Are red light cameras illegal in South Dakota?

South Dakota is one of about 10 states where the use of cameras to enforce traffic violations is against the law. 

The South Dakota Legislature passed the law banning the cameras in 2014. It states that “no state, county, municipal, or township authority may contract with any private corporation to provide for the use of any photo monitoring device to detect any red light violation.”

In 2006, I.L. Wiedermann’s vehicle was photographed violating a “no turn on red” sign in downtown Sioux Falls. He was subsequently fined $86 and appealed before taking the case to circuit court in 2010.

The lawsuit claimed the city violated state law by placing a camera at the downtown intersection, violated his due process rights and exceeded legal authority by assessing a civil penalty for a traffic offense. The circuit court ruled in Wiedermann’s favor.

Four years later, the Legislature banned the cameras.