SB 6002

CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
  ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6002
  Chapter 239, Laws of 2026
  69th Legislature
  2026 Regular Session
  AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER SYSTEMS
  EFFECTIVE DATE: March 30, 2026
Passed by the Senate March 10, 2026  CERTIFICATE
  Yeas 39 Nays 10
  I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
  the   Senate   of  the   State   of
  DENNY HECK  Washington, do hereby certify that
President of the Senate  the     attached   is     ENGROSSED
  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6002      as
  passed by the Senate and the House
  of Representatives on the dates
Passed by the House March 5, 2026      hereon set forth.
  Yeas 84 Nays 10
  SARAH BANNISTER
  LAURIE JINKINS
  Secretary
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Approved March 30, 2026 1:39 PM  FILED
  March 31, 2026
  Secretary of State
  BOB FERGUSON  State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
  ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6002
  AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
  Passed Legislature - 2026 Regular Session
State of Washington  69th Legislature     2026 Regular Session
By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Trudeau,
Holy, Alvarado, Bateman, Chapman, Conway, Dhingra, Frame, Hasegawa,
Kauffman, Lovelett, Nobles, Pedersen, Shewmake, Slatter, Stanford,
and Valdez)
READ FIRST TIME 01/23/26.
1      AN ACT Relating to driver privacy protections and automated
2  license plate reader systems; adding a new chapter to Title 10 RCW;
3  prescribing penalties; and declaring an emergency.
4  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 1.   INTENT. The legislature finds that it
6 plays an important role balancing the need to ensure public safety
7 and an individual's right to privacy under both the federal Fourth
8 Amendment to the United States Constitution and the broader
9 protection of individual rights guaranteed by Article I, section 7 of
10 the Washington state Constitution.
11     The legislature further finds that the dramatic expansion of
12 surveillance technology across the country has demonstrated the need
13 to establish sensible guardrails on the use of surveillance data
14 collected from monitoring the location and travel of individuals,
15 without a warrant, to ensure its use by law enforcement and other
16 government agencies must not come into conflict with existing
17 protections for Washingtonians and ensure that it is not being used
18 for purposes prohibited under state and federal law.
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1     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 2.    DEFINITIONS. The definitions in this
2 section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly
3 requires otherwise.
4     (1) "Agency" includes all state agencies and all local agencies.
5     (2) "Audit trail data" means all forms of data collected or
6 generated by an automated license plate reader system that identify
7 how the system is accessed or used. "Audit trail data" includes
8 information about who accesses or uses the system, and how and when
9 the system is accessed or used. "Audit trail data" does not include
10 automated license plate reader data.
11     (3) "Automated license plate reader data" means all data
12 collected by automated license plate reader systems including, but
13 not limited to, global positioning system coordinates, location, date
14 and time, speed of travel, photograph, license plate number,
15 automobile   characteristics,   or   other   identifying  information.
16 "Automated license plate reader data" does not include audio or video
17 recordings generated by a dashboard or body worn camera, unless such
18 recordings are converted into computer-readable license plate
19 characters or associated metadata, or are indexed, made searchable,
20 or analyzed by license plate number, individual, vehicle, biometric
21 identifier,   or  other   unique   identifier   for   the purpose   of
22 identifying, tracking, or reconstructing an individual's or vehicle's
23 location.
24     (4) "Automated license plate reader system" means a system,
25 software, or computer algorithm, whether used independently or in
26 combination with one or more mobile or fixed automated cameras, that
27 is used to convert images of license plates into computer-readable
28 data. An automated license plate reader system excludes automated
29 school bus safety cameras, speed safety camera systems, and automated
30 traffic safety camera systems, as defined in RCW 46.63.210, that do
31 not interface or interact with an automated license plate reader
32 system for purposes other than those authorized under RCW 46.63.180,
33 46.63.200, or 46.63.220 through 46.63.260. An automated license plate
34 reader system excludes photo toll system cameras authorized under RCW
35 47.56.795 or 47.46.105.
36     (5) "Court order," "warrant," or "subpoena" means a court order
37 as defined in RCW 43.17.420.
38     (6) "Law enforcement agency" has the same meaning as in RCW
39 10.116.010.
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1      (7) "Local agency" includes every county, city, town, municipal
2  corporation, quasi-municipal corporation, special purpose district,
3  local housing authorities, or any office, department, division,
4  bureau, board, commission, or agency thereof, or other local public
5  agency including their respective employees and agents.
6      (8) "State agency" includes every state office, department,
7  division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency, and their
8  respective employees and agents.
9     NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. OPERATION. (1) Except as provided for in
10 this section, it is unlawful for any agency to access, operate, or
11 use an automated license plate reader system or its associated
12 automated license plate reader data.
13     (2) An agency may access, operate, or use an automated license
14 plate reader system and its associated data only for the following
15 authorized purposes:
16     (a) Any law enforcement agency may use an automated license plate
17 reader system for the purpose of comparing captured automated license
18 plate reader data with:
19     (i) Data in any of the following databases maintained by either a
20 federal or Washington state agency: The department of licensing, the
21 state criminal justice information system, the federal bureau of
22 investigation kidnappings and missing persons list, the national
23 center for missing and exploited children list, and the Washington
24 missing persons list; or
25     (ii) License plate numbers or vehicle characteristics that have
26 been entered into a state or local automated license plate reader
27 system database or entered in order to perform a search, upon an
28 officer's determination that the license plate numbers or vehicle
29 characteristics are relevant and material to an investigation of a
30 vehicle that is:
31     (A) Stolen;
32     (B) Associated with a missing or endangered person;
33     (C) Registered to an individual for whom there is an outstanding
34 felony or gross misdemeanor warrant; or
35     (D) Related to or involved in a felony or gross misdemeanor.
36     (b) Any parking enforcement agency, or their agent, including,
37 but not limited to, cities, counties, the department of enterprise
38 services, and institutions of higher education as defined in RCW
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1 28B.10.016 may use an automated license plate reader system for the
2 following purposes:
3     (i) Enforcing restrictions on the use of parking spaces; or
4     (ii) Identifying vehicles in a database for impoundment or
5 immobilization under a local ordinance enacted under RCW 46.55.240,
6 provided the database includes only license plates of vehicles
7 subject to that ordinance.
8     (c) Any transportation agency may use an automated license plate
9 reader system for the following purposes:
10     (i) Providing real-time traffic information to the public,
11 traffic   modeling,   and   traffic  studies   such   as   determining
12 construction delays and route use; and
13     (ii) Enforcing commercial vehicle systems at Washington state
14 patrol enforcement sites and weigh stations.
15     (d) State and local agencies operating automated license plate
16 reader systems are the legal owners of the associated automated
17 license plate reader data collected by the system the agency
18 operates.
19     (3) It is unlawful for any agency, as described in RCW 43.17.425,
20 to use an automated license plate reader system for immigration
21 investigation or enforcement, or both, in accordance with RCW
22 10.93.160, or for any protected health care services under chapter
23 7.115 RCW, or to track or otherwise monitor activity protected by the
24 Washington state Constitution and the first amendment to the United
25 States Constitution.
26     (4)(a) It is unlawful for any agency to collect automated license
27 plate reader data on the premises or immediate surroundings or access
28 to or from facilities that provide protected health care, as
29 described in chapter 7.115 RCW, or at facilities conducting an
30 immigration matter as defined in RCW 19.154.020, elementary and
31 secondary schools, places of worship, courts, or food banks.
32     (b) For the purposes of this subsection, "facilities" includes
33 only the building or buildings used for the purposes described in (a)
34 of this subsection and any immediately adjacent parking lots that are
35 primarily or exclusively used for the purposes described in (a) of
36 this subsection.
37     (5) Any agency that intends to use, or currently uses an
38 automated license plate reader system as of the effective date of
39 this section and intends to continue using the system, shall register
40 it with the office of the attorney general on forms approved by the
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1 office for that purpose within 180 days of the effective date of this
2 section. The head of the agency shall certify that the system meets
3 all the requirements of this chapter, and that the agency has a
4 policy or policies in effect governing its use and a documented
5 training process for the officers that will use it. Agencies may not
6 use automated license plate reader systems that have not been
7 properly registered under this section.
8     (6) A positive match by an automated license plate reader system
9 alone does not constitute reasonable suspicion as grounds for a state
10 or local law enforcement officer to stop the vehicle. The officer
11 shall develop independent reasonable suspicion for the stop or
12 immediately confirm visually that the license plate on the vehicle
13 matches the image of the license plate displayed on the automated
14 license plate reader system and confirm by other means that the
15 license plate number is in one of the databases specified in
16 subsection (2)(a) of this section.
17     NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. RETENTION. Automated license plate reader
18 data collected by or on behalf of an agency, as authorized pursuant
19 to section 3(2) of this act, shall not be used or shared for any
20 other purpose and shall not be retained longer than 21 days, with the
21 following exceptions:
22     (1) When retained pursuant to a valid, court-issued, probable
23 cause felony or gross misdemeanor warrant or subpoena, or as
24 permitted by court order in criminal or civil cases, provided the
25 data is deleted at the conclusion of the criminal or civil case,
26 pursuant to the applicable record retention schedule. Automated
27 license plate reader data may be shared in discovery in accordance
28 with applicable court rules;
29     (2) When retained for the purpose of parking enforcement,
30 provided the data is deleted no later than 12 hours after final
31 disposition of a parking enforcement case, including exhaustion of
32 any applicable appeals process;
33     (3) When retained for the purpose of traffic studies, provided
34 the data is deleted no later than 30 days after collection;
35     (4) When retained for the purpose of enforcing commercial vehicle
36 systems, provided the data is deleted no later than six months after
37 collection; and
38     (5) When retained for the purpose in section 3(2)(a) of this act
39 for as long as such captured automated license plate reader data is
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1 needed as evidence of specific unlawful conduct enumerated in section
2 3(2)(a) of this act.
3     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 5.   PROHIBITED PRACTICES. (1) An agency that
4 uses an automated license plate reader system pursuant to section
5 3(2) of this act shall not:
6     (a) Disclose, share, or permit access to automated license plate
7 reader data except as required in a judicial proceeding;
8     (b) Provide any other entity with direct access to the automated
9 license plate reader system, except with other state or local
10 agencies authorized to collect automated license plate reader data
11 under section 3 of this act. A third-party vendor providing automated
12 license plate reader system services may access an automated license
13 plate reader system solely to the extent necessary to fulfill a
14 specific agency-authorized purpose.
15     (2) Any agency that uses a database pursuant to section 3(2) (a)
16 and (b)(ii) of this act shall use the most recent and updated version
17 of the database that is available to the agency and shall check for
18 and apply any available updates no less than once every 24 hours.
19     (3) An agency shall not sell, lease, rent, or purchase automated
20 license plate reader data or audit trail data.
21     (4) An agency may obtain privately held automated license plate
22 reader data only pursuant to a valid, court-issued, probable cause
23 warrant.
24     (5) Automated license plate reader data is not subject to
25 disclosure under the public records act, chapter 42.56 RCW, except
26 such data may be used for bona fide research as defined in RCW
27 42.48.010 and does not include individually identifiable information.
28     (6) Any automated license plate reader system vendor must provide
29 technical controls preventing unauthorized data sharing, secondary
30 transfer, or access by nonauthorized agencies, including federal
31 civil immigration enforcement in accordance with this chapter.
32     (7) Automated license plate reader system vendors are prohibited
33 from selling, leasing, renting, or otherwise allowing access to
34 automated license plate reader data to any nonauthorized agency,
35 person, or entity.
36     (8) An automated license plate reader system vendor is prohibited
37 from making any changes to an automated license plate reader system,
38 including but not limited to software updates that may change sharing
39 permissions, without the knowledge or explicit consent of the
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1 authorized Washington agency. Automated license plate reader system
2 vendors must default any settings related to sharing to prevent any
3 sharing of an agency's data with any nonauthorized agency, person, or
4 entity.
5     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 6.   ADMISSIBILITY IN COURT. Any information
6 obtained from a knowing violation of section 3 of this act is
7 inadmissible in any civil or criminal case in all courts of general
8 or limited jurisdiction in this state, except with the permission of
9 the person whose rights have been violated in an action brought for
10 damages under section 10 of this act.
11     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 7.    POLICIES. (1) By July 1, 2027, the
12 attorney general shall develop and publish model policies on the use
13 of automated license plate reader systems consistent with this act.
14     (2)(a) By December 1, 2027, any agency that uses an automated
15 license plate reader system pursuant to section 3(2) of this act
16 shall:
17     (i) Adopt a policy governing use of the automated license plate
18 reader system consistent with the model policies established under
19 subsection (1) of this section and submit copies of the applicable
20 policies to the attorney general; or, if the agency did not adopt
21 policies consistent with the model policies, provide notice to the
22 attorney general stating the reasons for any departures from the
23 model policies and an explanation of how the agency's policies are
24 consistent with the provisions of this act, and include a copy of the
25 agency's relevant policies; and
26     (ii) Submit an annual report on its automated license plate
27 reader system practices and usage to the appropriate committees of
28 the legislature. The report must also be conspicuously posted on the
29 agency's public website. The report shall include:
30     (A) The number of matches that resulted in traffic stops or
31 arrests made with assistance from automated license plate reader
32 systems, and the number of subsequent prosecutions;
33     (B) The number of stolen vehicles and stolen license plates
34 recovered due to use of the system;
35     (C) The number of preservation requests and disclosure orders
36 received;
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1     (D) The number of times automated license plate reader data or
2 audit trail data was shared with or accessed by another governmental
3 entity and the identity of each of those governmental entities;
4     (E) The number of times automated license plate reader data was
5 shared or accessed pursuant to a judicial warrant;
6     (F) Any changes in policy that affect data collection, retention
7 period, access or sharing;
8     (G) Results from the agency's internal audit of its automated
9 license plate reader system;
10     (H) The total annual number of automated license plate reader
11 system reads, searches that yielded results, and alerts; and
12     (I) The locations of cameras used as part of automated license
13 plate reader systems.
14     (b) Prior to or coincident with implementation of an automated
15 license plate reader system, a local law enforcement agency shall
16 take measures to promote public awareness on the use of such system.
17     (3) After December 1, 2026, whenever an agency modifies or
18 repeals any policies pertaining to the use of automated license plate
19 reader systems, the agency shall submit notice of such action with
20 copies of any relevant policies to the attorney general within 60
21 days.
22     (4) By December 31, 2027, the attorney general shall publish on
23 its website a report on the requirements of this section, including
24 copies of the model policies.
25     (5) Agencies that adopt policies required by this section must
26 publish the policies on the agency website and submit a website link
27 for those published policies with the attorney general. The attorney
28 general is not required to publish those agency policies.
29     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 8.    AUDITS. (1) Each agency operating or
30 accessing an automated license plate reader system shall maintain
31 audit trail data documenting all access to the system. Audit trail
32 data must be retained for two years and must include, at a minimum:
33     (a) A record of each action in which automated license plate
34 reader data is accessed or searched, including:
35     (i) The identity or username of the person who accessed or
36 queried the system, and as applicable, the organization or entity
37 with whom the person is affiliated;
38     (ii) The date and time the automated license plate reader data or
39 the automated license plate reader system was accessed or searched;
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1     (iii) Data elements used to query the automated license plate
2 reader system;
3     (iv) Specific purpose for accessing or querying the automated
4 license plate reader system, including the offense type for any
5 criminal investigation;
6     (v) The associated call for service or case number; and
7     (vi) The location of the cameras that are part of the automated
8 license plate reader system accessed.
9     (b) All records of actions in which automated license plate
10 reader data is exported, downloaded, or shared; and
11     (c) Any audit trail data generated by or made available through a
12 third-party vendor providing automated license plate reader system
13 services. Each agency shall ensure that all such vendor audit trail
14 data is downloaded or otherwise obtained and retained by the agency
15 in accordance with this section.
16     (2) Data elements used to query the automated license plate
17 reader system and retained as audit trail data pursuant to subsection
18 (1)(a) of this section may be used solely for auditing purposes and
19 may not be searched, analyzed, compiled, or indexed for investigative
20 purposes. Data elements that contain unique identifiers must be
21 partially redacted in any public disclosure.
22     (3) Each agency shall conduct an internal audit at least once
23 each year to review:
24     (a) All access to and use of the automated license plate reader
25 system, as reflected in the audit trail data; and
26     (b) The agency's compliance with the data retention, purging, and
27 sharing requirements established under this chapter and agency
28 policy.
29     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 9.   VIOLATIONS—APPLICATION OF THE CONSUMER
30 PROTECTION ACT. (1) The legislature finds that the practices covered
31 by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for
32 the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86
33 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the
34 development and preservation of business and is an unfair or
35 deceptive act in trade or commerce and an unfair method of
36 competition for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act,
37 chapter 19.86 RCW.
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1      (2) This section applies only to persons, as defined in RCW
2  19.86.010, who enter into contract with state and local government
3  agencies authorized to use automated license plate reader systems.
4     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 10.     CRIMINAL PENALTIES. Any person who
5 willfully and intentionally queries, accesses, or uses an automated
6 license plate reader system for a purpose not specifically authorized
7 under this chapter, or who willfully and intentionally retains,
8 sells, shares, permits access, or disseminates automated license
9 plate reader system data or audit trail data in violation of this
10 chapter, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
11     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 11.    CIVIL REMEDY. A person injured by a
12 violation of this chapter may bring a civil action to recover any
13 equitable, declaratory relief, or injunctive relief with respect to
14 the violation; and recover all other appropriate relief, including
15 monetary damages. The court may award to a person aggrieved by a
16 violation of this chapter who prevails in an action brought under
17 this section the costs of the action, including reasonable attorneys'
18 fees.
19     NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any provision of
20 this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held
21 invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision
22 to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
23     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 13.    Sections 1   through   11   of   this   act
24 constitute a new chapter in Title 10 RCW.
25     NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. This act is necessary for the immediate
26 preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of
27 the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes
28 effect immediately.
  Passed by the Senate March 10, 2026.
  Passed by the House March 5, 2026.
  Approved by the Governor March 30, 2026.
  Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 31, 2026.
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