This bill amends Washington’s automated traffic safety camera laws by adding “automated vehicle noise enforcement cameras” to the definition of automated traffic safety cameras and by creating a limited pilot program, overseen by the Washington traffic safety commission, to use those noise cameras in ordinance-designated vehicle-racing enforcement zones in cities with populations of at least 2,000. The noise cameras may detect violations of maximum permissible vehicle sound levels under chapter 70A.20 RCW or equivalent local ordinances, but amplified music captured by the cameras may not be used as evidence that sound standards were exceeded. The bill adds procedural rules for camera programs (signage posted at least 30 days before activation, visible placement, limits on images and audio recorded, privacy protections and restricted retention/use of evidence) and requires local ordinances, location analyses with equity considerations before adding or relocating cameras, public posting of policies and annual reports, and commission oversight and reporting. The pilot provision expires July 1, 2028. The act changes enforcement and penalty procedures. Infractions detected by automated cameras are processed like parking infractions for specified statutes; the maximum fine is set at $145 (adjusted for inflation every five years beginning January 1, 2029) and may be doubled for school speed zone infractions. It establishes rental-car business procedures (an issuing agency must give a written notice and the rental business has 18 days to identify the driver, prove the vehicle was stolen, or pay), allows trained civilian employees to review camera-detected infractions and issue notices, and creates a prima facie presumption that the registered owner was in control of the vehicle unless rebutted under oath. It also sets revenue rules: program revenues are limited to specified traffic-safety and administrative purposes, include equity-directed investments for larger jurisdictions, require a 25% deposit of certain excess funds into the Cooper Jones account beginning four years after new cameras are placed, and permit jurisdictions to adopt online ability-to-pay tools and a 50% penalty reduction for certain public assistance or WIC recipients under specified conditions. Key dates and reporting requirements in the provided text include notice-of-infraction mailings within 14 days, performance audits of vendors every three years if contracts lack quality measures, a commission report to the legislature by January 1, 2028, a statewide annual commission report beginning July 1, 2026, local reporting requirements beginning January 1, 2026 for revenue disclosure, the act’s effective date of January 1, 2026, and expiration of sections 1 and 3–7 on July 1, 2028. The extracted material references numerous amendments and reenactments to RCWs and several cross-referenced subsections, but some important text is missing from the provided facts: subsection (17) (renter and rental-car business specifics) is not included; the full text of section 2 and other amended RCW provisions are not provided here; a sentence about required markings at camera locations is cut off; and the specific department named for vehicle-record processing is not printed in the extracted facts.

If enacted, cities with at least 2,000 people could add a time-limited pilot using cameras that record vehicle noise to ticket cars that exceed local or state sound limits, but only after passing an ordinance, preparing a location analysis that considers equity and need, posting visible signs at least 30 days before activation, and publishing annual reports with crash and revenue details. Cities will face up-front and ongoing costs to buy, install, operate, and audit camera vendors (vendors cannot be paid based on fines), and they must use most revenues for traffic safety projects or program administration; beginning four years after a new camera is in use, 25% of excess infraction revenue must go to the Cooper Jones active transportation safety account. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission will oversee the pilot and must report to the legislature by January 1, 2028, and many new reporting, notification, and evidence-handling duties fall on cities, transit agencies, and the Department of Transportation. Registered vehicle owners and renters will be more likely to receive mailed notices of infraction within 14 days and face fines up to $145 (double in school zones), with unpaid infractions potentially blocking vehicle registration until paid; rental car companies must respond within 18 days or risk being treated as the responsible party, increasing their administrative burden. Privacy limits are required (no driver faces in photos; audio limited to immediately before/during/after alleged noise violations) and evidence is restricted to enforcement use only. Some implementation details needed to fully understand effects are missing from the provided text (for example certain renter-related provisions, the exact department named for registration actions, and parts that were cut off), so the scope of administrative duties and penalties may change once the remaining sections are reviewed.