Red Light Cameras in Michigan: What the Law Allows

This article explains how red-light enforcement actually works in Michigan, what a genuine red light ticket looks like, and how a driver responds to one. It is one of the topics covered in Michigan’s rules for traffic tickets, points, and district court, which orients drivers to civil infractions and the point system that every moving violation feeds into.

Does Michigan use red light cameras?

No. Michigan has no statute authorizing automated red light cameras, and no state or local agency in Michigan operates them. Red-light enforcement in Michigan runs through police officers, not photo equipment. An officer has to observe the violation and issue a citation.

That places Michigan among the states without a camera-enforcement program. Automated enforcement (cameras that photograph a vehicle entering an intersection against a red signal and mail a ticket to the registered owner) is a traffic-safety countermeasure used in a number of other states, as catalogued in the federal Countermeasures That Work guide. A state generally needs enabling legislation before a city can run such a program, and Michigan has not enacted one. The practical result is that a red light violation in Michigan always comes from an officer at the scene.

What running a red light violates in Michigan

The rule for traffic signals is MCL 257.612. A steady red signal requires a driver to stop before the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or at a marked limit line, and to remain stopped until the signal turns green. A right turn on red, and a left turn on red onto a one-way street, is allowed after a complete stop, unless a sign at the intersection prohibits it.

Under subsection (3) of that section, a driver who violates the signal rule is responsible for a civil infraction. A civil infraction is not a crime: there is no jail penalty and no criminal record for the violation itself. It is handled in the district court that covers the location of the stop, the same way speeding and most other moving violations are handled.

Fines, costs, and points for a red light ticket

The money attached to a red light civil infraction comes from three separate parts of state law. Under MCL 257.907, the civil fine for this kind of infraction is capped at $100, court costs are capped at a further $100, and a $40 justice system assessment is added to every civil infraction determination. Each district court sets its own fine schedule within those limits, so the bottom-line figure on a red light ticket varies by court.

The record consequence is fixed statewide. MCL 257.320a assigns 3 points for disobeying a traffic signal, and the Secretary of State enters those points on the Michigan driving record once the court reports the determination. Points from a red light ticket carry the same weight as points from a comparable speeding ticket; drivers comparing violations can see how much a speeding ticket costs in Michigan for the parallel point and fine structure.

Eligible drivers can keep the points and the ticket from being reported to their insurer by completing a Basic Driver Improvement Course. The Michigan Department of State mails a letter to drivers who qualify, giving them 60 days to enroll in and finish an approved Basic Driver Improvement Course. The course is not open to everyone: a driver with more than 2 points already on record when the ticket was issued, a commercial driver, or anyone whose ticket was issued outside Michigan is not eligible. Commercial drivers face separate rules throughout, and Michigan CDL traffic tickets covers how infractions affect a commercial license.

How a real red light ticket is issued and how to respond

A genuine Michigan red light ticket is a citation handed to the driver by the officer who observed the violation. The citation names the district court, states the appearance deadline, and describes the alleged violation. Because there is no camera program, there is no version of this ticket that arrives weeks later in the mail from the state.

MCL 257.745 sets out the ways a person can respond to a civil infraction citation.

1. Admit responsibility

   The driver can admit responsibility in person, by mail, or through a representative, and pay the fine, costs, and assessment. Paying the ticket is an admission; the court then orders the sanctions allowed under MCL 257.907, and the points are entered.

2. Admit with explanation

   The driver can admit responsibility “with explanation” by mail or at a scheduled appearance. The court accepts the admission but may consider the explanation when it decides the amount of the fine and costs.

3. Deny responsibility

   The driver can deny responsibility and contest the ticket. Under MCL 257.745, the court schedules an informal hearing before a magistrate or judge, with the citing officer present and no attorneys required. A driver who wants a formal hearing, where attorneys are allowed, must request one at least 10 days before an informal hearing date printed on the citation.

At an informal hearing, the magistrate listens to the officer and the driver and decides whether the violation is proven. If the driver is found responsible, the same fine, costs, assessment, and points apply as if the driver had admitted the infraction.

Mailed “camera tickets” and ticket scams

Because Michigan does not mail red light camera tickets, a notice claiming to be one deserves scrutiny. Two explanations are common. The first is that the violation happened in another state. A Michigan resident who drives through a state or city that runs red light cameras can receive a mailed notice enforced under that jurisdiction’s law, not Michigan’s, and those programs and their appeal routes are governed where the ticket was issued. A conviction in another state for an offense that would be a civil infraction in Michigan is noted on the Michigan record, but under MCL 257.320a points are not added when the out-of-state conviction resulted only from failing to appear.

The second explanation is fraud. Scam “traffic ticket” notices, sent by mail, text, or email, press the recipient to pay immediately through a link. A real Michigan citation is issued in person and is resolved through the named district court, never through a payment link sent by text. Any notice can be checked by contacting the court it names directly, using the court’s published phone number rather than contact details printed on the notice.