Speed Cameras in Portland

Speed cameras Portland drivers should understand

Portland operates fixed speed safety cameras and intersection safety cameras through a joint Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Police Bureau program. Fixed speed safety cameras issue citations for speeding. Intersection safety cameras enforce both red light running and speeding, so a driver can receive a speed citation at a signalized camera even if the light is green.

PBOT says these cameras are installed at and along Portland's highest crash streets and intersections. The camera systems monitor 24/7, capture photos and video when a vehicle is detected over the posted limit or entering on red, and each potential citation is reviewed by a PBOT traffic enforcement agent or a Portland Police officer before it is issued.

Portland also has mobile photo enforcement vans operated by the Portland Police Bureau at approved locations. The city does not publish a separate average speed camera program, and the official camera list does not identify a separate school zone or work zone camera program. School and work zone speed limits still apply when posted, and police enforcement may occur outside the camera program.

Where Portland speed camera locations are concentrated

Portland speed cameras are mainly on the High Crash Network, which PBOT identifies as a small share of city streets with a large share of fatal and serious crashes. Current fixed speed sites include corridors such as SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, SE 122nd Avenue, SE Division Street, NE Marine Drive, NE Columbia Boulevard, NE Sandy Boulevard, NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, NE 82nd Avenue and SE Powell Boulevard.

Red light cameras Portland drivers encounter are listed by PBOT as intersection safety cameras, not just red light devices. Enforced intersections include locations on SE Foster, SE Stark, SE Washington, NE Grand, NE 122nd, NE and SE 82nd, NE Glisan, NE Broadway and around César E Chávez Boulevard and Sandy Boulevard. One listed 82nd Avenue camera was marked offline in the official October 2026 list, while some Powell and Barbur speed sites were marked design or construction, so always follow posted signs rather than assuming a camera is active or inactive.

• High Crash Network corridors
• Fixed speed cameras on major arterials
• Intersection cameras at selected signals
• Mobile vans at approved locations

Operating hours, signs and local speed limits

PBOT states that Portland's fixed camera systems monitor 24/7. Oregon law also requires advance information at photo radar locations, and PBOT posts signs before safety cameras. These signs may include photo enforcement wording, the speed limit and a speed reader board showing a driver's speed.

Local speed limits in Portland are often lower than visitors expect. PBOT reduced most residential streets to 20 mph, and most of the city's roughly 2,100 miles of streets now have a 20 mph limit. Larger collectors and arterials vary, often 25-35 mph, with higher posted limits on some freight or highway-style corridors. ODOT has primary authority over many speed zones, so PBOT requests approval for many changes on bigger streets.

If you use the Speed Camera Radar Detector app, set up alerts before you start driving and treat them only as a planning aid. Posted signs and real-time road conditions control, especially near schools, work zones, construction detours and recently changed speed zones.

Fines, ticket delivery and licence impact

A Portland speed camera ticket is processed like an Oregon traffic violation. PBOT lists camera speeding fines from $170 to $445, including the $5 court processing fee, depending on the violation class. A red light running citation is listed as a Class B violation with a $270 fine. PBOT notes that penalties are the same as a violation initiated by another enforcement method.

Citations are mailed to the registered owner or to the driver if the driver is identifiable. Oregon law creates a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner was the driver, but owners who were not driving can respond with a Certificate of Innocence. Businesses and public agencies may use a nonliability process when a vehicle was in the custody of an employee, renter or lessee.

Oregon does not use a simple point label in the way some states do, but convictions can still matter. Oregon DMV's Driver Improvement Program looks at multiple convictions or preventable crashes within set periods, and failure to appear can lead to driving privilege consequences. Insurance effects vary by company.

How to resolve or contest a Portland speed camera ticket

The citation packet gives the official response deadline and options. Portland lists several paths: pay the citation, take an eligible traffic safety class for dismissal, enter a no contest plea with a written explanation, appear in court, request a trial by written statements if the court allows it, or submit a Certificate of Innocence if you were not the driver.

Do not pay first if you intend to seek a dismissal class, because Portland states the citation cannot be dismissed after payment. If you plead not guilty or request a trial, the court must receive the response before the date and time shown on the citation. For mailed responses, allow enough time for delivery to Multnomah County Circuit Court.

• Read the mailed citation packet
• Check eligibility before paying
• Respond before the court deadline
• Use the Certificate of Innocence only when applicable