Gwinnett Expects $3 Million From School-Zone Cameras

Gwinnett County expects its school-zone speed-camera program to generate $3 million during the coming contract year, according to documents approved by county commissioners.

The $3 million figure represents estimated revenue rather than a program budget. The county’s public award summary does not specify whether it reflects total citation collections or Gwinnett’s share after payments to the private camera operator.

Gwinnett currently uses 48 fixed cameras at 18 schools. Procurement documents indicate the new contract will replace or continue that equipment rather than immediately expand the program, although the county could add locations later.

Nearly 45,000 Citations in One Year

Records included in Gwinnett’s request for proposals provide an unusually detailed picture of how often the cameras catch drivers.

Between April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026, the system recorded 49,954 potential speeding events. After vendor and police review:

• 2,685 drivers received warnings.
• 4,526 potential violations were rejected.
• 44,808 citations were issued.
• 26,172 citations had been paid.
• 18,636 remained delinquent.
• Seven registration holds were submitted.

The county says its ultimate objective is to reduce violations to zero. That safety goal creates an inherent tension with a contract carrying a multimillion-dollar revenue estimate: A fully successful deterrence program would eventually produce fewer citations and less money.

The contructor previously reported that violations had fallen approximately 50 percent at participating Gwinnett schools since the program began. That figure was supplied by the contractor and has not been presented as an independent safety study.

Where the Cameras Operate

The program began in November 2021 and now covers the following schools:

• Anderson-Livsey Elementary
• Archer High
• Brookwood High
• Corley Elementary
• Dacula High
• Duncan Creek Elementary
• Glenn C. Jones Middle
• Graves Elementary
• Hull Middle
• Jackson Elementary
• Lanier Middle
• Meadowcreek High
• North Gwinnett Middle
• Norton Elementary
• Richards Middle
• Starling Elementary
• Sweetwater Middle
• White Oak Elementary

North Gwinnett-area locations include Duncan Creek Elementary, Glenn C. Jones Middle, Lanier Middle, North Gwinnett Middle and White Oak Elementary.

The cameras operate only on school days, beginning one hour before classes and ending one hour after the instructional day. They do not enforce speed limits during weekends, school holidays, digital-learning days or canceled school days.

A citation is issued only when a vehicle travels more than 10 mph above the applicable limit. When school-zone lights are flashing, that threshold applies to the reduced school-zone speed. During other authorized enforcement periods, it applies to the regular posted limit.

The first violation carries a $75 fine. Subsequent violations cost $125. Citations are civil penalties: They do not add points to a driver’s license, count as moving violations or get reported to insurance companies.

The registered owner is generally responsible unless the owner successfully contests the citation or shows that someone else was driving. Continued nonpayment can eventually result in a hold on the vehicle’s registration.

Georgia Adds New Restrictions

A new state law that took effect July 1 places additional controls on automated school-zone enforcement.

House Bill 651 reinforces limits on when cameras may operate, requires additional testing and recordkeeping, caps processing fees at $10 and establishes penalties when a government or contractor intentionally operates a system outside the permitted hours or speed thresholds.

The law also restricts how governments may spend their proceeds. Camera revenue must support law enforcement or other public-safety initiatives and cannot be used to pay officer or public-safety personnel salaries.

Another major change arrives July 1, 2027. After that date, local governments generally must receive voter approval before entering or renewing school-zone camera contracts.

Gwinnett’s newly awarded agreement begins before the referendum provision takes effect and lists potential renewal options through 2031. How those existing options will interact with the future voter-approval requirement may depend on the state’s implementation of the law and the wording of the county’s contract.

For drivers, the practical message remains straightforward: The cameras are active throughout much of the school day, not merely while the warning lights are flashing, and traveling 11 mph above the applicable limit can trigger a citation.

More information, including enforcement hours for individual schools, is available on Gwinnett County’s School Zone Safety Program page. Contract information appears in the county’s June 2 commission records, while the new statewide requirements are contained in Georgia House Bill 651.

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