Pennsylvania License Plate Reader Laws (2026)

We found no Pennsylvania statute that names or regulates license plate readers. A full-text search of the official consolidated and unconsolidated statutes on September 30, 2026 returned nothing for plate reader terms. Four bills that would address readers are sitting in committee, and two House committees scheduled an informational meeting on the subject for September 28, 2026. Separate laws keep Turnpike toll images and work-zone and school-bus camera images out of public records, but those govern those programs, not police plate readers.

Information reviewed September 30, 2026.

For related pages, see the Pennsylvania entry in the state comparison, the ALPR laws hub, Are Flock cameras legal?, What are Flock cameras?, and our Pennsylvania surveillance camera laws guide.

Does Pennsylvania have a license plate reader law?

Our search found none. On September 30, 2026 we used the General Assembly site's full-text search across all of the consolidated statutes, the Constitution and Titles 1 to 79, and the separate search of the unconsolidated statutes.

• In the consolidated statutes, "license plate reader," "plate reader," "plate recognition" and "automatic license" returned no results. "Automated license" returned 8 results, all about the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing Service for hunting and fishing licenses.
• In the unconsolidated statutes, which include the Right-to-Know Law, "license plate reader" and "plate reader" returned no results.
• "License plate" returned 55 consolidated results, in registration, plate display, towing, tolling, automated speed enforcement, sex offender registration, ride-hailing and Philadelphia Parking Authority provisions. We opened the toll and camera enforcement sections described below.

The search has limits. We did not search the Pennsylvania Code of regulations, did not review plate reader policies of the State Police, the Turnpike Commission or PennDOT, and read only the first page of the 91 unconsolidated results for "license plate." The finding is about statutes; it does not tell you what any agency does in practice.

What governs police plate readers in Pennsylvania?

Agency policy and contract, as far as our statute search shows. With no statute in place, nothing we found in state law sets a retention period, a list of permitted uses, limits on sharing with other states or federal agencies, audit requirements or penalties for police plate readers. We did not review any Pennsylvania agency's plate reader policy for this page.

How does Pennsylvania treat Turnpike toll camera data?

74 Pa.C.S. 8117, the Turnpike's electronic toll collection section, is the statute our search turned up that deals most directly with plate data captured by cameras. Under subsection (a)(2), "[t]he registration plate number of the vehicle as recorded by a toll collection system shall establish an inference that the owner of the vehicle was then operating the vehicle."

Subsection (b)(5) says the videotapes, photographs, recorded images, written records and reports prepared under the section "shall be for the exclusive use of the commission, its authorized agents, its employees and law enforcement officials for the purpose of discharging duties under this section and the regulations of the commission." The information "shall not be deemed a public record" under the Right-to-Know Law and is not discoverable or admissible in proceedings not directly related to tolling.

Subsection (d) applies the same protection to account information and "any information collected by a toll collection system," expressly including "vehicle movement records." Both subsections carry the same three exceptions:

1. a court may order the information provided to law enforcement officials if it "is reasonably described and is requested solely in connection with a criminal law enforcement action";
2. the information may be exchanged between entities that operate a toll collection system "in this Commonwealth or any other jurisdiction"; and
3. it may be used for billing toll accounts, enforcing toll laws and enforcing account terms.

Act 112 of 2022 amended subsections (a), (b) and (d). The section concerns the Turnpike's toll system; it does not regulate police plate readers.

What about work-zone and school-bus cameras?

Two automated enforcement programs have their own confidentiality and destruction rules.

• Work-zone speed cameras. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3369, the information "shall not be deemed a public record" under the Right-to-Know Law and is not discoverable or admissible except to determine liability under the section. Recorded images "shall be destroyed within one year of final disposition of a notice of violation," and images subject to a court order within two years after the order unless extended.
• School-bus stop-arm cameras. Under 75 Pa.C.S. 3345.1, the information is not a public record, but it "may be discoverable" and may be offered in evidence in proceedings directly related to a violation of the section or to any other violation in connection with a criminal law enforcement action. Images "shall be destroyed within one year of final disposition of the recorded event."

We read only the confidentiality and destruction sentences of these two sections. Neither mentions plate readers, and neither applies to police plate reader systems.

Can you get Pennsylvania plate reader data through a Right-to-Know request?

There is no plate-reader-specific rule. The Right-to-Know Law's general exemption in section 708(b)(16) covers "[a] record of an agency relating to or resulting in a criminal investigation," including complaints and investigative materials. We read that provision only as a search excerpt and did not analyze whether bulk plate reads, hit alerts or search logs fall within it.

Pennsylvania's Superior Court has ruled on plate reader evidence in a criminal case. In Commonwealth v. Watkins, 2023 PA Super 189 (Sept. 29, 2023), deciding the question for the first time, it held that police use of a plate reader system to track a defendant's movements was not a search under the Fourth Amendment, because a license plate is in plain view when a vehicle is on the road, and it affirmed his sentence after suppression was denied. We found no court decision on plate reader data under the Right-to-Know Law, though our search was not exhaustive.

Policies, vendor contracts and council approvals are different documents from the plate data itself, and the exemption above is written in terms of criminal investigation records.

Is Pennsylvania considering a plate reader bill?

Four bills in the 2025-2026 session contain the phrase "license plate reader," according to the General Assembly's bill-text search. Each has only been referred to committee, and none is law.

We did not analyze the bills' text, so this page does not describe what they would require.

What was the September 2026 legislative meeting?

The House Judiciary and Transportation Committees scheduled a joint informational meeting on the use of automated license plate reader systems for September 28, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 140 of the Main Capitol. The committee packet states that "[t]he purpose of this informational meeting is to receive presentations related to the use of Automated License Plate Reader Systems."

The listed panels were law enforcement (Flock Safety, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association and the Pennsylvania State Troopers' Association), government entities (the Turnpike Commission's chief operating officer and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs) and data privacy (the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the Women's Law Project, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Institute for Justice). The packet also contains written testimony, including from the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and Motorola. The meeting was informational, not a vote on any bill.

Where are plate readers reported in Pennsylvania?

This list is not complete. Our deployment records list the Munhall Borough Police Department's plate reader system as active as of April 14, 2026, citing a WPXI report. It does not cover every agency in the state.

How can I check my local system?

Because no statute we found sets the rules, the governing documents are the agency's own. Ask the operating agency for its written plate reader policy, its retention setting, who may search the data and with whom it is shared, and its vendor contract, and ask your borough, township or city council for any approval records. A Right-to-Know request for plate data would be evaluated under the exemptions described above.

The September 28, 2026 committee packet is posted publicly and lists the panels and written testimony described above. For how the technology works, see What are Flock cameras?.

Last updated: September 30, 2026. This page reflects the statutes and records described above as we reviewed them; it is general legal information, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to use a license plate reader in Pennsylvania?

We found no Pennsylvania statute that prohibits, authorizes or regulates plate readers after searching all consolidated and unconsolidated statutes on September 30, 2026. That is a statutory finding only. It does not cover agency policies, regulations or local decisions.

How long can Pennsylvania police keep license plate reader data?

We found no statute setting a retention period for police plate readers. Any limit comes from the agency's policy or vendor contract, which we did not review. Separate statutes set destruction deadlines for work-zone speed camera and school-bus camera images, but those do not apply to plate readers.

Is Turnpike toll camera data public in Pennsylvania?

No. Under 74 Pa.C.S. 8117, toll system images, records and vehicle movement records are for the exclusive use of the Turnpike Commission and law enforcement and are not public records under the Right-to-Know Law. A court may order the information provided to law enforcement for a criminal law enforcement action, and toll operators may exchange it.

Can I file a Right-to-Know request for plate reader data?

You can make a request, and it would be decided under the general exemptions. The Right-to-Know Law has no plate-reader-specific provision, and section 708(b)(16) exempts agency records relating to or resulting in a criminal investigation. We did not analyze how that applies to plate reads.

Is there a pending Pennsylvania plate reader bill?

Four: HB 1125, HB 2174, HB 2771 and SB 933. Each has only been referred to committee, the most recent HB 2771 on September 14, 2026. None is law.