You were driving and saw flashes from a camera in your rear-view mirror. What happens now can range from nothing to a fine.
Running a red light in Alabama can land you jail time because Alabama classifies running a red as a Class C criminal misdemeanor, however, that is less likely because you are only subject to prosecution if a police officer or witness has seen and reported your actions.
Cost of running a red light ticket in Alabama
According to DrivingLaws, here’s the penalty schedule Alabama-wide:
| Number of offenses | Base fine | Maximum jail time |
|---|---|---|
| First offense in a year | $100 | 10 days |
| Second offense in a year | $200 | 30 days |
| Third offense in a year | $500 | 3 months |
With red light cameras, what could happen is that you’ll receive a civil fine in the mail with evidence of your alleged wrongdoing and the fine amount.
For example, when the Tuscaloosa Police Department rolled out the automated red light enforcement system, they addressed the question on whether a red light camera ticket goes on your record, “A red light ticket is a civil fine and will not impact a person’s insurance rates or add points on a person’s driver’s license. Once payment is made, it will constitute the final disposition on the matter.”
The cost of these fines and accompanying costs vary from city to city. For example, in Tuscaloosa, running a red light has a fine of $182. While in Phenix City, the fine is $100.
Cities in Alabama with red light cameras
Alabama is one of the states that permits some local governments to install red light cameras for traffic enforcement. In 2008, the state capital of Montgomery became the first city in Alabama to install red light cameras.
As of February 2025, the following Alabama cities use red light cameras:
- Center Point.
- Midfield.
- Montgomery.
- Phenix City.
- Selma.
- Tuscaloosa.
How does a red light camera work?
A red light camera uses sensors to capture still or video footage of a car entering an intersection after the light has turned red.
For example, in Montgomery, red light cameras take three pictures of your car as it moves through the intersection:
- An image of the car before crossing the white line and also shows the light is red.
- An image of the car in the intersection while the light is red.
- A close-up image of the license plate.
Those three images in combination prove that the driver ran the red light and provide law enforcement with identifying information. Using that information, police can send a notice of the violation to the car’s owner.
What should I do if I receive a red light camera ticket?
If you open your mail to discover a red light camera ticket, you’ve got two options. You can either pay the fine and accept the other penalties or request a court date to appeal the citation.
How to fight a red light camera ticket
Paying your fine is the fastest way to deal with a ticket, but in some cases, it’s better to fight the citation. You might want to appeal your red light camera ticket if:
- There was inadequate signage at the intersection notifying you of camera enforcement.
- You ran the red light in response to directions from law enforcement.
- You ran the light to yield right-of-way to an emergency vehicle.
- You weren’t the owner of the car at the time of the violation.
- Your car was stolen and it was the thief who ran the red light.
- You chose not to stop due to hazardous road conditions.
The bottom line
Running a red light can lead to two different types of charges. If you ran a red light camera, you will likely get a ticket in the mail with a fine. If a police officer sees you do it or a witness reports you, the offense could rise to the level of a Class C misdemeanor which has a maximum $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
Xuyun Zeng is a content strategist with a wide-ranging content background including tech, journalism, cars and health care. After graduating with highest honors in journalism, Xuyun led a newspaper to win eight awards, helped start an award-winning film industry podcast and has written over a hundred articles about cars repair, state laws and insurance. Prior to joining Jerry, Xuyun worked as a freelance SEO consultant with a mission to create the best content that will help readers and grow organic traffic.
Kevin Berry is the Senior Director of Content at Jerry and has been working in the digital content space since 2011 across the car insurance/repair, personal finance, travel and sports industries. Prior to Jerry, Kevin was a content team lead at NerdWallet overseeing the Multimedia Production and Travel Rewards teams. Previously, he worked for NBC Sports, Comcast Cable and Nike. He has a Master`s Degree from Arkansas State and a Bachelor`s from Oregon State University.
Lacie Glover is a Lead Content Strategist with sixteen years’ experience in the insurance category. Prior to Jerry, she spent more than a decade on NerdWallet’s content team writing, editing and then overseeing the auto insurance category, as well as dabbling in other insurance and automotive topics. Prior to her career in the online personal finance content space, Lacie spent time in the hard sciences, in clinical research and chemistry labs. She has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University.
