. I was probably doing 45, because Loynes was bumpy and fun, and I was 16.
What I didn’t see was the cop chilling on the other side of the street, just watching and waiting. The second I passed him, I knew I was fucked. Of course I cried. Didn’t matter. I got the ticket anyway, went home, confessed to my mom and did the whole traffic school thing.
Years later, I actually got out of a ticket in Long Beach because the cop and I both went to Wilson High. Those days are officially over. A camera on a pole doesn’t care about your tears, your debate skills, or your alma mater.
Long Beach speed cameras are officially on, and the warning period ends December 7, 2026. After that, going 11+ mph over the limit at one of 18 speed camera locations gets you a ticket in the mail, starting at $50.
So yes, that new speed camera on Artesia isn’t decor. If you’ve been treating Shoreline like the Grand Prix every weekend, this one’s for you. And if you’re just a regular Long Beacher trying to get to work, the gym, or taco night without a surprise bill, we’ve got you too.
Long Beach speed cameras: the quick version
- Warning period: October 7 to December 7, 2026. Warnings only, no fines.
- Tickets start: December 7, 2026.
- Trigger: 11 mph or more over the posted limit.
- Fines: $50 to $500, depending on how fast you were going.
- Where: 18 locations, including Long Beach Blvd, Artesia, Ocean, Shoreline, 7th, Anaheim, Pacific, Atlantic, Bellflower, Cherry, Santa Fe, 2nd and Willow.
- Points on your license: None. These are civil tickets, like parking tickets.
- Who runs it: Public Works, not LBPD.
- Coming next: Two more cameras on PCH starting in 2027.
When do Long Beach speed cameras start issuing tickets?
Real Long Beach speed camera tickets with real fines start December 7, 2026. The cameras went live October 7 with a mandatory 60-day warning period, so right now you’ll only get a warning letter if you’re caught. (City of Long Beach)
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2026 | Cameras activate. Warning notices only, no fines. |
| Dec 7, 2026 | Citation period begins. Fines are real now. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | City can start adding up to 2 cameras on PCH. |
| Before Jan 1, 2032 | Five-year pilot must end. |
Treat the Long Beach speed camera warning period like a free trial. If a warning shows up in your mailbox, that’s the city telling you exactly where you’re speeding and by how much.
Where are the speed cameras in Long Beach?
There are 18 approved speed camera locations in Long Beach, spread across all nine council districts. Nine sit on the city’s most dangerous corridors; the other nine guarantee every district gets at least one. (Speed Safety System Impact Report)
Priority locations (highest crash, racing and school-zone risk)
| Street | Segment | District | Limit (mph) | School zone | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artesia Blvd | Harbor Ave to Butler Ave | 8, 9 | 30 | Yes | 30 street racing calls; 2 fatal, 6 severe crashes |
| Second St | Bay Shore Ave to Appian Way | 3 | 25 | Yes | 1 fatal, 4 severe crashes |
| Pacific Ave | Willow St to PCH | 6, 7 | 25/30 | Yes | 7 fatal, 11 severe crashes |
| 7th St | Cherry Ave to Termino Ave | 2, 3 | 30 | Yes | 2 fatal, 6 severe crashes |
| Atlantic Ave | LA River to Artesia Blvd | 9 | 35 | Yes | 16 street racing calls |
| Long Beach Blvd | Victoria St to Market St | 8 | 30 | Yes | 19 racing calls; 10 severe crashes |
| Ocean Blvd | Pacific Ave to Atlantic Ave | 1 | 30 | No | 11 racing calls; 4 severe crashes |
| Willow St | Pacific Ave to Atlantic Ave | 6, 7 | 30 | Yes | Truck route on the High Injury Network |
| Anaheim St | Redondo Ave to Termino Ave | 3 | 30 | Yes | 1 fatal, 5 severe crashes |
Geographic diversity locations (one per council district)
| Street | Segment | District | Limit (mph) | School zone | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoreline Dr | Pine Ave to Ocean Blvd | 1 | 35 | No | Grand Prix track limits redesign; 1 fatal crash |
| Ocean Blvd | Alamitos Ave to Orange Ave | 2 | 30 | No | 1 fatal crash |
| 7th St | Park Ave to Santiago Ave | 3 | 40 | Yes | 1 fatal, 6 severe crashes |
| Bellflower Blvd | Stearns St to Willow St | 4 | 40 | No | Truck route; racing calls |
| Cherry Ave | Wardlow Rd to Bixby Rd | 5 | 40 | No | 2 fatal, 4 severe crashes |
| Anaheim St | Atlantic Ave to Walnut Ave | 6 | 30 | Yes | 10 severe crashes |
| Santa Fe Ave | PCH to 21st St | 7 | 35 | Yes | Pedestrian injury corridor |
| Long Beach Blvd | San Antonio Dr to 45th St | 8 | 35 | No | 1 fatal crash; truck route |
| Long Beach Blvd | Artesia Blvd to 70th St | 9 | 35 | Yes | 41 racing calls, the most in the city |
Segments come from the city’s adopted impact report. For the exact pole on each block, check the interactive Long Beach speed camera map before you drive.
How much is a Long Beach speed camera ticket?
Long Beach speed camera fines run from $50 to $500, set by state law. (Impact Report)
| How fast you were going | Fine |
|---|---|
| 11 to 15 mph over | $50 |
| 16 to 25 mph over | $100 |
| 26+ mph over | $200 |
| 100 mph or faster | $500 |
There’s one more grace pass built in. After December 7, your first 11 to 15 mph violation still gets a warning if you never got one during the warning period. Everything after that is a fine. (Spectrum News)
How Long Beach speed cameras work
The short answer: Long Beach’s photo enforcement cameras only care about your speed and your rear plate.
- The 10 mph cushion. Cameras only trigger at 11+ mph over the posted limit. Going 39 in a 30? No ticket. Going 41? Smile (well, not really, see below).
- Rear plate only. The system photographs your rear license plate. No faces, no passengers, no continuous video, no facial recognition.
- The registered owner gets the ticket. It’s mailed to whoever the car is registered to, even if your roommate was driving.
- No points, no record. Citations are civil, not criminal. They don’t add points to your license or show up on your driving record.
- Public Works runs it, not LBPD. Citation data is not shared with police or other law enforcement, and photos of non-speeding cars are deleted within five business days.
- School zones have hours. Cameras in school zones enforce the school speed limit only around bell times, with flashing beacons to signal when it’s on. Safety corridor cameras run 24/7.
- You get a heads-up. Each location has posted speed limit signs, photo enforcement signs and LED speed feedback signs before the camera.
- Humans check every ticket. Trained Public Works staff review each violation before a citation goes out. Cameras are inspected at least every 60 days and lab-calibrated yearly.
Got a speed camera ticket in Long Beach? Here’s what to do
If you get a Long Beach speed camera ticket, you have 30 days to pay, and you have options if money’s tight or you think the camera got it wrong. (LAist / Long Beach Post)
- Read the notice. It shows your rear plate photo plus the date, time, location and posted limit. You can request the camera’s last calibration date.
- Pay within 30 days, or set up a payment plan. Plans cap at $25 a month with a processing fee of $5 or less.
- Ask about a reduced fine. If your income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty line, your fine drops 80%. Up to 250% of the poverty line, it drops 50%. Proof of income or benefits qualifies you.
- Do community service instead. Drivers who qualify as low-income can work it off rather than pay.
- Contest it. Request an initial review, then an administrative hearing, then appeal to Superior Court if needed. (Spectrum News)
Your citation notice spells out exactly how to pay and how to apply for these options. Questions? Email [email protected].
One more thing: if a police officer already pulled you over for the same speeding moment, you can’t also be fined by the camera.
Are speed cameras coming to PCH in Long Beach?
Yes. Gov. Newsom signed SB 1279 on September 27, 2026, letting Long Beach add two speed cameras on Pacific Coast Highway starting January 1, 2027. They’ll follow the same rules as the other 18. (Spectrum News)
PCH was left out of the original pilot because it’s a state highway run by Caltrans. But the city says its roughly 8.5-mile stretch through Long Beach accounts for nearly 15% of local traffic deaths on less than 1% of the city’s major roads. Exact PCH locations haven’t been announced yet; we’ll update this post when they are.
Why is Long Beach doing this?
Because our streets have been brutal, and speeding is a leading factor in Long Beach traffic deaths. Long Beach had 53 fatal traffic collisions in 2025, the most in over a decade. (NBC Los Angeles)
The state’s 2023 law, AB 645, made Long Beach one of six California cities allowed to test speed cameras for five years. Early results elsewhere are promising: San Francisco reported a 72% drop in speeding after six months, and Oakland saw about 70% at its camera locations. (LAist / Long Beach Post)
Where the money goes: Ticket revenue must first cover the program’s costs. Anything left over can only be spent on traffic calming, like crosswalks, speed humps and no-turn-on-red signs, in neighborhoods that need them.
Not everyone’s a fan. During public comment, plenty of residents called it a revenue grab or a privacy concern, while others begged the city to turn the cameras on yesterday. Under state law, any camera that doesn’t measurably slow drivers within 18 months has to be relocated or paired with physical traffic calming.
The LBC Vibe guide to not getting a ticket
The easiest $0 you’ll ever save: drive the limit on these 18 Long Beach speed camera corridors. A few local tips:
- Know the slow ones. Second Street in Belmont Shore and parts of Pacific Ave are 25 mph zones. That means 36 mph gets you a ticket. Brunch can wait.
- Watch the 40s. 7th Street (Park to Santiago), Bellflower and Cherry are 40 mph, so the cameras kick in at 51. Those wide roads make it easy to creep up without noticing.
- Shoreline is not the Grand Prix. It’s 35 mph between Pine and Ocean. Save the racing energy for April.
- Mind the bell schedule. School zone cameras get strict around drop-off, lunch and pickup. Look for the flashing beacons.
- Read the feedback signs. Those LED “YOUR SPEED” signs before each camera are your last free warning.
- Don’t slam the brakes. Ease off early when you see the signs. A rear-end crash costs a lot more than $50.
- Lending your car? Tickets go to the registered owner. Tell your kid, roommate or partner where the cameras are.
- Open your mail. Warnings and tickets arrive by USPS, not text. If you get one during the warning period, note the location.
So, Long Beach, how do we feel about these speed cameras?
Here’s the deal. Long Beach speed cameras are here for at least five years, and on December 7 they stop being polite. For some of us, that’s overdue: we’ve all had a close call in a crosswalk or watched someone treat Artesia like a drag strip. For others, it feels like one more way to get nickel-and-dimed by a camera on a pole that doesn’t care if you went to Wilson.
We want to hear from you:
- Are you relieved, annoyed or somewhere in between?
- Is there a street that should have a camera and doesn’t? Looking at you, every block where people do 50 in a 25.
- Has a warning letter already landed in your mailbox? No judgment. Okay, a little judgment.
- Do you think the cameras will actually make our streets safer?
Drop your take in the comments or tag us on Instagram. Agree, disagree, vent, whatever. This is our city, and we’d rather talk it out together.
Long Beach speed camera FAQ
Are Long Beach speed cameras giving tickets yet? Not until December 7, 2026. Through December 6, drivers caught going 11+ mph over only get warning notices.
How fast do you have to go to get a speed camera ticket in Long Beach? 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit.
How much is a speed camera ticket in Long Beach? $50 for 11 to 15 mph over, $100 for 16 to 25 over, $200 for 26+ over and $500 for 100 mph or faster.
Do Long Beach speed camera tickets add points to my license? No. They’re civil penalties, so no points and nothing on your driving record.
Does LBPD see the camera data? No. Public Works runs the program, and citation data isn’t shared with police or other law enforcement agencies except as required by law.
Do the cameras photograph drivers? No. They capture only the rear license plate. No faces and no continuous video.
Who gets the ticket if someone else was driving my car? The registered owner of the vehicle.
Can I get a reduced fine? Yes, if you qualify as low-income: an 80% or 50% reduction depending on income, a payment plan of up to $25 a month, or community service instead.
Where can I see a map of the speed cameras? On the city’s Speed Safety System page, which has an interactive map of all locations.
Will there be speed cameras on PCH? Yes. Up to two can be added on Pacific Coast Highway starting January 1, 2027.
Are there speed cameras in Long Beach? Yes. Long Beach has 18 approved speed camera locations on streets including Long Beach Blvd, Artesia Blvd, Atlantic Ave, Ocean Blvd, Shoreline Dr, 2nd St, 7th St, Anaheim St, Pacific Ave, Willow St, Bellflower Blvd, Cherry Ave and Santa Fe Ave.
Will my first Long Beach speed camera violation be a ticket? Not always. After December 7, a first violation of 11 to 15 mph over gets a warning if you never received one during the warning period. Every violation after that is fined.
Are Long Beach speed cameras on 24/7? Cameras on high-injury corridors run 24/7. Cameras in school zones enforce the school speed limit only around school hours, signaled by flashing beacons.
Will I know when I’m approaching a speed camera in Long Beach? Yes. Photo enforcement and speed limit signs are posted within 500 feet of each camera, plus LED speed feedback signs that show your speed before you reach it.
Are these the same as red light cameras? No. Long Beach speed cameras only enforce speeding. They don’t ticket red lights or stop signs.
How do I pay or contest a Long Beach speed camera ticket? Payment is due within 30 days, and your citation explains how to pay. To contest it, request an initial review, then an administrative hearing, then appeal to Superior Court if needed.
Where does Long Beach speed camera money go? Revenue first covers the program’s costs. Anything left must be spent on traffic calming, like crosswalks and speed humps.
How long will Long Beach have speed cameras? It’s a five-year pilot that must end before January 1, 2032. Any camera that doesn’t measurably slow drivers within 18 months has to be moved or paired with physical traffic calming.
