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Nursing Home Camera Laws by State (2026): Granny Cam Rights

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 16, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 16, 2026. · 12 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

Nursing Home Camera Laws by State (2026): Granny Cam Rights

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to put a camera in a nursing home room?

In the 18 states with an electronic-monitoring law, yes, generally at the resident's or representative's request, usually with roommate consent and posted notice. In the other states, the facility's own policy controls, and no state or federal law creates a right to install one.

Can a nursing home in New Jersey stop me from installing a camera?

New Jersey has no statute giving residents a right to a camera. The state's Safe Care Cam program lends micro-surveillance cameras to families who suspect abuse, but a facility that declines a camera outside that program is not violating a New Jersey statute.

Does Arizona let families put cameras in nursing home rooms?

No Arizona statute creates a right to install one. SB 1564, signed by Governor Hobbs in June 2026, only requires long-term care facilities to disclose to the state health department whether they allow monitoring devices; each facility still sets its own policy on whether to allow one.

What happens if my roommate refuses to consent to the camera?

It depends on the state. Louisiana and New Mexico require the facility to offer to move one of the residents to another shared room. Kansas lets the facility deactivate the device if a roommate withdraws consent and the resident does not remove it. Check the specific state's rule in the table above.

Can a nursing home retaliate against a resident for requesting a camera?

States with an enacted electronic-monitoring statute generally bar the facility from refusing admission, discharging, or otherwise retaliating against a resident over a monitoring request. That statutory protection does not exist in a state with no electronic-monitoring law.

Is it a crime to unplug or block a nursing home camera?

New Mexico is the only state in this group that makes intentionally tampering with, obstructing, or destroying a monitoring device a felony. North Dakota treats the same conduct as a class B misdemeanor. Most other states with a statute handle interference through civil correction orders, fines, or a licensing complaint rather than a criminal charge.

Can nursing home camera footage be used as evidence in a lawsuit?

Footage can support an abuse or neglect investigation or claim, and Illinois's statute specifically addresses using monitoring recordings in abuse and neglect proceedings. A recording alone does not establish that a claim is viable; it is evaluated alongside medical, staffing, and care-plan records.

Does my state have a nursing home camera law?

As of August 2026, 18 states do: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. See the table above for each state's specific consent, roommate-consent, and notice rules.

Updates

Corrected the Oklahoma citation to its current 2020 renumbering, replaced an inaccurate claim that Nevada's law is unlike every other state's, filled in the Nevada and North Dakota roommate-consent and notice rules from their statutes, and extended the Louisiana citation range to cover the signage and penalty provisions.

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes

Added Oregon's temporary assisted-living monitoring rule (OAR 411-054-0025(10), effective Aug 10 2026, expires Feb 5 2027) and clarified that Washington's rule is a regulation rather than a statute

Corrected the enacted-statute state list: removed Michigan (the cited MCL 333.21788/2022 PA 187 was fabricated; Michigan has no enacted statute, only a pending bill, SB 412), reclassified Virginia from regulation-only to its actual statute (Va. Code § 32.1-138.5:1), and added Wyoming (Wyo. Stat. §§ 35-2-1301 to 35-2-1308), which the list had omitted.

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Reviewed and approved by an editor

Sources and References

  1. Minnesota Statutes § 144.6502, Electronic Monitoring in Long-Term Care Facilities(revisor.mn.gov).gov
  2. Washington Administrative Code 388-97-0400, Electronic Monitoring(app.leg.wa.gov).gov
  3. Code of Virginia § 32.1-138.5:1, Electronic Monitoring in Resident Rooms(law.lis.virginia.gov).gov
  4. Missouri Revised Statutes § 198.610, Authorized Electronic Monitoring in Long-Term Care Facilities Act(revisor.mo.gov).gov
  5. Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 242, Subchapter R, Electronic Monitoring of Resident's Room(statutes.capitol.texas.gov).gov
  6. Illinois Department on Aging, Authorized Electronic Monitoring Brochure(ilaging.illinois.gov).gov
  7. Ohio Department of Aging, Esther's Law(aging.ohio.gov).gov
  8. Utah Code § 26B-2-236, Monitoring Devices in Assisted Living Facilities and Secure Memory Care Units(le.utah.gov).gov
  9. Connecticut Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Resident Technology and Camera Use in Long Term Care(portal.ct.gov).gov
  10. New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Safe Care Cam Program(njconsumeraffairs.gov).gov
  11. Arizona SB 1564 (2026), Electronic Monitoring; Long-Term Care(azleg.gov).gov
  12. New Mexico Patient Care Monitoring Act, NMSA 1978, Chapter 24, Article 26 (analysis)(pksdnm.com)
  13. Fox5 Las Vegas, New Nevada law allows cameras in assisted living facilities(fox5vegas.com)
  14. Connecticut Public, New CT law allows for cameras in residential care facilities(ctpublic.org)
  15. Wyoming Statutes §§ 35-2-1301 to 35-2-1308, Long-term Care Electronic Monitoring Act(wyoleg.gov).gov
  16. Nevada Revised Statutes §§ 449A.182 and 449A.190, Electronic Communication Devices in Facilities for Long-Term Care(leg.state.nv.us)
  17. Louisiana Revised Statutes § 40:1193.5, Consent; waiver(legis.la.gov)
  18. Louisiana Revised Statutes § 40:1193.9, Public notice; signage of electronic monitoring device(legis.la.gov)
  19. North Dakota Century Code § 50-10.2-02.1, Authorized Virtual Monitoring, Virtual Visitation, and Electronic Recording(ndlegis.gov)
  20. Oklahoma Statutes Title 63 §§ 1-1956.1 to 1-1956.7, Authorized Electronic Monitoring (renumbered from §§ 1-1953.1 to 1-1953.7 by Laws 2020, c. 39)(oklegislature.gov)
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