SFMTA sets out three options: pay the ticket, apply to lower the amount (or do community service in place of paying), or protest it if you think it is wrong. All three are handled administratively by SFMTA — this is a civil penalty, not a court summons, and there is no arraignment to attend.

First, check what it actually is

San Francisco began issuing real speed camera citations on 5 August 2025, and all 33 of its cameras are currently listed as issuing violations. Before that date the same cameras issued warning notices, which look similar and are not fines. If you are unsure which you have, the notice itself says so.

The notice goes to the registered owner of the vehicle, because the camera photographs a rear plate rather than a driver. If someone else was driving, the notice still arrives at your address.

Option one: pay it

The amount depends on how far over the limit the vehicle was recorded: $50 for 11–15 mph over, $100 for 16–25 over, $200 for 26 or more over, and $500 at 100 mph or above. SFMTA publishes several payment methods on its speeding ticket pages.

Option two: apply to lower it

This is the option most people do not know exists. Drivers who qualify as low-income pay half — $25, $50, $100 or $250 depending on the band. Drivers receiving public benefits pay 80% less: $10, $20, $40 or $100. The qualifying programmes SFMTA lists are CalFresh, CalWORKS, Medi-Cal, CAPI and IHSS. Community service is also available in place of payment.

AB 645 requires these reductions; they are not a discretionary favour. If the fine is a real hardship, this route exists precisely for that, and it is a far better outcome than letting an unpaid civil penalty sit.

Option three: protest it

SFMTA publishes a protest process, and separate instructions for four specific situations: rental vehicles, car-share platforms such as Turo, vehicles that had already been sold, and vehicles that were stolen at the time. If any of those apply, use the specific route rather than the general one — they exist because the registered-owner rule produces exactly these edge cases.

On the accuracy question, SFMTA states that all radar equipment is calibrated and certified by a third-party vendor at least once a year and undergoes routine inspection every month, and it publishes the calibration specification sheets. Whatever you make of that, the documents are public and linked below.

What it will not do to you

It adds no points to your driving record and is not reported to the DMV as a moving violation. That is the practical difference between this and a ticket from a traffic stop, and it is a consequence of the citation attaching to the vehicle rather than to an identified driver.

We describe the process the agency publishes, and we link the agency’s own pages for every step. We are not lawyers and none of this is legal advice.