COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio townships and counties will soon be banned from issuing drivers tickets in the mail for traffic violations captured on camera. 

On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine signed an $11 billion transportation budget bill, and it includes a provision prohibiting counties and townships from operating traffic cameras. The bill will go into effect on July 1.

“I am pleased to see Governor DeWine signed the transportation budget as-is,” said Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield), the lawmaker who introduced the provision. “These traffic camera programs, in my opinion, act as a form of government overreach and are an unfair burden on my constituents and Ohioans as a whole.”

In Ohio, an estimated 24 local governments run traffic camera programs, according to the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The automated systems can detect traffic violations such as running a red light or speeding, then local authorities may issue a ticket through the mail. 

The incoming law will specifically affect counties and townships – cities and villages will be able to continue their programs, thanks to their right to self-govern. In 2017, the Ohio Supreme Court found laws restricting cities’ use of traffic cameras violated their home rule authority. 

The new rule will not be the first time townships and counties have seen their use of traffic cameras restricted. In 2015, a law went into effect that mandates a law enforcement officer to be present at a traffic camera while it is in use to witness the violation. This requirement does not apply to cities. 

Although anyone who travels through the state might be spared a ticket thanks to the incoming law, central Ohio will not be largely affected by it, as most of the municipalities that use the devices are in the northeast part of the state. Locally, the Village of Brice is the only municipality that uses traffic cameras. Since Brice is not a township or county, it will remain unaffected by the change. 

Traffic cameras have long faced criticism from those on both sides of the aisle, locally and nationally. In Ohio, numerous bills have been introduced at the Statehouse over the years to restrict the use of traffic cameras.

“They’re basically set up to get some additional revenue for the jurisdiction that has traffic cameras,” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) told NBC4 last week. “I’m hoping we can just move on with our lives on the other side of traffic cameras.”

Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have raised concerns that the data collected by the devices could be misused or compromise residents’ privacy. 

Proponents of the devices claim they make streets safer. A 2017 study by IIHS compared large cities with red light traffic cameras to those without the devices, finding the cameras reduced fatal crashes caused by running a red light by 21%.

Additionally, a 2010 analysis by Cochrane – a network of researchers – reviewed 28 different studies regarding the devices and found that speed cameras reduce crashes near their locations by 5% to 50% and reduce fatal or serious injury crashes by 11% to 44%.

Some studies, however, have found conflicting results, including a 2018 study by Case Western Reserve University that found red light cameras do not significantly reduce the number of traffic accidents, injuries or fatalities.

Currently, nine states prohibit the use of traffic cameras completely. Cutrona said he wants to see how he can address city traffic camera programs in Ohio in the future.

“This is a step in the right direction and I’m going to be looking at further ways to address the other camera issues, programs that are around the state in the near future,” Cutrona said. 

The budget bill, introduced in early February, invests about $11.48 billion toward Ohio’s transportation system throughout fiscal years 2026 and 2027. 

“Transportation is vital to our state’s economy,” DeWine said in a news release. “It connects Ohioans to jobs, education, healthcare, and entertainment. This budget reaffirms our commitment to providing our great state with a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and prepared for the future.”

DeWine’s office stated more than 90% of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s budget funding will be spent on maintenance, preservation, and improvements of existing roads.