How to get police and traffic camera video of a crash in Georgia

The public records law that gets you the video

Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. §50-18-70 et seq.

3 business days to produce or explain

The Open Records Act declares a strong presumption that public records are available without delay, is to be broadly construed, and reads its exceptions narrowly (O.C.G.A. §50-18-70(a)); “public record” includes tapes, photographs and computer-based information (§50-18-70(b)(2)). Requests go to a custodian of the agency (§50-18-71(a)(2), added by SB 12, Act 276, effective May 14, 2025), and an agency may require written requests to go to one designated person (its director or chief executive, the senior official at a satellite office, a clerk designated as records custodian, or a designated open records officer), in which case the three-day clock does not start until the written request reaches that person (§50-18-71(b)(1)(B), (b)(2)). A request may be oral or written, but the Act’s enforcement remedies apply only to written requests (§50-18-71(b)(3)), and an agency that uses email or fax in its normal business must accept written requests that way (§50-18-71(b)(2)). The agency must produce responsive records within a reasonable time not to exceed three business days; if some cannot be produced in that time, it must, within the three days, describe them and give a timeline, then provide them as soon as practicable (§50-18-71(b)(1)(A)). It need not produce records that did not exist when you asked (§50-18-71(b)(1)(A)) or create new reports or compilations (§50-18-71(j)). If it withholds anything, it must cite the specific Code section, subsection and paragraph within three business days, or within three business days after retrieving delayed records (§50-18-71(d)), and it must release the rest of a record with only the exempt portion removed (§50-18-72(b)). Fees: search, retrieval and redaction at no more than the prorated hourly salary of the lowest-paid full-time employee able to do the work, with no charge for the first quarter hour; copies up to 10¢ per page for letter or legal size; and the actual cost of the media for electronic records (§50-18-71(c)(1), (2)). Copying video from a police body camera or an in-car camera carries an additional $10.00 fee (§50-18-96(g)). If costs will exceed $25.00, the agency must send an estimate within three business days and may wait for your agreement; above $500.00 it may require prepayment (§50-18-71(d)). The Attorney General’s online FAQ still says copies may cost up to 25 cents a page; the statute’s limit is 10¢. If you are suing the agency, a request for records for that case must be in writing and copied to the agency’s lawyer (§50-18-71(e)).

Police body camera and dashcam video

Crash video kept 30 months; ORA applies

Georgia has no separate law for releasing police video; body camera and dashcam recordings are public records under the Open Records Act, subject to its exemptions. Two provisions are specific to police video. First, retention: video from law enforcement body-worn devices or devices on or inside police vehicles must be kept for 180 days, but for 30 months if it is part of a criminal investigation, shows a vehicular accident, shows a detention or arrest, or shows an officer’s use of force, and for 30 months (and until a final judgment if a lawsuit is filed in that time) if it contains evidence reasonably anticipated to be needed for pending litigation (O.C.G.A. §50-18-96(b)). The statute calls these retention periods “de minimis” and does not require destruction afterward (§50-18-96(c), (d)), and video destroyed under the schedule is deemed properly destroyed, with no presumption that it was harmful (§50-18-96(e)). The agency has no duty to blur or redact people or information that appear in such video (§50-18-96(f)), and copying it carries an additional $10.00 fee on top of the Act’s other charges (§50-18-96(g)). Second, privacy: §50-18-72(a)(26.2) exempts “Audio and video recordings from devices used by law enforcement officers in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy when there is no pending investigation,” except to “A duly appointed representative of a deceased’s estate when the decedent was depicted or heard on such recording,” “A parent or legal guardian of a minor depicted or heard on such recording,” “An accused in a criminal case when, in the good faith belief of the accused, such recording is relevant to his or her criminal proceeding,” “A party to a civil action when, in the good faith belief of such party, such recording is relevant to the civil action,” an attorney for any of those people, or “An attorney for a person who may pursue a civil action when, in the good faith belief of such attorney, such recording is relevant to the potential civil action,” provided that the person seeking the recording “submits a sworn affidavit that attests to the facts necessary to establish eligibility under this paragraph.” Example, Georgia State Patrol only: the Department of Public Safety’s Charging Chart lists video and dashcam at $10.00 for download, plus a charge for copying to a media device if needed, $5.00 for a jump drive and $3.00 per item for mailing, and its records requests go to openrecords@gsp.net. DPS said in 2020 that it was installing digital cameras with cloud storage in newly equipped patrol cars so that requesters could receive a video link by email.

When police can hold video back

Withheld until the case is final

Records of law enforcement, prosecution or regulatory agencies in any pending investigation or prosecution of criminal or unlawful activity are exempt, except initial police arrest reports and initial incident reports (O.C.G.A. §50-18-72(a)(4)). The statute says when this ends: an investigation or prosecution is no longer pending once all direct litigation involving it has become final or otherwise terminated. The exemption does not apply to records held by an agency that is itself the subject of the investigation (§50-18-72(a)(4)). A separate exemption covers law enforcement records to the extent production would reveal a confidential source, endanger someone’s life or safety, or reveal a confidential surveillance or investigation (§50-18-72(a)(3)). A crash that leads to criminal charges, such as a DUI or a hit and run, is the kind of case where video can be held. Example, Georgia State Patrol only: the Department of Public Safety says that if a dashcam video request pertains to a criminal investigation, it cannot release the video until the criminal matter is no longer pending unless you provide written authorization from the prosecutor or a judge; once the case is closed you must send a copy of the court’s disposition sheet, because DPS does not keep disposition records. DPS publishes a form for asking the prosecutor for that authorization, says it cannot seek it for you, and closes the file after two weeks without it. Because crash video must be kept for 30 months (§50-18-96(b)(1)), ask in writing now even if you expect a delay, and ask again when the case ends.

Do traffic cameras in Georgia record?

511GA: GDOT cameras do not record

GDOT’s 511GA traveler site answers this directly in its FAQ: “No, our cameras do not record. Any video footage from these cameras is not available.” The Open Records Act does not require an agency to produce records that did not exist when you asked (O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(b)(1)(A)). If you believe a GDOT camera or other GDOT record captured something, GDOT says all open records requests go to its Office of Legal Services by fax at (404) 551-2720 or by email to openrecords@dot.ga.gov. Note one GDOT-specific exemption: since SB 353 (Act 367, effective March 4, 2024), records or data of the State Road and Tollway Authority or GDOT that would reveal the financial accounts, travel history, vehicle information or personally identifiable information of a motorist on any toll project or roadway are exempt (§50-18-72(a)(28)). Cameras run by cities and counties are separate; ask that government’s records custodian in writing right away.

Red-light and speed cameras

Authorized; images not public records

Georgia authorizes three kinds of camera enforcement, and for each the law says the recorded images are not public records under the Open Records Act. Red-light cameras: a county or city may enforce red lights with traffic-control signal monitoring devices under a GDOT operating permit, after a resolution and a public hearing, for intersections where GDOT approves a documented safety need (O.C.G.A. §40-6-20(f); §40-14-21(a), (b), (d)); the civil penalty is not more than $70.00 (§40-6-20(f)(3)(A)), the devices may not produce images showing the identity of anyone in a vehicle (§40-14-21(j)), and recorded images are not public records (§40-6-20(f)(7)). School zone speed cameras: under O.C.G.A. §40-14-18 as rewritten by HB 651 (Act 711, effective July 1, 2026), cameras may ticket only on school days during class hours and one hour before and after, and only for speeds more than ten miles per hour over the limit; penalties are $75.00 for a first violation and $125.00 after that; the owner’s notice includes an image and a website where the recorded images can be viewed (§40-14-18(a)(1), (b)(1), (b)(2)); and recorded images are not public records (§40-14-18(k)). HB 651 also adds §40-14-19, effective July 1, 2027, under which a county or city may not enter into or renew a school-zone camera contract unless its voters approve the cameras in a referendum. School bus stop-arm cameras: a $1,000.00 civil penalty can be imposed on the owner of a vehicle recorded illegally passing a stopped school bus (raised from $250.00 by HB 409, Act 458, effective July 1, 2024), the citation must give the person at least 30 business days to inspect the information the camera collected about the violation, and recorded images are not public records (§40-6-163(d)(3)(A), (d)(5), (d)(11)). The route the statutes give to these images is the citation: red-light and school-zone notices include an image (§40-6-20(f)(3)(B); §40-14-18(b)(2)), and a school bus citation gives the owner time to inspect the recording; we did not confirm which local governments currently operate cameras.

If your request is denied

AG mediation, or superior court

The Open Records Act has no administrative appeal. A denial must cite the specific Code section, subsection and paragraph relied on (O.C.G.A. §50-18-71(d)), so start by asking the custodian to explain or narrow the denial. For a city, county or other local government, you can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Open Government Mediation Program online; the Department of Law says its attorneys review complaints, assign one to a complaint that is a candidate for mediation, and work to see that local governments provide the access the law requires, and that what you submit becomes an open record and may be shared with the government involved. If informal steps and mediation do not resolve it, the Attorney General’s Citizen’s Guide notes that the Act lets any person bring a civil action. Any person may sue in superior court to enforce the Act, and the Attorney General may also sue (§50-18-73(a)); the court must award reasonable attorney’s fees and litigation costs against a side that acted without substantial justification, unless special circumstances exist (§50-18-73(b)). A knowing and willful refusal to provide records, or to provide them on time, is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000.00 for a first violation, a court may impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000.00 for a negligent violation, and each additional violation within 12 months can draw up to $2,500.00 (§50-18-74(a)). These remedies apply only if your request was in writing (§50-18-71(b)(3)). You may want to ask a lawyer before filing suit.

What to do now

1. 1

   Send a written request to the police agency now

   Email or deliver an Open Records Act request to the custodian of the agency that worked the crash, naming the date, time, location, report number and the body camera and dashcam video you want. Keep a copy.

2. 2

   Expect an answer in three business days

   The agency must produce the video, or describe it and give a timeline, within three business days. Copying police video costs an extra $10 on top of the Act’s other charges.

3. 3

   If charges are pending, ask again later

   Video in a pending criminal case can be withheld until the case is final. Crash video must be kept 30 months, so renew the request when the case ends.

4. 4

   Look beyond public cameras

   GDOT’s traffic cameras do not record and camera ticket images are not public records, so private video matters most: nearby businesses, buses and other drivers’ dashcams. Post the crash on the bounty board.

Frequently asked questions