Your records law: California's public records requests run under the California Public Records Act. That's the law to
cite when you ask your city about its ALPR program.
What's reported in California
California's ALPR law restricts how plate data is handled, and reporting has examined whether those rules are being followed (US News, AP).
As in most states, ALPR deployment and data rules are set partly by state law and partly by local policy — retention periods, access limits and sharing agreements vary city by city. The definitive answer for your city comes from its records, not from a national summary.
Ask for the actual policy
Use the FOIA generator to write a state-specific request under the California Public Records Act — asking for the ALPR contract, camera locations, retention policy and data-sharing agreements. It takes about 2 minutes.
- See California's Flock-specific status: Flock cameras in California
- How long plate data is kept: data retention
- Can police track your plate? straight answer
Note: this page summarizes what's publicly reported and identifies the governing records law.
It is not legal advice — for statute text, see your state legislature's site.